Mental
Deficiency By
HENRY
in Vienna and Berlin
HARRIS, M.D., D.P.M.
[I submit a few facts and impressions concerning the arrangements made for mental defectives in Vienna and Berlin that a short visit enabled me to obtain. The section on Vienna is reprinted from an article in the Journal of Mental Science (October, 1929) by permission of the editor.]
VIENNA The following are some of the medical and educational arrangements made for mental defectives in Vienna. As far as I could ascertain, no state institutions have been exclusively devoted to certifiable subnormals. Those in the Vienna area are housed in the " which is the giant mental hospital for Vienna and has nearly Steinhof "
4,000
patients.
"
HilfThe educational authorities have provided 11 special schools or " schulen for the city of Vienna. This in addition to L (langsam) classes in the ordinary schools for pupils who are educationallv retarded and require "
special coaching.
"
MENTAL WELFARE
7
"
Permission to visit schools is obtained at the Stadtschulrat," Burgring 9. The courtesy I received here was unusual even for Vienna. It was arranged by telephone that I should meet Herr Schulrat Karl Gnam next day. Next morning Herr Gnam?who is actively interested in all movements which concern subnormal children?conducted me to one of the schools, where an interpretess was in readiness in case of need. Accommodation for subnormal pupils is not provided for a definite percentage of the school population. Actually 1/6% of the children are in Hilfschulen as compared with London which allows special training, I understand, for 1^2%. "
The special schools are separate self-contained schools with six standard grades, several facultative grades, and arrangements by which certain children can receive additional private coaching. Food is provided from the municipal kitchens, and where necessary it is free. Where no playground is available the parks are used. I was struck by the large airy rooms and the efficient teaching, but most of all by the parental attitude of the teachers. The attitude here, as in most of the children's institutions subsequently visited in Vienna, was remarkably " free from that " discipline that one so often meets in schools and
spinstery
institutions. '
The
pedagogical
methods used
are
three-years' research in the pedagogical theories which have
based
on a
Hilfschulen." They are closely related to been elaborated in Austria in recent years and which have attracted much attention. They resemble Swiss and Belgian methods in insisting that everymust bear an immediate relationship to the practical needs of
thing taught
"
" Hilfschulen emphasis is also placed on the training life. In the in manual so that the subnormal child is prepared for the demands dexterity, of a simple vocation. been Specifically Austrian methods of mental testing have, I believe,at the elaborated. A method which seems to be attracting attention and its moment is the psychological profile of Prof. Rossolimo of Moscow, Modified to subnormals by Bartsch of Leipzig.
everyday
"
"
application
BERLIN
The
following
are
the
arrangements that
I
was
able
to
observe in Berlin.
have drifted into the ordinary asylums. The only institution in Berlin which is specifically reserved tor certified defectives is the " Erziehungsheim ": part of the Wittenauer group is ?f institutions which consists of a large mental hospital to which attached, t e an a home for a home for inebriates and addicts,
Certifiable mental defectives
psychoneurotics,
Erziehungsh eim."
generally,
8
MENTAL WELFARE
160 presumably educable, mentally defective children are accommodated here. These are difficult children, of somewhat lower average intelligence " than those in the Hilfschulen ": but the aim is to discharge them at the of for further vocational training. 16; possibly age "
"
The institution is directed by a pedagogue who works in conjunction with the medical staff of the adjoining mental hospital. I was struck by his obvious enthusiasm and the thoroughness of his methods although I did not observe
anything
new.
A recent investigation here revealed something that may be^of medical interest. 42% of these children had positive Wasserman reactions in the blood : of the ineducable types the percentage was 50%, of the more educable type 32%. These percentages are greater than have usually been found. In a small group of older defectives, all over 20 years of age, who were distributed over the adjacent asylum, the percentage of positive reactions was much smaller, i.e., about 9%. Permission
obtained through Herr Schulrat leading authority in Berlin on special schools for physical and mental defectives and was consistently courteous and helpful. He supplied me with relevant literature and all the information I needed and would, I feel sure, help anyone who wished to visit the special schools of Berlin. His address is Berlin, N.O.18. Bardelebenstr. 6. Arno Fuchs.
to
visit
a
school
special
was
Herr Fuchs is the
The educational authorities have provided 49 special schools for Greater Berlin. These are self-contained and each accommodates about 160 pupils. There are 6 standards. The class-numbers that are suggested are: 16 for the first two standards, 18 for standards three and four, 20 for standards five and six. Actuallv these numbers have had to be exceeded. About 70% of all the mental defectives in special schools and the "occupation-centres to be mentioned shortly attain the fifth or sixth standard, 20% attain standards three or four, 6% complete standards one or two and 4% " have to go to the Sammelklassen or occupation-centres. "
"
As a rule those in the first group attain economic independence, those in the second group can work at home under supervision and the other groups are socially useless.
