View report page

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 total number of hearing impaired children in Bromley, as of July 31st 1972, who come under the
regular supervision of a teacher of the deaf is 122, 116 of which have hearing aids. 5 of this total live in Bexley
but attend the Darrick Wood Unit, and 31 are educated outside the Borough. Of the remaining 86, 17 are at
Darrick Wood and 69 are covered by the Peripatetic Service.
i.e. Children attending the Darrick Wood Unit:-
Nursery- Infant groups 13 (including 2 from Bexley)
Junior Class 9 (including 3 from Bexley)
Total 22 (including 5 from Bexley)
Peripatetic Service:
The following receive regular help from a teacher of the deaf:
Pre-school children with hearing aids 6
Children with hearing aids attending
normal schools within the Borough 17
Hearing impaired children without
hearing aids 6
Total 29
In addition, the Peripatetic Service has some responsibility for the following:
Children with hearing aids educated outside the Borough:
(a) in residential placement- 18 (including 1 placed because of maladjustment)
(b) in day placement- 13 (including 3 in normal I.L.E. A. schools)
31
Other children with hearing aids attending normal schools within the Borough— 40
Total for Peripatetic Service=100. Full total=122
The Darrick Wood Unit
In addition to the 22 children attending full-time, 1 pre-school deaf child in the Autumn term and 2 in the
Summer term each spend three or four trial-sessions a week at the Unit as a preparation for full-time admission when
older. This has been found most helpful both for adjusting the children to the Unit routine, and for assessing their
suitability for permanent admission. The mothers of the children provided the transport and have generally felt that
the benefits of this arrangement have outweighed the personal inconvenience.
Varying amounts of integration, as appropriate to the individual hearing impaired child, has continued with
the hearing Infant and Junior children; this has included participation in school outings and functions — although the
Unit children have also gone on visits within their own groups. Even the profoundly deaf children can gain in verbal
communication skills and social ease from controlled contacts with their hearing contemporaries and the practice of
integration has the support of Mrs Jordan and Mr. Langiey the Headteachers of the Infant and Junior Schools
respectively; extension of it was also urged by Dr. D. C. Wollman, H.M.I., of the Department of Education and
Science when he visited the Unit in January 1972.
112