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Dr. Fisch reports as follows on the year's work at the unit:—
"One of the important factors in the work of this clinic is the good teamwork which is essential for all the aspects
of the care for children with hearing impairment — diagnosis, assessment, continuous re-assessment, parent
guidance, training and education. I am glad to report that this teamwork continued very well through the past
year. Close co-operation with the Headmaster of the Blanche Nevile School for the Deaf is an important link
between the clinic and the many educational aspects. When children who attend the school for the deaf or the
units for partially-hearing children were re-examined and re-assessed at the clinic, the class teacher was able to
attend with the child — the greatest possible help and leading to better assessment.
The waiting list was kept to reasonable limits but strenuous effort is necessary to keep it so. / am glad to say that
no child who needs urgent examination has to wait long.
We were still one peripatetic teacher short (at present two teachers must work very hard in order to cover the
most essential and urgent part of the work). / hope this situation will be remedied. / am very glad to hear that the
peripatetic teachers have been upgraded. With the consequent improvement in their salaries, / hope it will be
easier to acquire suitably qualified teachers for this work.
Our hearing aid service greatly improved. Our audiometricians are now skilled in taking impressions from ears and
the electronic engineer attached to the school keeps close watch on the hearing aids in use, repairs and maintains
the instruments in good condition. There has been a significant improvement in the provision of a greater variety
of National Health hearing aids and / am able to prescribe aids suited to various types and degrees of hearing loss.
The peripatetic teachers train children in the proper use of the aids and supervise their use at home and in normal
schools.
Co-operation with the Technical Design section of the Hornsey College of Art continued. A prototype of a new
free field audiometer was elaborated. This should make a significant advance in testing, especially screen testing,
young children. One of the members of the staff of the college designed a new series of test cards (for testing
hearing of speech) and these are now in process of validation. / hope these cards will then be produced
commercially.
A new booklet has been prepared in our series of booklets giving practical advice to parents and teachers
concerning hearing impairment in children. The new booklet is entitled "Notes on Unilateral Deafness". These
booklets are now sold nationwide in large numbers and the cost of production is more than covered by their sale.
Further booklets are in preparation. The production of these booklets is made possible by the enthusiastic
co-operation of the staff of the Health Education department.
Visits by speech therapists, medical officers, student health visitors and other personnel were frequent throughout
the year. There is an increasing demand for attendances at the clinic for instruction and teaching. Unfortunately
our facilities are limited in this respect because of the lack of a one way viewing window with an observation room.
The planned construction of this has not materialised as yet.
The work of the clinic proceeded well during 1971 and because of the co-operation of all concerned, including the
medical and educational authorities, this borough has evolved a very advanced and comprehensive audiology
service."

Pre-School Children = 347
Attending Infant and Junior Schools = 345
Attending Senior Schools = 153
TOTAL = 845
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