An introduction to special school work / by Marion F. Bridie.

  • Bridie, Marion F.
Date:
1917
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An introduction to special school work / by Marion F. Bridie. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    64/272 (page 36)
    prepared for future symptoms. Of course many a time such a sudden outburst is simply temper, but there again, the fewer the attacks the less frequent they become. When a really bad fit of temper comes on, it 1s wasted energy to try to reason or force the child. It is then best to leave him alone on one side to recover, provided he is not dis- turbing the others inordinately. It is really an illness ; he is possessed with a devil every bit as much as the swine that ran down the steep place of old. The child often- times cannot help himself, and this fit is exhausting physically and mentally. It must be staved off if possible by diversion or incentive in much the same way as a fit of psychic epilepsy. The best way to ward off such an attack is by distracting the attention, giving the child something definite to do at once. I remember well in a certain school a gate which had to be kept shut at the end of a long passage in the playground. It was the means of practically curing two boys who had these attacks, for if an attack seemed imminent, the child was sent post-haste to the gate to see that it was shut. He returned as a rule out of breath with temper and dis- comfort forgotten. It was a simple but effective means. These fits are frequently followed by a period of what appears to be sulking, but what in reality is shame. Let us respect this shame, it is doing the child good even though a suspicion of revenge or hatred may still linger in his mind. This aftermath period must not be pro- longed by injudicious remarks or notice taken of the child. He must peacefully slip into his old place without observation as soon as he can. Small Beginnings — A somewhat similar temper 1s sometimes found from a very different cause. A very small beginning may end in a storm unless carefully treated. The inception is usually before school or from