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145
Audiology
The borough, in co-operation with the London Borough of
Merton, maintains a full audiology service and the clinic is staffed
by a medical officer specially trained in this work. The audiologist
is assisted by an audiometrieian and a teacher of the deaf.
All pupils have a routine hearing test between the ages of
six and seven years together with any other children specially referred
by head teachers and medical officers and each primary school is now
visited annually by the audiometrician.
All babies on the "at risk" register are seen when they are
seven months of age and those coming within the special categories on
the "at risk" register are seen between four and five months of age and
follow-up tests of hearing are carried out at monthly intervals till
the hearing is considered to be satisfactory.
In addition to the number of cases seen at the audiology
clinic, twelve home visits were made. As well as frequent home visits
to pre-school children with hearing impairment, the peripatetic teacher
of the deaf made periodic visits to schools which children with impaired
hearing attended.
Details of the work undertaken in schools:
Children tested - 2623. Children who failed test — 156
Result of investigations by school medical officers:
No significant hearing loss on clinical
examination 46
No significant hearing loss, but child
appears mentally retarded 2
Hearing loss confirmed and attributed to:
(i) Catarrhal condition (with or without
inflammation of ear) 45
(ii) Old otitis media 13
(iii) Injury
(iv) Other causes 23
(v) Undetermined causes 17
Investigations incomplete at end of year 8
Investigations not possible - left district
or otherwise unavailable for examination 2
Recommendations by school medical officers in the
first instance:
(i) No action required 29
(ii) For observation only 64