THE PARTLY DEAF.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 223, 20 September 1938, Page 8

THE PARTLY DEAF.

TEACHING OF CHILDREN.

Valuable advice on the treatment of children suffering from defect* of hearing not amounting to total deafness is jriven in the report of a committee of inquiry appointed by the Board of Education, and published this month. To discourage the use of vngne terms such a« "partially deaf and '-hard of hearing," a new system of classifying these children for educational purpose* i« de«cril»ed. and its acceptance by education authorities is urged. The latest data on the causation, prevention and .treatment of defective hearing are contained in a section which thus forms an up- , to-date sum mil rv for reference by medical men. Suppurative otitis fie-diu (the ordinary "running ear" so often seen among children) is shown to he the most frequent cause of defective hearing; and the prevention and cure of this common 4ieea«e are discussed.

In school children it is happily becoming more rare: 3.7 per cent of elementary school children in London had it in 1011, 2 per cenfc in Hl2O. and only 0.0 per cent in lll.'U. The decline is due to two causes, prevention and improved method* of treatment. Since "running ear*" are often the aftermath of the common infectious diseases pneh as nioasles, wadet fever, influenza and the common cold, measure*? taken to prevent these or to minimise the secondary infections which complicate them are su<r.£rested. Effect of Environment. When resistance to disease is lowered by poor feeding or bad environment, then otitis, like all other complications of these diseases, occnr<s more often and in more difficult to cure. ■'Every improvement in hygienic conditions, in ventilation, in eliminating overcrowded, poor, and damp houriimr will diminish the incidence of otitis media." it. is stated.- '"Every shun and overcrowded tenement abolished, every unhygienic school rebuilt on open-air linei* is a step towards *hi-; end."

Scientific methods of measuring hearing ill ''decibels" by audiometers and the uee of hearing aids by children are described. The hearinr of children in large numbers—a« many as 40 at a time—can be tested with a gramophone audiometer which speaks numbers in a progressively fainter scries which the children write down as loiil- as (hoy can-hear them. All education authorities are urged to use these instruments *~ thai no child innv be miseed.

Children with t-ptionsU- defective hearing in special schools should have electrical amplifiers in their -" that (hey can hear the teacher , .-* voice Letter. For 'children not so seriously handicapped, who remain in elementary school*, auricles —a type of non-electrical hearing aid—are recommended.

Brighter Children. .An experiment was undertaken in Xewcastle to see if children Would benefit by wearing these auricle*. "The outstanding observation of the experiment was the ereat psyehologioal benefit derived by ftu? children from the u«e of a hearing aid.' Spontaneous remarks of parent* and teachers showed forcibly the repressive effect of deafne.ss on a child, as well is the benefit of instrumental help. Tt was said of one girl that her facial exprftwion had brightened, and she had come to use a stronger speaking voice than before. She wa* 7iiore friendly with other jrirls, and took her natural place among them. '•A girl of seven wa<s formerly very quiet tending to keep to the back and to stand about at play. After wearing auricles for a term «he became more talkative as she discovered that she could hear the next girl whisper to her. Her talking increased an much that she became almost a nuisance. It had been feare<l that perhaps the good effect r.f a hearing aid might be diminished by eirbniraewment caused by the ehildV being ma<ie conspicuous, but pride was much more commonly found among the wearers of auricles than self-ron*ciotHmv-*. and the other children in the -class «-<> re often envious."'

Ihe Ixvt prcpnration for p m ploy men t is judged to lip a good jjenpral edlK-ntion till the a.ire of sixteen, with emphiifi* upon craft and inannal tnmiin<T, if al , employer will make the small cfTi.it necessary t<. <ret used to an employee who dries not hear very well, he will find that hi* worker will be capable of performing as satisfactorily as a hearing person any type of work whore he does not conic into contact with the public.