The percentage of the school population in special schools and occupationis about 2/ %; as compared with 1 y6% in Vienna, iI/2?/0'm London, and a minute percentage (about 120 children in all) in Paris.
centres
The classes are mixed. Special attention seems to be paid to instructing the children in the local geography of the neighbourhood they live in, in table " and in their elementary responsibilities as citizens. manners and street "
The instruction struck
usually logical were men
of
a
as
compared
very
fatherly
me
as
with
type.
being amazingly thorough, perhaps
English standards;
and
most
un-
of the teachers
MENTAL WELFARE
9
One class was being taught reading by a finger-sign method quite new Each finger-sign was apparently a phonetic symbol and the class was able to read sentences and words from the teacher's hands. The children then transferred the knowledge thus acquired to a primer in which pictures of the finger-signs were printed over the printed words. The virtue of the fingersigns was that each represented visually either the shape of the mouth in the case of the vowels or the position of the articulating organs in the case of the to me.
consonants.
Those who make no progress after two years in a special school are sent Sammelklasse or occupation-centre; especially where institutional accommodation is not available or where the parents object.
to a
"
"
These
housed with the special schools but their administration remains entirely separate. They consist of a single class which ideally contains not more than 16 children. The aim is to occupy the child manually and to render him socially harmless. A
are
"
"
innovation are the Erziehungsklassen or classes for psycho" children. difficult At the moment there are 9 such unstable and pathic, in the ordinary schools, accommodating 120 children in all. recent
"
For
educationally
retarded
children
there
"
are
Vorklassen
"
and
"Abschlussklassen." "
"
Vorklassen are for those children who fail to pass out of Standard ordinary schools. Here they get a year's or even two years' training in a smaller class of not more than 20 pupils to prepare them for Standard II. " The "Abschlussklassen are for those who have failed twice to be promoted and are in Standard VI. Here they get a year or more individual tuition; they also get the rest which their obvious inadequacy demands for them before passing into the last two Standards which are the most critical as far as preparation for life in the community is concerned. The
I of the
Provision is also made for individual tuition a
chronically
4 hours.
ill child in his home up
to
6 hours
a
by
teachers who may visit or in a hospital up to
week,
the teaching does not?to my limited in these matters?differ materially from English methods generally. Some stress is laid on orienting the child to his own neighbourhood and to
Pedagogical theory underlying
knowledge
local conditions. The methods of intelligence-testing employed are: that of Rossolimo: the modification of Rossolimo's method by Bartsch of Leipzig: and lastly the
German variation of the Binet-Simon
tests
by Bobertag.
Deficiency By
HENRY
in Vienna and Berlin
HARRIS, M.D., D.P.M.
[I submit a few facts and impressions concerning the arrangements made for mental defectives in Vienna and Berlin that a short visit enabled me to obtain. The section on Vienna is reprinted from an article in the Journal of Mental Science (October, 1929) by permission of the editor.]
VIENNA The following are some of the medical and educational arrangements made for mental defectives in Vienna. As far as I could ascertain, no state institutions have been exclusively devoted to certifiable subnormals. Those in the Vienna area are housed in the " which is the giant mental hospital for Vienna and has nearly Steinhof "
4,000
patients.
"
HilfThe educational authorities have provided 11 special schools or " schulen for the city of Vienna. This in addition to L (langsam) classes in the ordinary schools for pupils who are educationallv retarded and require "
special coaching.
"
MENTAL WELFARE
7
"
Permission to visit schools is obtained at the Stadtschulrat," Burgring 9. The courtesy I received here was unusual even for Vienna. It was arranged by telephone that I should meet Herr Schulrat Karl Gnam next day. Next morning Herr Gnam?who is actively interested in all movements which concern subnormal children?conducted me to one of the schools, where an interpretess was in readiness in case of need. Accommodation for subnormal pupils is not provided for a definite percentage of the school population. Actually 1/6% of the children are in Hilfschulen as compared with London which allows special training, I understand, for 1^2%. "
The special schools are separate self-contained schools with six standard grades, several facultative grades, and arrangements by which certain children can receive additional private coaching. Food is provided from the municipal kitchens, and where necessary it is free. Where no playground is available the parks are used. I was struck by the large airy rooms and the efficient teaching, but most of all by the parental attitude of the teachers. The attitude here, as in most of the children's institutions subsequently visited in Vienna, was remarkably " free from that " discipline that one so often meets in schools and
spinstery
institutions. '
The
pedagogical
methods used
are
three-years' research in the pedagogical theories which have
based
on a
Hilfschulen." They are closely related to been elaborated in Austria in recent years and which have attracted much attention. They resemble Swiss and Belgian methods in insisting that everymust bear an immediate relationship to the practical needs of
thing taught
"
" Hilfschulen emphasis is also placed on the training life. In the in manual so that the subnormal child is prepared for the demands dexterity, of a simple vocation. been Specifically Austrian methods of mental testing have, I believe,at the elaborated. A method which seems to be attracting attention and its moment is the psychological profile of Prof. Rossolimo of Moscow, Modified to subnormals by Bartsch of Leipzig.
