SECTION VI. CHAPTER XVIII. EXCEPTIONAL SCHOOL CHILDREN. CHILDREN cannot be divided into groups in which the lines of demarcation are absolutely sharp and rigid. Whenever careful measurements of any physical, mental or moral trait have been made, continuous scales have invariably been discovered. It is open to question if any human trait or capacity breaks off so sharply that we can say, “Here is a group in which all are equal." Even in such a group as the blind, where all at first glance seem to be equal, there is a hidden continuous scale. Some in reality are more blind than others, inasmuch as it would take a greater miracle of regeneration to restore their sight. The bulk of children are normal or mediocre or average with respect to any trait. Fading away in both directions we get the exceptional children of the world-the abnormals who exhibit extreme individual differences. Some will exhibit exceptional superiority, others exceptional inferiority. For convenience of classification we may divide these extremes of the scale into: 1. (a) Those who are supernormal in intellectprodigies, precocious individuals, geniuses and brilliant children of every description. (b) Those who are subnormal in intellect-the backward children, mental defectives, imbeciles and idiots. 2. (a) Those who are supernormal in morals-the saints of society. (b) Those who are subnormal in morals-the excessively cruel, deceitful, egotistical, passionate, 3. (a) Those who are supernormal in physique—the A discussion of all the types would lead us too far afield, although the problems of the exceptionally gifted in intellect, of the blind, and of the deaf are extremely interesting from the standpoint of Psychology. We shall, therefore, limit our discussion to the problem of the class known as the feebleminded. Definition of Feeblemindedness. With respect to intellect, feebleminded children come between backward children on the one hand and imbeciles on the other. Since the lines of demarcation are artificial it will perhaps be advisable to define each of the grades of subnormal intellect. 66 (1) Backwardness is a condition in which mental development is retarded through disease, sense-deprivation or some other adverse condition; if suitable treatment can be adopted the child improves and becomes mentally normal." "1 (2) "A feebleminded person is one who is capable of earning a living under favourable circumstances, but is incapable, from mental defect existing from birth, or from an early age, (a) of competing on equal terms with his normal fellows; or (b) of managing himself or his affairs with ordinary prudence." (3) "The imbecile is one who, by reason of mental defect existing from birth or from an early age, is incapable of earning his own living, but is capable of guarding himself against common physical dangers." 66 (4) An idiot is one so deeply defective in mind from birth or from an early age, that he is unable to guard himself against common physical dangers." The last three definitions were suggested by the Royal College of Physicians of London and accepted by the Royal Commission on the Care and Control of the Feebleminded.2 1 Lapage: Feeblemindedness in Children of School Age; p. 323. Report; 1908, Vol. VIII. The definitions are in terms of economic status and of the ability to take care of the person. From the standpoint of the educator the difference is one of educability. Backwardness is eradicable by education; feeblemindedness, imbecility and idiocy persist throughout life. Number of Feebleminded. At the time of the appointment of the Royal Commission on the Care and Control of the Feebleminded in 1904, there were no statistics available. Detailed inquiries were made in a few special districts and as a result of these the Commissioners came to the conclusion that "in England and Wales the number of mentally deficient children may be expected to be, in the areas urban and rural, 79 per cent. of the number of children on the school registers, falling as low as 28 in a northern colliery district, and rising as high as 1·12 and 1.24 in urban areas.' "1 These percentages give us a total number of about 48,000, of whom 36,000 need educational provision. Since 1908 a national system of medical inspection has been in force and many returns on feeblemindedness have been produced. Commenting on returns, the Chief Medical Officer in his report for 1911 (p. 194) states that "Speaking generally it would appear that medical inspection indicates that about 0.50 per cent. of children of school age throughout the country are feebleminded. This estimate does not include imbecility. On 5,400,000 