Word: perdoncini
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...born-deaf baby is lucky enough to land in either of two special schools in France, both run by Dr. Guy Perdoncini, 50, who has his schools in Villefranche near Nice, and at La Norville outside Paris. Otologists have long known that even the "totally" deaf child usually has a vestige of hearing-mainly for the rumbling, deep-bass tones, which carry more energy than thin, high notes. Dr. Perdoncini was convinced that even this minimal capacity could be developed so that the child could learn near-normal speech. And in finding ways to prove his theory, he has made...
...Reading. Dr. Perdoncini believes in getting his pupils started young, often with preliminary training at home when they are only a year old. To make lip reading impossible, he and his teachers cover their mouths with loose cloth masks. At three or four, the child goes to school full time...
...little freshman in a Perdoncini school is fitted with earphones into which a bass tone is fed at a volume that would be ear-shattering to a person with normal hearing. At first the sensation means nothing to the student. But he also gets a visual signal; a light flashes on along with the sound, and the teacher gestures with her hand to show that she has heard and seen. The youngster copies her and gestures with his hand to show that he, too, has heard and seen. Soon he learns to recognize the sound alone, and the visual...
Inevitably, many a child begins by pitching his own vocal efforts too high or too low, too loud or too soft. Dr. Perdoncini and his twelve teachers are implacable about correcting a pupil's pitch until it is acceptable. The child who is born deaf may need only a year to learn how to pronounce the names of foods, toys or friends. Words for abstract ideas take longer...
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