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103
ness and four cases showed a history of maternal rubella. Five
children had suffered from neo-natal disorders. The age at which
the presence of deafness was first suspected ranged from six months
to eight years and in one case a hearing aid was provided before
the child had reached the age of one year.
Day classes for maladjusted children are held in four schools
in Wandsworth. Children attend ordinary school for part of the
week and attend the special classes during the remainder of the
week, when up to five sessions may be required, depending on the
nature and severity of the behaviour problem. As the classes are
small, each child has the maximal opportunity of receiving benefit
from the tuition.
Schools for the educationally sub-normal are as follows:—
Meadway (primary and secondary) with 198 pupils. This is a
modern building and was erected on the site of a school formerly
attended by physically handicapped children.
Shillington (secondary) with 316 pupils.
Wycliffe (primary and secondary) with 193 pupils. The rebuilding
of this school at Wickersley Road was completed in June and
the increased accommodation in the new building allowed for the
admission of children of primary school age for the first time. The
school can now accommodate 200 educationally subnormal boys
and girls aged from five to sixteen years.
Audiometry
Hearing loss may be detected not only by clinical examination
but also by the use of machines termed audiometers which provide
an accurate assessment of the hearing defect. Routine audiometry
forms part of the health examination of school entrants, and preschool
children are tested whenever possible. The tests are performed
by three school nurses with special experience in the use
of the apparatus. An audiometry test is employed as a preliminary
measure in the investigation of educational subnormality as a deaf
child of normal intelligence may sometimes give the impression of
being educationally subnormal. Audiometry is of particular value
in investigating learning difficulties which are sometimes found to
be due to a relatively slight degree of defective hearing.
There has been an increase this year in the number of children
tested prior to speech therapy. It is important to appreciate that
abnormal speech patterns may develop in a child with hearing
impairment. Limitation in the number of available staff prevented
extensive use of audiometry at secondary schools, but the tests
may be required in certain circumstances, as for example in the
case of a child who has recently arrived in this country.