Clinico-statistical data on the activities of the School Otiatric Service in the city of Parma during the period 1962-1973
Piragine, F.
L'Ateneo parmense. Acta bio-medica organo della Societa di medicina e scienze naturali di Parma 45(6): 381-392
1974
ISSN/ISBN: 1123-7325 PMID: 4464866 Document Number: 72297
Statistics are given on the activity of the Parma Municipality Special School Ear Service over the period 1962-1973. The service is organised for two main tasks: 1) making hearing checks on children attending local schools, and 2) running a specialist out-patient clinic. Hearing checks carried out on 24,293 children revealed that 2.98 percent suffered from hearing defects; inadequate transmissive hearing accounted for 1.55 percent, perceptive defects 0.95 percent, and mixed forms 0.48 percent. Defects of medium severity were most common (1.63 percent), followed by slight defects (0.91 percent), with severe deafness making up the smallest category (0.44 percent). It is pointed out that partial deafness was observed in 5.59 percent of children examined from 1956-1959, dropping to 4.84 percent from 1959-1962, and to 2.98 percent from 1962-1973; the factors affecting this improvement are discussed. The out-patient clinic carried 6,049 examinations, and the main disorders encountered are listed. The Author expresses the hope that in the future partially deaf children will be admitted to the same classes as normal children, instead of being relegated to separate groups, and considers the psychological damage that may arise when deaf or partially deaf children are isolated.