NEW HOPE FOR THE DEAF CHILD

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29138, 25 February 1960, Page 11

NEW HOPE FOR THE DEAF CHILD

Being horn severely or profoundly deaf is no joke, says Dr D. M. C. Dale. Many people regard it as the most serious of all handicaps. “Essentially the problem is that if one doesn't hear speech one doesn’t produce it, and unless helped will grow up deaf and dumb,” he said.

The responsibility placed on those who care for deaf people during their childhood, is a serious one indeed. Serious, because with proper training, deaf children can become normal people who can't hear; but with ineffectual or unwise guidance the same children may be condemned to live a restricted intellectual and social life their lack of vocabulary denying them the ability even to think as we do. While not wishing to minimise the problems which face deaf children, this article suggests that a number of fairly recent developments have made their future much brighter than it had previously been. Education Philosophy Some years ago, it was not uncommon for educationists to say that methods practised in schools for the deaf were about 50 years behind the times. Today this is less three in the majority of western countries at least. For centuries, progressive teachers and writers on the education of the deaf have advocated the “natural” approach in presenting language to deaf children (i.e. working from the childrens’ interests and giving them the words as they need them to express their ideas). Much credit for the general acceptance of this developmental or genetic approach to the education of the deaf, however, must go to Sir Alexander and the late Lady Ewing, who accepted this principle, and at the University of Manchester, developed a Department of Education of the Deaf which has done so much to dis-

geminate this philosophy. Activity methods, “learning by doing,” class visits and the extensive use of teaching apparatus are, of course, essential in its application. Research As well as the teaching function of the Ewing's department, increasing emphasis has been placed on research into problems associated with deafness, Dr Dale said. A research project was concluded in 1956, for, instance, which showed that the intelligence of deaf children follows the normal

curve of distribution, (i.e. that, like hearing children, a few are bright, a few are dull, and the majority are of round-about average intelligence). Other workers have concerned themselves with speech or linguistic development, educational attainment and hearing tests, and frequency and intensity studies in amplification. Since World War 11, an increasing amount of research has been conducted, particularly in England, America, Russia and Scandinavia. Electro-acoustic instruments have been designed which have helped deaf people both directly and indirectly and have brought precision into this work. An instrument called a sonagraph, for instance, is capable of analysing sound in terms of frequency The sonagram illustrated is an analysis of a phrase used a great deal in speech studies at the Bell Telephone Laboritories in New York. It can be seen that the consonants (j, t, s. sh, and ch)

are mainly composed of high frequency sounds, Consequently many deaf people are unable to hear them since they usually have best hearing for the sounds below about 500 cycles a second. Such information is, of course, most useful to teachers of speech to deaf children. A new science has developed since the 1930's which is called ‘‘audiology” and concerns itself with the study of the hearing function Hearing aids have.been found to be useful to the majority of deaf people, and tests have been evolved which have proved extremely useful in the medical diagnosis of different types of deafness Medical Aspects Great strides have been made in the prevention and treatment of middle and outer ear deafness. In July 1958 Dr Victor Goodhill of Los Angeles, made a statement to the effect that the day Was fast approaching when such deafness would be a thing of the past. Some otologists believe this to be a somewhat altruistic appraisal of the situation, but all agree that great advances have recently been made. It seems to the layman, that the focus of medical attention could soon well shift from the middle ear to the inner ear (i.e. from alleviating conductive deafness to assisting nerve deafness. So far experiments involving nerve replacements in the ear of cats and guinea pigs have not been very successful. “Indeed one cynic has said that there are more deafened cats running around St. Thomas’s Hospital in London than you could shake a stick at,” said Dr Dale. “Medical and audiological workers are progressing so

