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The importance of early recognition and adequate treatment
and training was stressed and the provision of a suitable hearing
aid as indicated.
Special attention should be paid at all school medical inspections,
but particularly those of entrants, to the child's hearing for
conversational voice and the condition of the ears as revealed by
auriscopy. All doubtful cases should be referred to the school
clinic for full examination, including audiometry, since some forms
of deafness, e.g., high tone, are difficult to detect otherwise.
An accurate assessment of the hearing should be made before
any child is referred for speech therapy, for psychiatric examination,
or for an intelligence test. Similarly children who have had
meningitis, head injuries, or otitis should be examined for hearing
loss on their return to school.
Audiometric Testing.—In addition to the gramophone audiometer
which has been available for some years, a pure tone
audiometer was made available by the Principal School Medical
Officer during 1957 and has been particularly useful in the testing
of children attending the school for the deaf.
In addition, between October and the end of the year, 60
children were tested on referral from routine medical inspection.
(d) Orthopaedic and Physiotherapy Clinic.—This is under the
clinical charge of Mr. G. Rigby-Jones, M.C., F.R.C.S., Consultant
Orthopaedic Surgeon at the Connaught Hospital. Mr. Rigby-Jones
reports that treatment at the clinic remains in the very capable
hands of Miss Garratt, and the only change of note during the
current year has been the appointment of a part-time Clinical
Secretary by the Forest Group Hospital Management Committee.
Mrs. Clark is attached to the Orthopaedic Department at
Wanstead Hospital, and also performs the secretarial work for the
Orthopaedic School Clinics in the Forest Group area. Her appointment
has been a welcome addition and relieves Miss Garratt of a
considerable amount of secretarial work.
The following tables compiled by Miss Garratt, C.S.P.,
Physiotherapist, show the work done at the clinic:—