[Report 1910] / School Medical Officer of Health, Lanark County Council.

  • Lanarkshire (Scotland). County Council.
Date:
1910
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1910] / School Medical Officer of Health, Lanark County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    56/60 (page 52)
    difficulty when the varying degrees or shades of abnormality have to be determined. Possible error is constantly before the examiner who is dealing with the mental condition of children, and the possibility of a supposed mentally defective child being merely a dull or backward one must be kept constantly in view. Such a child, although haring little aptitude for book learning or school work, may be a keen observer in the world of nature, and although stigmatised as a “ dunce ” at school, may in ■ after life be a very successful business man or intelligent worker. It > would, therefore, be grossly unfair to classify such a child as a mentally j defective one, and in every case, when it is difficult to say for certain I whether a child is merely dull or backward or slightly mentally defective, I the child ought to be given the benefit of the doubt, and be watched carefully j to see what progress he makes. In dealing with the mentally defectives, the children were classified ] into three groups—-aments, imbeciles, and idiots. Taking the aments as I the group which most closely approximates to the normal, a further sub-1 division was made into high-grade aments and low-grade aments. It is ] from the first of these sub divisions that the best results are to be expected ] from special instruction, although many of the second sub-division may also I make very good progress. The imbeciles and the idiots were similarly sub-1 divided, and it may be confessed that the distinction between a high grade l imbecile and a low-grade ament was purely a tentative one. A few of the children in the high-grade imbecile group were recommended for attendance at special classes, and these will be carefully supervised, to ascertain what progress, if any, is being made by them. It is possible that, in course of time, an alteration of diagnoses will be necessary, and the pupils drafted into the ament group (which is capable of receiving instruction), or relegated to the imbecile group proper—a group which does not offer much prospect from an educational standpoint. The idiots are, of course, hope- less as regards any benefit to be derived from special classes such as any School Board would form, and are usually fit only for institution treatment. In one of the schools, viz., Knowetop Public, Motherwell, where special classes for physically and mentally defective children are in operation, 2 of the pupils who had been classified as high-grade imbeciles, and who were given the chance of being educated, had, after a few months’ trial, to be withdrawn from the class, as they proved not only incapable of receiving any benefit from the instruction provided, but were exercising a demor- alising influence on the other pupils. It is quite possible that others may have to be withdrawn from this class, and, on the other hand, certain of the “dull” children admitted to it. Dalziel School Board is the only one so far which has inaugurated special classes as the result of the recommendations sent in after the examination of the physically and mentally defective children in their area. There are two large well-lighted rooms set apart on the ground floor of Knowetop Public School, one room for the physically, and the other for ! the mentally defective children. Bach class is under the care of a SDecially 1 trained female teacher, and, in addition, a nurse is in constant attendance.