The Training of a Backward Boy
- Author:
Margaret Keiver Smith, Ph.D.
State Normal School, New Paltz, N. Y.
Iii the March and April numbers of The Psychological, Clinic for this year will be found a report on the training of a backward boy, eight and one-half years of age, for a period of sixty-two days, that is, the school term from September 18 to December 19, 1907. After the Christmas vacation the work with the child was continued from the first week in January until June 18, 1908, at which time the schools in New Paltz closed for the summer vacation.
The purpose of the present paper is to report the progress made during the period of nine months, from September 18, 1907, to June 18, 1908.
When the child came under her care, the first effort of the teacher was directed towards securing suitable food. At present, though rather delicate, he has a fair appetite for such simple foods as children need. His appearance now indicates a fairly satisfactory condition of nutrition, while his strength may be indicated by the fact that during the time he has been under training, he has not lost a day because of illness. During the school year he has gained only three pounds in weight, but he has grown two and one-half inches in height.
The treatment of the nose and throat for adenoid growths resulted in the development of voluntary control over the movements of the head, and in the ability to close the mouth. A marked improvement in power of attention was also observed. The involuntary rotary movement of the head has entirely ceased. Even yet, however, when under the influence of fear, the mouth has a tendency to fall open, while the head tilts slightly backward, thus bringing the chin above the normal level.
As stated in the March issue, the mother asserted that Willie never ran, never played, never smiled or laughed, and never talked. The whole attitude of the child was quite in accordance with these statements. He was quite incapable of lifting his feet to run, and it was only after sixty-one days of instruction that he ran voluntarily. At present he runs in much the same way as- any boy of his age.
The impulse to play, as well as the power to perceive a humorous situation was quite undeveloped. His first appreciation of a “make-believe” was shown in connection with the period at the end of the sentence. The teacher told him that this dot always says to the reader, “Please stop a bit.” He argued seriously that the dot could not talk, yet agreed that the request to pause should receive attention. At present the child has a keen delight in play, and takes great pleasure in dramatizing his reading lesson. In playing, signs of self-consciousness are entirely absent, so that he is ready to undertake any character, old or young, beast or human. During the last seven weeks of training, his play was largely confined to the dramatization of the Mother Goose melodies, many of which he learned during the winter. He directs the arrangement and attitudes of the characters, and before he tires of the play has himself acted all the different parts.
At the beginning of his training, the child had not the faintest idea of competition. At present he understands clearly what it means to “beat” in a game, and will even call out, “Here, let me do that!” or “Let me get ahead!”
His attitudes are quickly assumed, and are remarkably easy. His voice changes at will from low to high, from soft to harsh tones. At times when he gives himself up to the spirit of play, he displays such an apprehension of the situation, and such abandon that a more than ordinary development in this direction seems not improbable. As soon as the play is over, however, the suggestion of unusual possibilities largely disappears, and he becomes again the inarticulate, backward little boy who can hardly be forced to expression except by means of many imitations and innumerable repetitions.
It must be stated that Willie gives himself up to the full enjoyment of play only in one room, that in which his training first began. In this room, “our room” as he calls it, he will receive all the children of his grade, will call them by name, and will direct them in their several parts in a play. In the grade room, or in the street, he will not play with these same children, nor will he answer if they speak to him. Learning to laugh was for Willie a work o+ime and effort. Tor several days, teacher and assistant strove to do and say things which a child might consider funny. They tried to bring out the amusing points in a story. On the ninth day of instruction, they observed a contraction of the pale little face which they joyfully interpreted to be a grin. After that, no day was allowed to pass without securing at least one smile from the child. In this connection, singing was of the greatest service. Before he ever attempted to imitate the notes of the scale as sung by the teacher, he was amused by the sounds. The jingle of the Mother Goose rhymes often caused a smile, while the recitation of Trowbridge’s “Charcoal Man” occasioned a hearty laugh. Sound and rhythm rather than sense occasioned the amusement, however. He was delighted with the echo to the cry of “Char-coal!” and with the changes of tone necessary in imitating the voices of a man, a woman, and a child. Willie often begged the teacher to use the same changes of tone in saying other words. His own efforts to imitate the same tones were often the cause of laughter on his part. On the fifty-first day of instruction, he begged the teacher to say funny things that he might laugh.