children (which is approximately the number of children in average attendance in the public elementary schools) this figure would yield the total number of feebleminded children as approximately 27,000. Inquiry has shown that from one-fifth to one-seventh of such children are low grade and ineducable. Making the necessary deduction it may be said that there are some 24,000 feebleminded children for whom special provision should be made, for 12,000 of whom some provision already exists." As the above figures are based on average attendance, they do not err on the side of over-statement; they probably do not include all mentally deficient children. The following table, combined from the returns of 1910 and 1911, shows the incidence of feebleminded among the children of routine groups who have been examined as to their mental condition: 66 1 Op. cit.; pp. 192-3. Goddard,1 after an examination of 2,000 normal school children, estimated that 78 per cent. are practically normal, 4 per cent. are gifted " above normal, 15 per cent. are backward, and 3 per cent. are mentally defective. This estimate, taken in conjunction with the statements that the average size of a family containing feebleminded children is seven or eight 2 (Tredgold), 6-11 in Edinburgh (Elderton and Pearson, Memoir X. of the Eugenics Laboratory Memoirs) 6.14 in Manchester (Lapage), and with the fact that primary feeblemindedness is hereditary, shows that the problem is one of the most pressing for civilised nations at the present time. We are recruiting our stocks from below rather than from above. Diagnosis of Feeblemindedness. Since feebleminded children are not sharply differentiated from those of greater or less intellectual ability, their detection becomes extremely difficult. Examination reveals the fact that in some traits a feebleminded child may be superior to a normal child. There is much overlapping and distortion. The Chief Medical Officer of the Board of Education suggests that the 1 Ped. Sem., XVIII., June, 1911. "A normal family contains an average of a little more than four. examination should take account, among others, of the following factors: 1 (1) Family History; (2) Personal History; (3) Physical Conditions, (a) General-speech, sight, hearing, nose and throat, (5) Stigmata general retardation (cretinoid development), cranium (microcephaly), hydrocephaly, asymmetry, rickets, imperfect closure of the fontanelles, hair, face, lower jaw, eyes (mongoloid), ears, tongue, teeth, palate (arched), fingers and limbs; (4) Mental Conditions, (a) reactions of motor mechanism, (b) reactions resulting from sensory stimulation (c) emotional conditions, (d) tests of intelligence, and (e) tests of will power. Finally he recommends the use of the mental tests designed by Binet and Simon as valuable aids in assessing the intelligence. Since these tests are of such great interest to students of child nature, a short account of them will now be given. The Binet-Simon Tests. These tests are designed to provide a quick means for the psychological diagnosis of the grade of intelligence of children. They are more elaborate than those arranged by Sante de Sanctis of the University of Rome. They aim to test the native ability uninfluenced, so far as is possible, by difference of training. The tests extend from those suitable for infants to those suitable for adults. They were first published in L'Année Psychologique for 1905, and have been twice revised-in 1908 and in 1911. The latest revisions can be obtained in the Bulletin de la Société libre pour l'étude psychologique de l'enfant, April, 1911, which also contains particulars and instructions as to the way the tests should be applied.3 1 Annual Report for 1911. Appendix A. * See Whipple: Manual of Mental and Physical Tests; Chap. XIII., for a description of these tests. 3 Translations are obtainable. For the benefit of those who desire readily available lists in English, the following references are given. Whipple's Manual of Mental and Physical tests gives the whole of the 1905 and 1908 series with detailed instructions on, and criticisms of, their use. The 1911 series is reprinted, in outline form only, in the Chief Medical Officer's Report for 1911, and in Bagley: Recent Literature on the Binet Tests; Jour. of Ed. Psy., III., 2, 101-109. The 1908 series, in a very convenient form, is given by Huey in the Jour. of Ed. Psy., I., 8, pp. 435-444. Terman and Childs make A Tentative Revision and Extension of the Binet-Simon Scale of Intelligence in the Jour. of Ed. Psy., III., 2, 3, 4 and 5, 1912. Goddard, in two valuable articles, The Binet and Simon tests of in |