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Te Ao Hou, August 1957, Page 64

would normally expect. He walks and runs with the others, plays games a bit more clumsily, and is much harder to teach. Because his interest and attention are quickly distracted he will often idle his time away in aimless activity. But at this early age he is accepted in the class and given considerably more help than the rest of the children. He is slow in all his mental reactions, his ability to play is limited, and he does not question or reason like a normal child. At times he is sullen and moody without sufficient cause and may do strange and unusual things. It may be he realizes he is different from his fellows. As he grows older he will be expected to learn to spell, to read and write, and do sums. Less play and more work will slowly become the daily routine of the growing pupil. It is just here that many of these mild retardates will show a distinct failure to develop. They are quickly left behind and never catch up again. The fight to keep their place is a struggle against overwhelming odds. In spite of every care and the unremitting patience of the teacher they fail to keep up with their fellows. At this time a form of educational training, specialised in nature, should be introduced so that the backward child can be given the opportunity of learning at his slower rhythm. There has to be much repetition of letters, words, and ideas, and this often taxes the patience of the most sympathetic teacher. Much time is spent in play, and work in clay and plasticine modelling is encouraged with jig-saw puzzles, games to music, and group play. Slowly he learns the value of simple things like tidiness, honesty, how to talk, and how to use money. All these things come easily to a normal child, but to the retardate have to be constantly stressed. It is here that the special class finds its place. Training in the special class is obviously directed toward the goal of making him a happy, sociably inclined, useful individual. This training should be continued for as long as there is evidence of progress taking place. Many of these young people could eventually be usefully employed in various simple routine repetitive tasks (even in factories) which to the more intelligent would seem un-interesting, dull, and monotonous. The co-operation of the parents should be sought. The problems confronting their child should be fully explained to them, emphasis being laid on the opportunity for doing little tasks well and being content to leave it at that. The parents must take the view that it is more praiseworthy for their child to be content to remain at a low level of attainment if providence so wills it, than to be forced to strive for a higher goal and lose all. They are the key to the situation. It is for them to provide a socially stable background for their child, while he continues to maintain his precarious and hopeful struggle against odds.