MENTAL DEFECTIVES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 639, 16 October 1909, Page 9

MENTAL DEFECTIVES.

AN EDUCATION PROBLEM, '-,-.'..'. .." ■ 'According • to, a. return recently i supplied ■by North Canterbury .teachers there are over seventy' children' attending publio schools in the .education district 'who' are' mentally defective... .The., i-return' -was- supplied ■•- at the request of the:local branch-of.tho Educa- ' tional Institute, but cannot-bo rogarded either as official or^entiroly-. conclusive.. : lt,- is'common -knowledge,-.-however,:, that 'there are- a number of : children. attending tho' schools- who arc deficient.'mentally. They, grow old in ;school. ,;.Thoirphysical • development -api/tars ™, l>f extraordinarily -rapid, -while- their men. ,tal development,is.tardy,, if.ther'o is any. The prohlennof .%'treatment of. the; deficient men- • tally has-been.before the institute on-'varions occ.asibns...and"it;is probable.that. ; at.the next meeting it v will- bediscussed at length.: Mr. Mayne, .headiuastor- of-the--Sydenham ' ■»cho.ol;--:tc-Jd-.''(:.:,''P.refei!.'-' ' representative :','that these-children were not: imbeciles, 5 , or :such ;as . .should: be .sent, to: the: deaf and* dumbschool. 1 hey were really unfortunates,'' who -were-cent , to. school, partly,.(o-.be- out-of' the: way,-ahd partly .to be/under; a certain ■ amounts: dis. cipline..- Ruch.-ohildren--rarelv' got-beyond Standard ,11.,, and .their: time-after thatwo) - ■useless to. tlioln as far as education'was con-' Ixerncd., He. felt, that;it-was-costing.-the State - '.[i > . r .:'. 1 " or A »t;-.Prescnt ,tn.keep;.'these children .thnn.it would do if.they -were. in-.a>;central instihitiop.-; i For;-iiistarice,'he':kncw'.6f. o'no-cW • ; wh «™ •■»'•■ ™y,; «(icil>" sixteen-'-years-"and' 2 'fiv* '.months,-.was; attending-..sohool..'and-.''the'Stati :lmd l o'.piiy,;forrhim:!all'-tho'. timo','."-It'.was'ihi-•■PPSiSk'."!; KVMie. schtinlf.io;.eivo.'toehtal.dei • :?2il^i^ h !";?.l l f n . t , 1 2 11 V,,t-li«3';;Tcquired; i 'aiid-'uni ; to«unately„thfio,ti!achcr'Brtinie-was frequentlT {"^■M^th-fl^ J*'^.^?' PKPcrfe bo=devoted '. to others.' No tcacM^wiuTdialisolutely-'neglect such a child; f centre should , be • termed,,.where..them- children would- be sent So' far ai ;his, expericnpeVrtnt; parents Would': be only toa . s'»ling.Ms :;:'s«pßor,t';; : ariy:.;iii'stituliori.v tKat ? en-.-d^i" d :^q^S^t;'defectiye3hildten-:r::.: ,.'. • ,ChtistchilrchtSchd6l,:.said,tliat:;o'nlrah exceed. ' .•nfcfnall'Jrattipfr 'of'. tlie' ; 'childr6ff attending th ?:PaW>?;Khbq^^^^ as, menially ;; defective. -It was- impossible' to expect .defective-.ohildren'-'to' obtain > certificates ;qf-prpfiCibrrcy:;::)fc^ ra Sy,W:.:,fenV' J ,7.P.':,necausc;^%y;.got;:too';big , :bj be .kopt.;in,-.tho. , )oworTStandards.'\At' the ord>nary„Stutq .'schools',^ . workiiii'Ono' ycar'.'fiitcd' the; average ! c|iild; '.and :somo'/courd': , do',:Cw'o:.s'tandards. an .the- year. I'hey were so much below the'TivotaßC that they Vcr«'.:,sim'ply':puHiug:':'iii,;timq.::.:Ju.vtlio":ew!nt ' of . ; n.' special- solum!- being-'started; s . ■stru"olion.,should. 5 ■ - mctic,- and even'; then, it "would 'have; to.\be'"in a;.'very,.iiiodifidd "Lt 6rrii'~7;-The,'•'.school,.'.oL.courso, . .would. hayo.'Jq.'bf'^taffqd: mqrc'-iibp.ralry- than, .the ordinary.public'school,■'.and it-would?be an indvantago, to'ha>'e\ it sohic.little .distance from the city.'-A; medical- examination of --possible) pupils .would..bo' a" nc'cr'ssnry,.'.preliminary,:;.t<> > admission,'so'that .therecould bo no'doubt/as to-tho existence of mental deficiency;",. .'. '....': Mr. T.S.'h'qsthr. oile of. the: inspectors .under ■ tho North Canterbury ■ Education. Board, said the Government had,already.--made' a'.beginning in the special'treatment; of' defective children . by establishing a home at Otckaikp,. but that, :: only: touched the fringo hf s tho subject. There was certainly room for further development of :-iyhicli:Was. being.:-.worked' out., at \ Otekaike,-' 1 -U : was •. bad 'for little ; children,- to . have the big.; backward child in their class. It was' also ..bad:' for the .backward, child,--as he lost, his self-respect.' The value of the return given 'to the Educational'.lnstitute do-, pended very largely on the standard of .iuljj ness" which tho, teachersV-hnil adobted as indi'eating;mental deficiency.;.Tho;defectives':to;ba . 'sent: to' tho siimiestcd school, should''.hat'bo im-, • becilesi hutchiidfen of arrested mental develop. ment,.-:whrt,.,.by .careful traihinir : adanted';. to .. 'their • stage, .'.might. :be niade:' some.; thing of. i'erhara nianualvwprk.would, .be'. % .large feature of the course.'of traimng.^i".'.'-..-