Coping More Difficult?

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31321, 17 March 1967, Page 1

Coping More Difficult?

The emotionally disturbed and maladjusted may become a larger segment of society, says Dr. Frances Mullen, who recently retired as superintendent of special education for the City of Chicago.

In Christchurch yesterday Dr. Mullen said the cause was the pressures of modern living—speed, noise, and even air pollution, the demand for achievement at school and at work, intensifying competition, racial and international stresses, automation, and general feelings of insecurity. Until recently the emotion-ally-disturbed and mal-

adjusted had been identified at primary school (often as coming from upset homes) and were treated at that level. Dr. Mullen said. Now this group was sympathetically recognised as a continuing problem through secondary school and into employment—or unemployment. “Society itself created these problems and society has got to deal with it,” said Dr. Mullen. It must dig for the root causes, remove them if possible, and certainly provide aid. New Zealand and the United States were abreast in facing the problem and in special education to meet it. But New Zealand had some advantages. The structure of industry and unionism in the United States provided little special allowance for the worker who needed sheltered conditions.

Automation offered no places. There was even a declining place for ordinary labour. Where were these people to go? New Zealand, said Dr. Mullen, had a more leisurely pace and a more human consideration for the less fortunate.

Another opening which she “spied” in Christchurch was health camps. It seemed that the need for these as health rehabilitation centres was passing. How wonderful it would be if the emotionallydisturbed could be withdrawn to such pleasant places to find their feet and prepare to face society.

After seeing special education from the infant level to adults in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch, Dr. Mullen said New Zealand had every reason to be proud of its enlightened policy and solid achievement.

“The main thing to remember is that all these need to be closely integrated and carried out in circumstances (at school, home, or work) as near normal as possible. Segregation of the deaf, dumb, blind, physically-handicapped, mentally-handicapped and emotionally-disturbed is seldom as effective,” she said. At an age when most women are thinking of a rocking chair, Dr. Mullen in the last few months has been climbing extensively in Nepal and New Zealand. “Being president of the Chicago Mountaineering Club has meant more to me than anything I have done professionally,” she said. Climbing was good therapy, she said. Every week-end she loaded her station waggon with handicapped youth. “Mountains work wonders,” she said,