HEALTH NOTES

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 775, 23 September 1929, Page 10

HEALTH NOTES

VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED CHILDREN (Contributed by the Department . Health.) of Among the factors affecting huinaj, efficiency and happiness some method of ensuring so far as is practicable that every individual shall be plac e ! in an occupation for which he is sicallv fitted is one of the most portant. Apart from other considers tions there can be nothing mor discouraging than the realisation thathe time spent iu training a chiH could have been more wisely aad profitably used iu another sphere This is particularly so in regard t a child suffering from some physics] handicap such as defective liearine poor physique, and so on. The recoe nition of these facts has led in recenyears to investigations having £ their object the cataloguing of varionoccupations according to the aptitude and capacities required in them While the majority of our children in New Zealand are physically fir , earn their living in any way" of Uf! that circumstances, inclination 0 - luck may open to them, there are r few children suffering from the result* of some illness, accident, or constitv ttonal weakness which unfits them for certain occupations. Such children can never be successful or happy nn less given an occupation within their powers of accomplishment, and it i. worth every effort to get them suited Parents and guardians seldom knov what occupations a child with a given defect should avoid, nor what *he should seek, and some very failures occur in consequence. 5 or course, if a child is exeeptionallv gifted in any direction, the problen of choosing its occupation is much simplified, and exceptional talent ct peciallv when combined with char acter and perseverance, will triumph over almost any physical handicap However, for the rank and file of our children without exceptional gif,; to compensate physical defects, these few suggestions are supplied. The occupations mentioned here are no, by any means exhaustive, but mav serve as a guide. No attempt has been made to distinguish between the social values or the cost of training in the various occupations, for physical defects occur in all walks of life, and in all require thought. Defective sight and defective hearing are two of the commonest defects which need consideration, and often occur in individuals who are robusi physically and mentally.

For those suffering from defectiyj sight, especially short sight, the following occupations are suitable:— Various grades of shop work, baking, domestic work, poultry farming, piano tuning (musician if musically endowed), perhaps teaching, the Church, or Law or agriculture, journalism (according to the degree of shortsight).

For those who are practically blind the choice is small. But there are •basket-making, typing, massage, and piano-tuning; or, again, those who are talented can become musicians. The short-sighted person should particularly avoid engineering, building work on railways, work among machinery, wool-classing, and sewing. DEFECTIVE HEAR NG Defective hearing in certain occupations is a much greater handicap than is usually realised It is practically incurable and tends frequently to get worse later iu life. Even slight degrees therefore should prevent a parent putting a child into the first job that offers. The child who is deaf must particularly avoid work on railways, vehicle driving, auctioneering, medicine, shop serving, and stenography where taking down dictation is- involved.

Occupations in which he (or she) may be successful, according to the degree of deafness, are carpentry, cabinetmaking, tailoring, shoemaking, mail sorting, poultry farming, general agricultural work, plumbing, woolclassing, fishing, blacksmithing. For girls there is domestic work, cooking, millinery, dressmaking, wool-classing, poultry farming, bee farming. GENERAL POOR PHYSIQUE

Then there is the weakly, delicate child, undersized and unlikely to develop later into average strengthThese are the children in particular whose gifts and perseverance will often lead them to succeed where others will fail.. The general rule which should guide a parent in selecting their occupation is to choose one where skill, craftsmanship and intelligence are mort important than brutstrength. Thus he may do most of those occupations generally alluded to as “business.” Shop salesman (excluding very heavy goods), .vatchmAing (if possessed of mechanical tendencies), leadlight working, wire working, photography, re-touching, clerical work. tailoring, shoemaking, saddlery, signwriting, dressmaking, millinery, poultry farming. Law, the Church are all occupations he can manage.

He must particularly avoid the se occupations where muscular strength is Important, such as general labonr. agricultural work, sailor, "‘bar. labourer. The placing of the child with heart trouble is always a source of anxieb to the parent. Those so alUcted should not undertake any very heavytiring work. In particular, they shonW avoid work which entails ;su<M° n strain, such as lifting heavy weightshurrying, and so on. If possible, the! are better to do something where theare their own “boss.” so that on tbeibad day r s they can slack off or miss a day’s work. They must, thereforeavoid general labour, general »sr>’ cultural work, sailor, wharf labour* • Girls should not do heavy domest work, such as washing, scrubbing, lifting heavy pots. Sedentary occupations are usua . best for them, such as law, clerical work, journalism, shoemaking, ,all ° ing, or they can do photography, touching, watchmaking (if they h* a mechanical bent). Girls can do se ing, millinery, typing, etc. This obviously incapacitates victim from a wide range of occu ."“ tions. Of these the loss of one is probably the least misfortn - Choice must be made from some the occupations mentioned under heading of “Defective Heart “General Poor Physique.” Where ‘ legs are involved choice is pracl c • j limited to sedentary occupations. ‘ - those who have lost one arm j are some branches of clerical ! (accountancy, etc.), commercial I eller, auctioneer, wool classing, j perhaps bee farming.