SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 292, 3 September 1908, Page 4

SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF.

INTERESTING CASES. • At the close of 1907 there were 75 pupils on the ; roll of the School for tho . Deaf, Sumner. "Two of the pupils," says Mr. J. E. Stevens, director of the home, in his annual report, "were of-special interest. Ono was a lad of fourteen, who had lost his hearing five years previously owing to an attack of. meningitis. It cannot be too often repeated.that at such an age, if,tho art of lip-reading be'not acquired, tho loss of hearii'g is quickly-followed ,by the loss ofq;eech. Heuco it is important, and doubly so with young children, that in all cases of loss of hearing as little time as possible, should elapse before proper instruction in lip-read-ing is given. when tho boy in question was placed under our caro his speech was. rapidly becoming unintelligible, and his mcn-- : tal faculties were becoming dormant. Probably in another year's, timo he would liavo become amute. . Tlie'ro is 110 doubt that these five wasted years -have greatly added to the disabilities under . which. this unfortunate boy labours. The other case was that of a little girl of eight, who, in addition to her deafness, has the double. burden • of. being almost blind. Her education will necessarily proceed at a much slower rats than that of the- other children: but, by making use of her , sense of touch,' and'of the little eyesight she possesses, it has been found possible to instruct her by articulation methods, and she ■ can now mako use of a fow words. It was gratifying to find that the -parents of some of- the new-comers had made good use of the instructions given to them for the home-treatment of their children prior to admittance." At the end of the year four 'boys and eight girls were removed from .-the school. Three of tho boys, having made excellent progress in lip-reading and in general ■knowledge, were now having their education completed at public schools. It was not cspccted that they would be ablo to competo there on equal terms with ordinary boys, hut that by co-education with tli'o hearing they would be'better equipped for their lifa struggle in a hearing world. "Ono of tho chief drawbacks of . a largo institution was tho tendency of .its inmates to adopt tlioso peculiar habits of thought and of language. that aro technically known as deaf-mutisms, and which only constant intercourse and association with hearing persons will entirely remove. It is for tho avoidance of tlioso habits that tho system nf boarding out is advocated. Tho fourth boy has obtained suitable employment, and 'is now learning a trade." 0110 of the ei>;lit girls; referred to was removed on account of her delicate health. She is now being educated with satisfactory results by a governess at her own home. The boys who left . had been taught to milk and to use carpenter's, tools and garden tools.