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have now been examined. Two hundred and nine children failed
the initial test, and these are being recalled for further examination,
as a result of which, a number have already been referred
for a specialist's opinion.
The test used is easily understood by young children and, in
fact, little difficulty was experienced in gaining their co-operation ;
older children often seemed to view the test as a rather intriguing
novelty. The tests can be carried out in any quiet room, and only
in one school, situated on a busy main road, was the noise of the
traffic sufficient to interfere seriously with the examinations at
certain times of the day.
Middle ear disease has again accounted for the majority of
the cases of deafness found, followed by wax and foreign bodies
in the meatus. No case of deafness severe enough to require
special school tuition has so far been discovered, which suggests
that the ascertainment of these more serious cases by other means
has been satisfactory.
Of the children so far referred to Consultants, treatment has
been prescribed in many instances, but in some cases, the prospect
of any marked improvement in the hearing is held to be slight.
Although this is disappointing, these cases will, never the less,
benefit from the fact that their disability is known, so that the
appropriate adjustments can be made in the classroom.
It is now well recognised that an inattentive or backward child
may prove to be suffering, in reality, from a defect of hearing
rather than of ability. The converse, however, is not necessarily
true, and the children with slightly or moderately impaired hearing
who are exceptionally gifted, who have by good fortune been
favourably placed in the classroom, or who have received some
individual tuition, may be able to overcome their disability to such
an extent, as to give no clue in their work to the handicap under
which they are labouring.
In other words, in circumstances which would make the
average child appear to be dull, the brilliant pupil will be reduced
to an appearance of average ability—an equally serious matter
and, moreover, one which is far more likely to be overlooked.
This underlines the importance of examining the hearing of
all children, not only of selected groups such as those known to
be backward, just as all children, for example, are given periodic
tests of vision. Since the audiometer tests were commenced in the
Autumn of 1955 a grand total of 5,348 children have been
examined, and of these, 317 failed the initial test.