At present Willie laughs as much as does any child. He will play a trick on his teacher, and if he surprises her, will shout with joy. Tf he writes her a letter containing unexpected information, he chuckles at her astonishment. When at the blackboard, doing his regular work (drawing or writing), he amuses himself by calling to the teacher in different tones. lie is greatly amused and laughs heartily while trying to make the words, “Dinner time!” sound like dinner bell.
Although in connection with singing and reading Willie’s voice has developed volume and flexibility, in the matter of talking he has made less improvement. It must be remembered, however, that at first he was practically a mute child, and that now he can ask for any information he desires, and can make suggestions regarding anything that he wishes done. He begins to volunteer remarks upon certain points, yet it must be admitted that he knows much more than he can tell. In reading and singing his pronunciation of words is much more distinct than in talking. Often, instead of answering a question, he is disposed to substitute a nod or a smile, or to hold up to view the object in question. During the first days of training, a very strong external stimulus was necessary to induce him to speak at all. The first time he spoke voluntarily (beyond asking a single question), he had been startled by the sight of a burning building. He informed the teacher that “The mountain was all burned up,” and asked many questions concerning the people in the burning house. When in the one room where he feels really at ease, the little fellow now chatters to his teacher constantly. Advantage is taken of his willingness to talk, to find what meaning he attaches to the words he reads, or to the directions which his teacher skives him from time to time. The teacher asks, “Willie, what is careful?” He answers while he goes on with his hand work, “Not to let my blocks fall.” “What is neatly?” “To measure nice.” “What is read carefully?” “Not to spoil the words.” What is happy?” “To dance,” and Willie’s eyes twinkle. “What is good?” “Oh,” says Willie, “a good boy.” “What is a good boy?” “I am a good boy” (very confidently). A pause, while the work of measuringblocks goes on; presently he says, “Ask me some more words. Ask me about bad.” Silence for a moment, then he asks, “What is bad anyway ?” He himself has no idea of “bad,” except that he is positive he is not a bad boy.
Later in the year (June 8) he began voluntarily to ask for reasons. A thunderstorm had occurred the night before. The child asked, “Why it thunder ?” The teacher told him that clouds come together, and a sound like a blow is produced. “WThy it lighten ?” He was told that the lightning comes a little before the thunder, and shows that the clouds have actually come together. Two days later he read the word God in his lesson. The teacher asked, “What is God?1’ He answered readily, “A big man up in the sky.” After a short silence, he said very slowly, “I know God make it thunder, but (very much puzzled) how He do it?” The teacher answered as she had (lone before, whereupon his questions followed rapidly,?”How He lighten ? How He rain ?” She told him that the cold high up in the air squeezes the clouds so that the rain drops fall. He at once began to squeeze an imaginary sponge, and then to imitate the patter of the rain on the roof by drumming on the table. Then came the question, “How He hail ?” He was told that high up in the air where it is cold, drops of water are pressed together and frozen into little balls of ice which fall to the ground. “Now,” said the teacher, “you are ready to take your singing lesson.” “No,” said he very positively, “No, I want to talk more about God. How He blow ? How fast He blow ? How big He blow? How flat He blow?” (probably referring to objects being thrown down by the wind). After the teacher had explained for some time, he exclaimed very impatiently, “Oh, I want to seen it blowed!” He seemed, to be puzzled and vexed that he could not see the wind.
Two days later, he and his teacher coming down stairs met a lady going up. He asked, “Who is that lady?” The teacher answered, “I do not know. She is a stranger.” Here he remarked with some contempt, “A stranger lady not nice, is she ?” “Why, Willie,” said the teacher in surprise, “I think that she is very nice!” After a moment’s silence lie asked, “Who preach in the Methodist Church now?” (A new clergyman has come to the church recently.) The teacher said, “I think that you mean Mr. R.” “Yes,” said Willie, “Well, that is the woman.” “You mean,” asked the teacher, “that the stranger lady is Mrs. R. ?” “Yes,” said he, “she is the one. She not nice.” He had seen this lady in church, and had recognized her on the stairs. His reason for thinking her “not nice” seemed to be that she was a stranger and he had not spoken to her.
