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HEARING OF SCHOOL CHILDREN. Miss S.J.Riches completed her first full year as a
whole-time audiometrician in the School Health Service. Her duties consist mainly in
visiting the schools and testing the hearing of the children by means of a gramophone
audiometer; but she also assists with pure-tone and other audiometric tests in the Ear,
Nose and Throat Clinics.
The method of using the audiometer was described in last year's report. The experience
of 1951 has served to confirm its value for the correct assessment of a child's hearing
ability. The diagnosis of total or severe deafness is not particularly difficult as a rule,
but the lesser degrees of deafness can be extremely difficult to diagnose accurately without
the use of an audiometer. Even If the diagnosis of partial deafness in such a child cannot
be remedied it is of value inasmuch as the parents and the teachers can be informed of the
reasons for the child's "apparent inattention™ and by taking appropriate measures, e.g.
arranging for the child to sit in the front row or to a particular side of the teacher, the
tuition of the child may be appreciably improved.
One disadvantage of the test is that it requires an ability on the part of the child
to write down figures from dictation. This cannot normally be done below about seven or eight
years of age, and consequently no children younger than this i?ave so far been tested. To
enable the survey to be extended to the younger age groups, some new technical advance will
be needed and it Is to be hoped that, despite the difficulties, this will not be too long
delayed.

Out of this number tested it was found necessary to refer the 91 children found defective
to the area doctors for further examination. They, in turn, found it necessary to refer 31
children - 17 boys and 14 girls - for specialist opinion, the remainder being remedied by simple
treatment at the clinic.