The journal. (Caldwell, Ohio) 1934-1961, 1949-04-28
Gaping
the CAPITAL
With BEN HAYES


school here at 620 E. Town street
that is attracting nationwide at
tention. Specialists from all over
the country come here to see
what it does for cheated children.
This is not the reason l write
about it. l want to describe it so
that it might help parents in
Noble county.
The school is called the Cere-
bral Palsy Treatment Center.
Seventy handicapped children
are now taking special training
there. Some are learning to walk,
some to talk, and still others
struggle to feed themselves.
There are some victims that are
unable to hold their legs and
arms still. These also are treated.
People are just beginning to
learn about cerebral palsy. 1t is
an injury to the brain, sometimes
suffered at birth, but in most
cases not. Those people we call
spastics are one type of this af-
Fiction.
Just 20 years ago, it was the
habit to lump these cheated chill
dren as feeble minded, put them
in an institution and leave them
there.
This was cruel mistake. Many
people suffering cerebral palsy
are very intelligent. The thinking
part of the brain is not injured
It's just that nerves controlling
use of muscles are damaged. BY
patient training, the therapists at
the training center persist until
the child learns to use other
nerves that travel to the same
muscles.
Most of the children at the
treatment center came through
child specialists who decided that
they were cerebral-palsied. They
are from counties throughout
central Ohio-except the children
of Franklin county are given pre-
ference.
This is because the treatment
center is project of the Frank
lin County Society for Crippled
Children. This is a private organ
ization, its money coming from
public donations. The state does
not pay anything to operate the
treatment center.
Sometimes parents pay small
fees if they can afford it. Many
boys and girls are trained with
out charge.
The aim of the treatment CEN
ter is make the children as self
sufficient as possible. Some pro-
gress until they grow up to be
wage earners and can care for
themselves. Others will always
remain burdens for their rela-
tives, or guardians-but the
training prevent them from be-
ing completely hopeless.
One of the nursery school
teachers at the center is a cere-
bral-palsied person. She is pleas
ant, charming and quite able to
fill her job-despite slowness in
the movement of certain muscles.
The treatment center is just a
beginning, as are the discoveries
of medical science this far. Much
more remains to be learned. The
treatment center accepts boys
and girls up to nine years old.
The youngest one treated was II
months old. Parents bring them
to the treatment center once or
twice a week for training.
Mrs. Victor J. Warken, TAI Col
lege avenue, Columbus, is chair
man of the project. She is inter-
ested in finding and treating all
children who have been cheated
in this way.
1t is hoped, in years to come,
that special schools for the cere-
bral palsied can be established.
That will carry them through
high school and teach them a
trade at which they can earn
their living For those never able
to work, perhaps a home can be
established.
I recently visited the treatment
center. l saw one eight-year-old
boy trying to learn to handle a
spoon. 1t was a tremendous eff
fort. He could hardly hold up his
head, and then his arm and hand
would not move the way he
wanted them to. Mrs. Warden
told me teaching this boy to eat
is task equal to teaching a nor
NAL child to become an accom-
plished pianist.
/ came away thankful that my
children are normal. s...s