CONFERENCE ON DEAFNESS

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28823, 18 February 1959, Page 2

CONFERENCE ON DEAFNESS

Important Qf Early

Detection

Medical experts generally agree that the detection of deafness to children should be made at a very early stage, ‘ before the' Child is one year old if possible. A two-day conference- of Public Health Nurses and doctors to Christchurch will be held on Thursday and Friday to investigate some of the techniques used. The course of instruction will be given by Miss' AUeen M. Pickles, lecturer to the education of the deaf at the Christchurch Teachers’ College and a world authority on the-early detection of deafness. About 35 nurses, from all over the South Island, and a number of doctors from the Health Department fa Christchurch will attend the conference, which will include a number of lectures from Miss Pickles and several practical demonstrations. . Arrangements have been made to have a .number of babies and pre-school children present, for Miss Pickles to demonstrate the methods used.

Hearing disabilities are believed to ’ account for many cases of apparent backwardness to children, and the earlier this can be detected the better. Miss Pickles, who came to New Zealand to 1957, did pioneer work in this field as a Medical Research Fellow at J Manchester University, where she was the first person to use hearing aids for very young children. In New Zealand she has used hearing aids with children as young as seven'months. A clinic for the early detection of deafness in children under the charge of . Miss Pickles, was opened by the Teachers’ College to July, 1957, and has proved very successful. The latest methods in the. .detection, assessment and assistance of deafness have been used, and a number of trainees have been instructed fa the special techniques required for working with children. The conference this week Js designed to give nurses an idea of the -problems and methods involved, and to ensure they can detect early deafness.