MAKING HEALTHY CITIZENS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 724, 25 July 1929, Page 1

MAKING HEALTHY CITIZENS

Training of Mental Defectives BOARD’S WORK DESCRIBED “IN spite of our being quite new as far as organisation is 1 concerned, we have progressed far enough to classify the cases,” said Miss Jean Begg, a member of the Mental Defectives Board, when discussing the work of the new organisation. Miss Begg, who returned from Wellington this morning, after attending a meeting of the board, gave some interest- ■ ing information regarding the work of I the newly constituted Mental Defectives Miss Jean Begg Board. The members, she said, were becoming thoroughly conversant with the Act and finding out what they could and what they eould not do.

The establishment of a village at Templeton, near Christchurch, where sub-normal children will live in Ideal surroundings and enjoy every possible advantage to fit them for citizenship, will be one of the most interesting works of the new board. Miss Begg said that the village will be entirely self-contained. The two first villas in the village will be opened about the middle of August, and a start has been made with the building of a third villa. ATTRACTIVE VILLAS These villas will be attractively built and will house every class of sub-normal child. The Whole village will be in the nature of«a school and the pupils will be allowed to go to their homes during the holidays. Life will be made as attractive as possible and the pupils are .to have every advantage to assist them in their physical and mental development. The establishment of the Templeton farm village should be a great benefit to the whole community of the Dominion.

At present, throughout the Dominion, there is a big demand for places to which sub normal children can be sent. There are two schools, one at Otekaike, near Oamaru, for boys, and the other at Richmond for girls. are residential schools under the Edu-' cation Department and controlled by the Child Welfare branch. The majority of children in these two schools are State wards, though a small percentage of voluntary scholars also attends. When the Templeton village is finished some of the pupils from Otekaike and Richmond will be transferred to it. Since the establishment of special classes for sub-normal children in various parts of New Zealand (that is classes which children can attend from their own homes), the need has arisen for residential schools. Otekaike and Richmond are both full and, in the circumstances, it has been impossible to classify the children properly. SPLENDID PROGRESS In order to cope with the situation the new board has planned the village at Templeton, and splendid progress has been made with it. By the end of August the first of the village should be organised and in working order. The board also hopes to start a psychological clinic in each centre throughout the Dominion. Such clinics will be for the examination of children. It is hoped that at each clinic there will be a psychiatrist, a psychologist and a social worker, each an expert in his or her own department. These clinics will be in the nature of consulting bureaux where parents and guardians may take their children for private examination if they are not like other children. It is expected that the psychological clinics will be of great benefit to the community generally and particularly to the children's courts. Because a child is taken to a clinic for examination it will not mean that he or she will be sent to a school. Such is not the object. The clinics will be conducted with the utmost privacy. Every consultation will be strictly confidential, and there will be no registration or public record taken of the visits. CLINIC FOR AUCKLAND Those in charge of the clinics will advise parents and guardians on any subject relating to the patients brought to them and whether they I should be sent to special schools, special classes or whether they can be cared for at home. The Children’s Courts will use the clinics in the diagnosis of cases brought before them. The first of these clinics has been opened in Wellington with Dr. Russell, psychiatrist, in charge. With him is Mrs. H. Dick, a social worker,! and a psychologist from the Education Department. A similar clinic is to be opened quite shortly in Auckland, whose claims have been brought before the committee, which is making the necessary inquiries and arrangements. Miss Begg stated that the policy cf the board at present was to ascertain the number of mental defectives in New Zealand and to make suitable provision for them. The board does not deal with meu- | tal hospitals and their inmates, but | with defectives who. under proper I care and treatment, can become usei ful citizens of the Dominion.