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Nursery schools and classes were originally planned to provide among other objects
a community in which the isolated or mildly handicapped child could receive the social
training he needs. The modern auditory training of deaf children recognised sufficiently
early had led to a growing tendency for the admission of some of these children to
nursery schools and classes in a normal hearing environment rather than to nursery
classes in deaf schools.
Audiometry
Routine hearing testing of school children aged 7 + years, fully described in the Annual
Report for 1955, has continued to be carried out by school health visitors using gramophone
audiometers in schools. Pupils failing in two consecutive gramophone tests are
referred to the local school treatment centre for pure tone testing and subsequently, if
necessary, to an otologist at an audiology centre.
Pure tone
sweep testing
It became clear during 1956 as a result of the pilot schemes initiated in two divisions
for the pure tone sweep testing of school entrants aged 5+ years that this form of testing
could be extended to the remaining divisions without any considerable staff repercussions.
The necessary preliminary steps were accordingly taken to enable pure tone sweep
testing to be substituted for gramophone testing in all divisions in 1957.

Audiology
centres
There are nine audiology clinics equipped with a pure tone audiometer and other
special equipment and staffed by part-time otologists, serving the nine health divisions
of the county.
Children are referred to these clinics by school doctors from routine or special
medical inspections, by school health visitors after gramophone or pure tone sweep
tests in school, by teachers, speech therapists, etc., whenever there is suspected hearing
defect.
The eventual disposal of these children depends upon the medical and educational
recommendations made by the otologist at the audiology centre. The majority of the
children are found by this specialist either not to be deaf, or to be only temporarily
' hard of hearing' due to a 'cold' wax in the ears, or to some condition, such as septic
tonsils, which requires treatment. Minor treatments are carried out at the audiology
centre. Children whose condition is more serious are referred to an ear, nose and throat
clinic at a hospital, where any necessary treatment (including the supply of hearing aids,
and operations, such as tonsillectomy or mastoidectomy) is carried out. During 1956,
282 audiology sessions were held, at which there were 3,318 attendances, including
1,234 new cases.
A small residual number of children, who may require special educational treatment
after ascertainment as handicapped pupils, are referred to the County Hall for examination
by the Council's consultant otologist. It is seldom that a pupil requiring special
educational treatment is found by routine audiometer, or other tests in school. The needs
of the majority of these children are noticed before they reach the age of five years.
Training
of very
young
deaf
children
The training of very young deaf children which was referred to in the Report for
1955 (pages 110-111) was extended by the appointment of a second teacher with
centres at Woodberry Down health centre and the Shooter's Hill welfare centre.
The appointment of a third teacher is contemplated.
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