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diagnosis, auditory training and hearing aids have made the integration of deaf
and partially deaf children into the hearing community and in particular in ordinary
day schools, a very live issue. Many papers were read at last year's conference
on this subject. At the same time it is widely felt in the educational field that
the claims for results of such integration are exaggerated. There are undoubtedly
cases where children theoretically able to manage in a hearing environment
become maladjusted there and improve on removal to a special unit where they
are able to mix with other children handicapped like themselves. It is also true
that deaf adults left to themselves do tend to mix with other deaf persons although
they are quite able to manage in a hearing community.
The Noil-oral Child
To the outsider there would appear no doubt that some children leave
schools for the deaf unable to communicate orally with their hearing fellows.
Various reasons have been given for these failures - late diagnosis, residential
schooling as opposed to day schools, insufficient use of hearing aids, separation
from the hearing community. Some teachers say they have no such failures.
It may be, however, that for some reason, either of disordered physiology,
or psychology, that some deaf children can never become oral and it is important
to try and ascertain if this is so, to discover such children and to teach them
appropriately by the best form of sign language. Such views are by some regarded
as heresy but this should not deter the research worker.
Conclusions
There is need for further fundamental research into many problems of deafness
A good deal of work is being done but it is either un-co-ordinated or ill-coordinated.
It is felt that a central body should be set up to be responsible for
overall planning of research, to draw up a list of priorities and to allocate research
fields to the various centres engaged in research - both University and clinical
centres.' If a lead were given by the Ministry of Education - the most appropriate
body - other interested organisations such as the Medical Research Council, the
National Institute of Teachers of the Deaf, the voluntary societies, the University
centres and the school medical group of the Society of Medical Officers of Health
would no doubt respond.