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pick up any new cases of defective hearing from whatever cause.
Early cases of otosclerosis, the deafness which affects adults and
for which treatment has been developed in the postwar years, may
be detected at the school leavers inspection, and are indeed sought,
if the family history is positive. Audiometry at this stage also
provides a base line of adult hearing for each individual, which,
in this age of noise induced deafness, could prove a useful
reference later.
From time to time also, a meeting of the ascertainment team
is called at the Audiology Clinic to discuss and make recommendations
regarding referrals for wider investigations, school placement
and extra educational provision. Children discussed at
these meetings are often additionally handicapped either in themselves
or in their environment.
We also have the assistance of the Welfare Officers for the
Deaf and the Special Services Officer for the Handicapped, in
providing vocational guidance for the hearing handicapped child,
(b) The Unit for Hearing Impaired Children has been included
in a study on the extent to which it is practicable to educate
severely deaf children in ordinary schools. This is being conducted
for the London Institute of Education by Dr. Dale, Senior
Lecturer in teaching of the deaf and partially hearing children, and
supported by the Ewing Foundation. (Three other Boroughs are
included in the survey and also children of a similar degree of
deafness already placed in schools for the deaf.)
The study provides a consultation service and a six-monthly
record of speech and language development, educational and social
progress. These tests are conducted by Dr. Dale and his research
associates.
There are twenty-two children in the Unit—the majority are
severely deaf. One who has only moderate hearing loss is now
almost full-time in the normally hearing class and returns to the
Unit only for speech and language. There is also one partially
hearing child in the Infants who has some speech training help
from the Unit.
Also under the heading "Audiology Service" I am grateful
to Mr. D. R. Barraclough, Chief Education Officer, for the
following report on the service for the hearing impaired child: —
The Borough Unit for hearing impaired children was transferred
to new, specially equipped premises at the Darrick Wood
Schools in September 1969. By December 1969 the number of
children there was as follows: —
Nursery Group 8
Infant Class 6
Junior Class 8