DULL CHILDREN

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 20, 18 October 1919, Page 10

DULL CHILDREN

MORK TRAINING REQUIRES

LEGISLATION NEXT SESSION 1 When the report of the Education .Department was presented.lo' the House ol' Depreientatues yesterday there was some iliscussion regarding the care of feebleminded children. Members urged that 4 Jio institutions provided. for tilie trainins of these children were not adequate. Many 'dull children who could learn scarcely anything at. ordinary school*) wero unable to get into the special schools, and so never received the training that.would make them useful citizens. ii[r. Mas-iey said the subject was ouo of very great difficulty. It was being considered, and legislation would be introduced next session.. The report ot the department states that the need for controlling and in tho majority ,of cases, fuv segregating nil feeble-minded children is of the utmost importance if tile. physical and mental standard of the race is to be preserved, and also for tho protection of nueicty generally. In fact, the ordinary community holds no place for the feebleminded child. The parents as a rule .are.,utterly incapable of providing, for such: children who can neither derive .benefit , from attendance. at the public .joiiooi nor can associate with the normal children of,tho neighbourhood.- In' the majority of cases it is essential for the. sake of the, mother and tlie. other children of the family that feeble-minded children should be, removed to an institution where they can be dealt with by officers specially adapted for this purpose. The need for the segregation of girls of this type, more especially of those who have readied ; lhc ago of puberty, Is of very great importance. Of thecases •already examiiie-a a great many-are unfitted -on acoouiit of their low mentality for admission to special schools, although m certain- urgent cases admission has• been arranged in 'he absence of <iny other means of dealing-with them. The inmates of schools' for feebleminded children are given a very simple course of instruction suited to their limited intelligence.'lnstruction is largely of a manual character, since these children are able to advanco very 'slightly in tho arts'of reading, writing, and counting. The object of the instruction is to quicken the intelligence and dexterity of the children, so that later on they may bo able, to take part in soniG simple occupation and- hell) to some extent in supporting themselves, and also find' some interest in occupations suitable to their limited capacities. The available provision for : feeble-minded-children of an improvable t.vpa is not by any means sufficient to enable .the Department to, accommodate all the children offering. 'Steps..are- how being taken, however,,to prepare the property, known as the Boys' Training, Farm, Nelson. for the reception of feeble-minded boys under fourteen years of age.- whilo the, special school .at Otekitike will be retained as an institution for elder boys who are capable of earning nt least part of. their living either, on the farm or garden or in the workshop.-: The' segregation of\ tho younger boys from the older'cases is an important slet? in tho matter of classification ,and should facilitate the matter of training so far as tlm younger bovs are concerned.,.

The special Pchor-1 at, ll'dmiond for the reception "f feeble-minded eirls lias .now liccn fully established, -and Rood work is being done under epwble .management. The teaehin? staff" has been strengthened- bv the addition of another teacher (two teachers in all), and thresh their 'efforts an improvement is noticeable in the comportment awl dexterity of the children^