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27
DEAF AND PARTIALLY HEARING CHILDREN - AUDIOLOGY CLINIC
The pressure of work on the Audiology Clinic this year, was
eased considerably by a change of policy in the sweep testing
arrangements. In order to reduce the number of children attending
the Clinic, it was decided not to refer immediately the
failures with a hearing loss not greater than 30dB, as this
small loss could be caused by a cold or a temporary catarrhal
condition. The children in this group, were noted by Mrs.Roberts,
the part time Audiometrician, and re-tested, at the next visit
to the School. Of the children re-tested, approximately 65%
passed the second test. The failures were referred in the usual
way to the Audiology Clinic for further investigation.
All Infant Schools were visited at least twice during the
year by Mrs. Roberts and apart from the absentees and uncooperative
children (386), all children newly admitted to school
during the year were tested. Of the 3, 964 children tested, 573
failed the test. This figure includes 170 children in the 30dB
group, waiting to be re-tested. The failures were referred to
the Audiology Clinic for further investigation and the appropriate
action taken.
A monthly clinic was started during the latter part of the
year, in conjunction with Dr. Morgan, to deal with the difficult
to diagnose, babies 'at risk'. This has proved to be well worthwhile
in the early ascertainment of deafness in these very young
and difficult cases.
All the children recommended for a hearing aid, were seen by
Mr. Parsons, the Corporation's Consultant Otologist, who has
held monthly consultant sessions at the Audiology Clinic
throughout the year. 11 hearing aids were issued in 1963. Eight
of these were the National Health Service "Medresco" aids and
the other three, were commercial aids paid for by the Corporation.
Commercial aids are needed if the hearing loss is very
severe, or if there is a sharp perceptive loss in the higher
frequencies. As there is no automatic volume control on the
Medresco aid, it cannot be tolerated by children with such a
loss, as the hearing for low notes is often normal and general
amplification of sound soon becomes painful.
A Unit for Partially Hearing and Severely Deaf Children in
the age range 3-7 years was formed at the Kingsley Road Infants
School and will open in January 1964. This will provide up to 4
years training with a qualified teacher of the deaf, during the
vital early years, when concentrated individual attention can
make all the difference to a deaf child's future. It will also
avoid sending very young severely deaf children on long daily
bus journeys to day special schools outside the Borough.
For further statistical details see Appendix G. page 59