How Spastic Schools Help Crippled Children

Chronicle (Levin), 22 April 1948, Page 2

How Spastic Schools Help Crippled Children

% 9 WELLrNGTCN, April- 21. 'A atudy of Ihe diseancn that crippied ■children other th;ra poliumyclit is, wliile he was in America, was roforred to todav by Dr. Walter Robcrtson wheu interviewed upon his rclurn to Wellington. -Ahhough Dr. Robertson's visit was esscntialJy to study the Kenu.\ treatment. he visited most of tlie spa.-:-tic schools whieh had been eslablisheu to help children afflicted with tliu niuscular diseasc. There were niar.y of these schools- all over the Unit'ed '.Sfatcs, he said, and \i 'Would 'ii'ke to see them establisheu ii. New Zealand. Bouie of tlie children iived on Ahe prciuises wherc tliey wc'e educated, treateu aud given adequaltfaeilities fot recrehtion. Bpastic chud ren needed special taro aud uudcrstaiid ing and these schools were thc answei to that problem. The exlent of tiie success of the schools could not be calculated but even if there was oniy a sinai] iniprovement it was invaluablu to the ehild. Dr. Iiobertson said the cooperalion iie reccived in America was siiu[»l.v ni.-ir-vellous. . It almost appeared that tlu mofc mention of the lianie Now Zealand dptmed tlie gate to everything. Tlu.-. was due to tlie Americans who wero m Kew Zealand during the wnr, wlm seemed to have spread Now Zealand 's reputatioii all over the couulry.