103
MENTAL HEALTH
Correspondence AN EDUCATIONAL CENTRE FOR MENTALLY HANDICAPPED CHILDREN Dear Sir,?The editorial in the spring issue of this Journal stressed the need for provision of more
children,
this need, I want to point out that the strain on institutions could be centres could greatly relieved if more and better day be provided for children classed as " ineducable A number of occupation centres have been set UP during the last few years. But occupation centres suffer from several grave defects, which render their educational value for the handicapped child almost illusory. The first is overcrowding ; the second, lack of really suitable accommodation ; thirdly, the shortage of trained staff, and lastly, and in my ?pinion the most severe, is the impossibility of grouping the children, after proper examination ai*d diagnosis, according to their prominent dis-
"
lr*stitutions for defectives. Without in the least minimizing
ability.
extensive experience with these children has me that successful special education can only be built on a proper diagnosis of the child's deficiency. After years of observation and study I to-day able to distinguish clearly a few types ?f defects, which I describe as visuo-motor and auditory-autonomic. There are also mixed types of two or more defects, but in mixed types, one or the ?ther defect is usually predominant and determines the method which has to be employed in educating
My
convinced
^
the child.
Different types of defect demand a different educational approach and a different method. The
of mentally handicapped children would satisfactory results if this fact, which ls more or less dimly recognized by all special teachers, were properly understood and acted
training
y^ld far
more
uPon. The national Association of Parents of Backward Children, which started a few years ago with the Purpose of organizing all parents of retarded
and which is affiliated to the Nationa Association for Mental Health, has set, amongst its other aims, that of starting an experimental school for young mentally handicapped children where they will be grouped according to their special "
disability.
"
"
In this school we hope to prove that educacational success with children depends on the choice of the right method for each type, and that their
mental
development,
once
the
appropriate
method
has been devised and elaborated, proceeds just as easily as the mental development of blind and deaf children, for whom, as everybody knows, different educational methods are used, whereas to educate them both by the same method would certainly be doomed to failure and would clearly appear foolish to everybody. Acting on this conviction, a co-operative venture has been started by some parents, belonging to the A.P.B.C.; they have opened, in London, an educational centre for young children who are unable to speak, The at Kensal Rise.
in the Methodist Church Hall parents
share the expenses
of accommodation,
teaching and equipment. Now they look forward to being able to start on the same basis one or two more
classes for children with other disabilities. It is only a very small beginning and it puts a very heavy financial burden on the parents. But they hope, if
the venture proves a success, that the Health Authorities can be persuaded to take an interest in the new " school ". English tradition shows that all social and educational progress has been initiated by voluntary effort, and later taken up by the state. In continuing this tradition we hope to introduce a new era in the education of mentally handicapped children. Yours etc., 128
Harley Street, London, W.l.
Lise Gellner.
MENTAL HEALTH
Correspondence AN EDUCATIONAL CENTRE FOR MENTALLY HANDICAPPED CHILDREN Dear Sir,?The editorial in the spring issue of this Journal stressed the need for provision of more
children,
this need, I want to point out that the strain on institutions could be centres could greatly relieved if more and better day be provided for children classed as " ineducable A number of occupation centres have been set UP during the last few years. But occupation centres suffer from several grave defects, which render their educational value for the handicapped child almost illusory. The first is overcrowding ; the second, lack of really suitable accommodation ; thirdly, the shortage of trained staff, and lastly, and in my ?pinion the most severe, is the impossibility of grouping the children, after proper examination ai*d diagnosis, according to their prominent dis-
"
lr*stitutions for defectives. Without in the least minimizing
ability.
extensive experience with these children has me that successful special education can only be built on a proper diagnosis of the child's deficiency. After years of observation and study I to-day able to distinguish clearly a few types ?f defects, which I describe as visuo-motor and auditory-autonomic. There are also mixed types of two or more defects, but in mixed types, one or the ?ther defect is usually predominant and determines the method which has to be employed in educating
My
convinced
^
the child.
Different types of defect demand a different educational approach and a different method. The
of mentally handicapped children would satisfactory results if this fact, which ls more or less dimly recognized by all special teachers, were properly understood and acted
training
y^ld far
more
uPon. The national Association of Parents of Backward Children, which started a few years ago with the Purpose of organizing all parents of retarded
and which is affiliated to the Nationa Association for Mental Health, has set, amongst its other aims, that of starting an experimental school for young mentally handicapped children where they will be grouped according to their special "
disability.
"
"
In this school we hope to prove that educacational success with children depends on the choice of the right method for each type, and that their
mental
development,
once
the
appropriate
method
has been devised and elaborated, proceeds just as easily as the mental development of blind and deaf children, for whom, as everybody knows, different educational methods are used, whereas to educate them both by the same method would certainly be doomed to failure and would clearly appear foolish to everybody. Acting on this conviction, a co-operative venture has been started by some parents, belonging to the A.P.B.C.; they have opened, in London, an educational centre for young children who are unable to speak, The at Kensal Rise.
in the Methodist Church Hall parents
share the expenses
of accommodation,
teaching and equipment. Now they look forward to being able to start on the same basis one or two more
classes for children with other disabilities. It is only a very small beginning and it puts a very heavy financial burden on the parents. But they hope, if
the venture proves a success, that the Health Authorities can be persuaded to take an interest in the new " school ". English tradition shows that all social and educational progress has been initiated by voluntary effort, and later taken up by the state. In continuing this tradition we hope to introduce a new era in the education of mentally handicapped children. Yours etc., 128
Harley Street, London, W.l.
Lise Gellner.
