BACKWARD CHILDREN

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22247, 23 October 1935, Page 17

BACKWARD CHILDREN

Sir, —Mr. Meuli's contention that a retardate home in Auckland is an urgent necessity cannot be denied, and that such does not already exist is a great handicap. The children must be treated, and the evil tackled strenuously. But we must p;o further, to the root causes of a large percentage of child deficiencies What grade are the mothers? There is nothing to replace the constitutional stamina that a sound mother gives her children. She is the racial reservoir. See to it that the reservoir is healthy. Otherwise, our behaviour is as intelligent as treating a contaminated stream while tlio source remains poisoned. In every school there should be a compulsory two to three years' course in home hygiene, giving the elements of mothercraft and childcraft. As it is, girls leave school with no knowledge of that most important work—motherhood. G. Hamilton Fraser.

Sir, —The need for a home for the child defective must sooner or later be dealt -with by the State. A small body of social workers in Auckland is working for tho establishment of a home ip the North Island for this class of child, where it can be cared for, trained in simple vocational tasks and medically treated. The school for backward children in Belgium Street provides proof that, under sympathetic guidance, tho children improve in physical health and to a considerable extent in mental grasp; there are children there who, when first brought to tho school, could not walk properly and they are now able to perform simple little dances; others who could scarcely articulate are now able to sing rhythmic songs. It is realised, however, that this courageous effort to do. something for the feeble-minded \child simply touches the fringe of a very big need, the need to deal systematically with these unfortunates. As a safeguard for our future generations it is the duty of the Government to deal with this matter, and an appeal is made to the public to support tho body concerned oy interesting themselves and their Parliamentary representatives in this serious problem, it has been shown that the number of children mentally affected in a more or less degree is steadily increasing, but so far no statistics are available. In approaching tho Government with a request to establish a home in the North for thei>e children, it will be necessary to furnish facts as to numbers and types of deficiency, and in this matter it is earnestly hoped that the parents of affected children will co-operate by sending in names and information to the committee of the Belgium Street school for backward children, such information to be treated as strictly confidential and not in any sense binding parents to commit their children if not so desired. Isabel M. CiiUETT. .