everyday
"
"
application
BERLIN
The
following
are
the
arrangements that
I
was
able
to
observe in Berlin.
have drifted into the ordinary asylums. The only institution in Berlin which is specifically reserved tor certified defectives is the " Erziehungsheim ": part of the Wittenauer group is ?f institutions which consists of a large mental hospital to which attached, t e an a home for a home for inebriates and addicts,
Certifiable mental defectives
psychoneurotics,
Erziehungsh eim."
generally,
8
MENTAL WELFARE
160 presumably educable, mentally defective children are accommodated here. These are difficult children, of somewhat lower average intelligence " than those in the Hilfschulen ": but the aim is to discharge them at the of for further vocational training. 16; possibly age "
"
The institution is directed by a pedagogue who works in conjunction with the medical staff of the adjoining mental hospital. I was struck by his obvious enthusiasm and the thoroughness of his methods although I did not observe
anything
new.
A recent investigation here revealed something that may be^of medical interest. 42% of these children had positive Wasserman reactions in the blood : of the ineducable types the percentage was 50%, of the more educable type 32%. These percentages are greater than have usually been found. In a small group of older defectives, all over 20 years of age, who were distributed over the adjacent asylum, the percentage of positive reactions was much smaller, i.e., about 9%. Permission
obtained through Herr Schulrat leading authority in Berlin on special schools for physical and mental defectives and was consistently courteous and helpful. He supplied me with relevant literature and all the information I needed and would, I feel sure, help anyone who wished to visit the special schools of Berlin. His address is Berlin, N.O.18. Bardelebenstr. 6. Arno Fuchs.
to
visit
a
school
special
was
Herr Fuchs is the
The educational authorities have provided 49 special schools for Greater Berlin. These are self-contained and each accommodates about 160 pupils. There are 6 standards. The class-numbers that are suggested are: 16 for the first two standards, 18 for standards three and four, 20 for standards five and six. Actuallv these numbers have had to be exceeded. About 70% of all the mental defectives in special schools and the "occupation-centres to be mentioned shortly attain the fifth or sixth standard, 20% attain standards three or four, 6% complete standards one or two and 4% " have to go to the Sammelklassen or occupation-centres. "
"
As a rule those in the first group attain economic independence, those in the second group can work at home under supervision and the other groups are socially useless.
The percentage of the school population in special schools and occupationis about 2/ %; as compared with 1 y6% in Vienna, iI/2?/0'm London, and a minute percentage (about 120 children in all) in Paris.
centres
The classes are mixed. Special attention seems to be paid to instructing the children in the local geography of the neighbourhood they live in, in table " and in their elementary responsibilities as citizens. manners and street "
The instruction struck
usually logical were men
of
a
as
compared
very
fatherly
me
as
with
type.
being amazingly thorough, perhaps
English standards;
and
most
un-
of the teachers
MENTAL WELFARE
9
One class was being taught reading by a finger-sign method quite new Each finger-sign was apparently a phonetic symbol and the class was able to read sentences and words from the teacher's hands. The children then transferred the knowledge thus acquired to a primer in which pictures of the finger-signs were printed over the printed words. The virtue of the fingersigns was that each represented visually either the shape of the mouth in the case of the vowels or the position of the articulating organs in the case of the to me.
consonants.
Those who make no progress after two years in a special school are sent Sammelklasse or occupation-centre; especially where institutional accommodation is not available or where the parents object.
to a
"
"
These
housed with the special schools but their administration remains entirely separate. They consist of a single class which ideally contains not more than 16 children. The aim is to occupy the child manually and to render him socially harmless. A
are
"
"
innovation are the Erziehungsklassen or classes for psycho" children. difficult At the moment there are 9 such unstable and pathic, in the ordinary schools, accommodating 120 children in all. recent
"
For
educationally
retarded
children
there
"
are
Vorklassen
"
and
"Abschlussklassen." "
"
Vorklassen are for those children who fail to pass out of Standard ordinary schools. Here they get a year's or even two years' training in a smaller class of not more than 20 pupils to prepare them for Standard II. " The "Abschlussklassen are for those who have failed twice to be promoted and are in Standard VI. Here they get a year or more individual tuition; they also get the rest which their obvious inadequacy demands for them before passing into the last two Standards which are the most critical as far as preparation for life in the community is concerned. The
I of the
Provision is also made for individual tuition a
chronically
4 hours.
ill child in his home up
to
6 hours
a
by
teachers who may visit or in a hospital up to
week,
the teaching does not?to my limited in these matters?differ materially from English methods generally. Some stress is laid on orienting the child to his own neighbourhood and to
Pedagogical theory underlying
knowledge
local conditions. The methods of intelligence-testing employed are: that of Rossolimo: the modification of Rossolimo's method by Bartsch of Leipzig: and lastly the
German variation of the Binet-Simon
tests
by Bobertag.
