View report page

179
These children are integrated as much as is practicable with
hearing classes in the Infant and Junior Schools, and the two
heads and their staffs have worked hard for the success of the
Unit. No children over the age of 8 attend the Unit as these have
previously been placed elsewhere.
Thirteen children attend day schools for the deaf or partially
hearing units outside the Borough. Seven attend residential schools
for the deaf. The Borough's Peripatetic Service arranges for
special help for 8 pre-school children, for 40 children with hearing
aids at ordinary schools and for 44 children with hearing defects
who do not wear hearing aids but who attend ordinary schools.
The two Peripatetic Teachers of the Deaf have weekly
sessions at home, in schools or at the Audiology Clinic with 20
children. They also attend fortnightly clinics taken by the Medical
Officers in the Department with special responsibility for the deaf
child for assessing new cases and reviewing old ones. This has
been very helpful for co-ordinating the medical and educational
aspects of the work. Meetings to consider particular problem
cases have continued, attended by Dr. Dale of London University,
the Educational Psychologists and other members of the
Authority's staff.
The Connevans group hearing aids at the Partially Hearing
Unit have been taken into use. The Peripatetic Teachers have
acquired among other items a Phillips' Russaid radio-microphone
for use in the Langley Park Boys' School by a severely deaf 11year-old
and his teachers. This new development in communication
for hearing impaired school children is proving successful,
and it is hoped to acquire more Russaids in the future.
The practice of purchasing individual commercial hearing
aids on otologists' recommendations has continued, also the
arrangements for maintaining these and National Health Service
(Modresco) aids.
Handicapped Pupils
It is the duty of the local authority to ascertain those children
in its area who, having attained the age of two years, may require
special educational treatment. These children usually come to the
attention of the School Health Service through the Health Visitors,
the Chief Education Officer, Parents and Hospitals.
The officially recognised types of handicaps are: Blind, Partially
Sighted, Deaf, Partially Hearing, Physically Handicapped,
Delicate, Maladjusted, Educationally Sub-Normal, Epileptic and
Speech Defects.
Once a child has been ascertained as handicapped surveillance
is maintained and recommendations for special educational
treatment are forwarded to the Chief Education Officer for his