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79
The work taking place at the Audiology Unit is a co- operative venture and involves
the participation of the consultant otologist the medical officers, the headmaster of
Blanche Nevile School for the Deaf, two peripatetic teachers of the deaf the educational
psychologist and two audiometricians Patients are seen by Dr Fisch, who is assisted
by a medical officer from the Area Medical Officer s staff The headmaster of the School
for the Deaf adds the weight of his experience in educational placement of deaf and
partially hearing children and is also responsible for administrative matters connected
with the peripatetic teachers These teachers are responsible, under Dr. Fisch's
supervision, for auditory training of pre-school children and for visiting partially hearing
children in ordinary schools. The audiometricians attend the clinic to carry out new and
repeat audiograms on patients in attendance.
During the year a second peripatetic teacher and a second audio metrician were
appointed This enables the team on the one hand to detect hearing loss earlier and on
the other hand to give better training and closer supervision of progress of the children
who have hearing difficulties but are not in special classes or the special day school
The equipment of the clinic has been completed now by the addition of an amplifying
testing unit which enables the use of new and specialised tests for hearing in the very
young as well as the older children. This unit comprises a very high quality record
player and tape recorder, and the amplified sound is replayed into two loudspeakers placed
in two corners of the room The sound can be played into the left or right speaker or
both together. Test sounds are recorded and then played back at known levels of
intensity, so as to estimate the true level of hearing much earlier than previously Speech
tests can be carried out and the effectiveness of hearing aids can be tested with this
equipment.
A number of visitors (doctors, health visitors teachers) attended at the clinic
throughout the year and in this way a considerable amount of teaching has been carried
out. Also medical students from Guy s Hospital attended a session of clinical
demonstration.
For some time it has been hoped that the old air raid shelter which adjoins the
clinic would be available for the extension of the clinic This has now been agreed in
principle and detailed plans have been prepared for the conversion of the shelter There
will be a room for the the psychologist which will also be used by the teachers, an
audiometric room and a room for the technicians for making impressions from the ears
issuing hearing aids, etc The availability of these rooms will be a great improvement
in every aspect to the work of the clinic
Vale Road School for Physically Handicapped Children
Cerebral Palsy Unit
Dr. William Dunham, the consultant in charge of the Unit, continued to attend for one
session a week and the work proceeded on the same lines as previously reported.
The
following table analyses the cases seen at the Unit during 1962