rapidly however, tha,t it would seem likely that some day, perhaps quite soon, certain forms of nerve deafness may respond to medical or surgical treatment.” The Parent One of the most striking advances in the education of deaf children has been the realisation that parents and other members of the family are able to help them probably more than anyone else. For many years instruction of deaf children was thought to be such a specialised art that if could only be effectively done by teachers of the deaf. Children were sent to schools and institutions—and in a few cases not even allowed home for holidays. Residential schools will probably always exist, (the three schools in New Zealand have residential facilities for children unable to attend daily), but there is a definite trend away from institution life for deaf children, Dr Dale said. It is important, however, for parents to be conscious of the very real responsibility which falls on them if they have their deaf boy or girl coming home to them each night Many do not realise just how urgent the problem is, and how important a role they should be playing. They must be given some guidance in how to manage a deaf child just the simple commonsense things such as making every opportunity to speak to the child; speaking carefully, and only when he is watching their lips: speaking always in phrases and sentences and not resorting to signs and gestures to communicate with him knowing about hearing

aids and how best to help the child with his schoolwork particularly his reading. Being a ‘good” parent requires energy, ability and courage. Principals of schools and teachers of the deaf can do much to encourage parents in their efforts. Early Detection

If parents are to hep the children to the utmost, it is important that they make as early a start as possible. Very often they do not suspect that there is any deafness present until the child is three or four or even older. If the deafness is profound, then it is usually detected early. But when a child is not so deaf parents frequently explain his lack of speech and/or his failure to respond normally to instructions, in every way except the right one, Dr Dale said. t

Earlier tests of babies' hearing made use of coin clicks, drums, whistles and the like. During the Second World War, Professor and Mrs Ewing were testing the hearing of babies in a London hospital using such sound stimuli as these. One little baby failed to respond to these sounds, although the testers felt sure she could hear. Mrs Ewing asked a nurse to bring her a spoon and a cup, and when these arrived she stirred the spoon around the rim of the cup. The baby licked his lips. This simple little experiment was really of very great significance, since it showed that a baby will respond to meaningful sound whilst ignoring other sounds which having no meaning. For instance, a baby will often turn immediately to the sound of tissue paper rustled very softly; but will ignore an aeroplane which flies overhead creating a very loud noise indeed. The Ewings have devised simple “screening tests” using meaningful material, which are able to be used for children from about seven months onwards. “These tests have been introduced to the Plunket Society in New Zealand by Miss A. M. Pickles, and it is hoped that before too long every baby bom in New Zealand will have his or her hearing tested before the age of one year.” said Dr Dale.

A very useful service has begun in New Zealand recently in which eight specially-trained visiting teachers (two each in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch), test children suspected of deafness, and counsel parents and teachers of children hadicapped by deafness who are not attending schools for the deaf. It is hoped that one result of this service will be that a number of children will be able to be educated in ordinary schools while living in their own homes, who previously would have been required to have full-time special educational treatment as partially deaf children. There are visiting teachers in other countries; but to have a national coverage as is now the case in New Zealand is probably unique.

It has recently been appreciated that even some of the deafest children in schools for the deaf can hear the melody of music. Middle C on the piano has a frequency of 256 cycles a second, and there are very few deaf children who are unable to hear sound of this frequency and below, when it is amplified. (It is the higher frequencies, as in speech, tor which they are often almost completely deaf). Music is thus becoming more and more a part of a deaf school's curriculum and the possibilities which it offers are quite exciting, Dr Dale said. Playing certain instruments performing ballet and eurhythmies are activities which bring the children a great deal of pleasure and which they are able to carry on after they leave school. Perhaps, the most stimulating use of music, however, is that of the “play song” a sort of interpretative ballet which the children and teacher works out together. This involves music, language and expression in bodily movement. The Instituut voor Doofstmmen at St. Michiels Gestel in Holland has introduced this, and the results achieved are really remarkable. Integration

There has been increasing interest, in recent years, particularly in America, in educating severely deaf children in ordinary schools. It is too early yet to state exactly what the possibilities are of this, but one factor is quite clear and that is that the more time that deaf children can spend happily with hearing children, the better are their chances of making a happy adjustment in adulthood, Dr Dale said.

DR. DALE was last year lecturer in education of the deaf at the Christchurch Teachers’ College. This year he has been seconded to the Department of Education to investigate a number of problems affecting deaf children.