Willie’s parents report that when at home he talks to himself. When they try to find out what he says, he stops instantly. So far as can be ascertained this talking to himself consists in his repeating words and phrases which he has used with his teacher. Prom the first, the child has given evidence of a very unusual interest in words. The image of a written or printed word seems to persist long after the word has been removed. It may be stated, however, that as he gains possession of more and more new words, his power to hold the image before the attention after the printed or written form has been removed, becomes markedly less. With the loss of memory for form, a loss of memory for sound is also to be observed, but with this loss there is an undoubted increase of power to apprehend not only the meanings of words, but the meanings of sentences as well. His power of general comprehension and appreciation has increased greatly. Recently, when reading a simple description of a house made of mud, he paused in his reading and exclaimed, “A house made of mud! Oh, (with a very wry face) it would smell awful.”*
The child’s real interest in words impels him to try to read every word he sees, so that he can read both script and print more fluently than the average child of his age. A few days ago, upon entering the room, he stopped as usual before the blackboard to see what new words had been written for him to read. A student had inadvertently left a German sentence on the board. Willie begged the teacher to pronounce the strange words for him. Gravely and slowly the teacher read, “Im schwabischen Heere war ein Rekrut.” “Oh!” cried Willie, waving his hands excitedly, “What is it? Im schwabischen Heere war ein Rekrut! What is it ?” His imita*It is a question whether the increased mobility and adaptability of all parts of the body may not have had some influence in breaking up the rather inert combinations (associations) which gave an undue persistence to his images, and which stood for what is sometimes called “a good memory”.
tion of the teacher’s pronunciation was very accurate, and he repeated the six foreign words without a break. Still more recently, he asked to have the word jaguar written on the board (he pronounced it jagger). When the teacher failed to understand, he informed her that it was the name of an animal. The next day he began to write for himself the word hippopotamus, stating that it was the name of another animal. He wrote it hippotamus. His next demand was to see the word library. It was found that the teacher of the second grade had been reading the “Just So Stories” to the children, and had probably used the names of the strange animals. The word library had been mentioned by her when she was talking to another teacher about the care of books.
Willie has developed a desire to write sentences that tell something. He told his teacher to shut her eyes while he wrote something just for her. The something proved to be a sentence about his sister. He also wrote, “Miss S. and I dance around the room.” He was uncertain about the word I, so he called his teacher to write it for him with the strict injunction that she was not to look at the other words. He was delighted with the teacher’s approval of his “letter,” and next suggested, “Now I hide and you write something just for me. You write something that we do right here in this room.” Willie’s “letters” have assumed considerable importance. When a visitor enters the room, he asks for a “letter” from the visitor, and is willing to write one in return. As yet he cannot address a person directly, as he has difficulty in using the second person. He writes about instead of to the person he addresses. As an example,?a lady came into the room. She asked for a letter. He looked at her a moment, then wrote, “Miss P. is a fat woman.” Later the director of the art department came in, and he wrote, “Miss S. is a nice lady.” Still another read, “Miss F. is a good woman, she is a good tech” (teacher).
Care is taken that the letters which the visitors write shall be correct in form, and that they shall contain something which will give him pleasure. These letters all begin with, “Dear Willie.” He reads the letters, but does not understand that he is directly addressed. He seems to think that dear is a part of his name. In a recent letter he wrote, “Dear Willie is so hungry, he got to go home and eat with his mamma.”
Many of Willie’s “letters” are more or less connected with his reading. Recently in reading he came upon the word hardworking, and asked what it meant. The teacher said, “I think that Willie is a hard-working boy.” After a moment’s silence he said, “First I read my book; then I do my blocks (number work) ; then I work on the board; then I sing and dance. Yes, that is hard-working.” Later in his “letter” he wrote, “Papa is a good man. He go to work all day.” Evidently the word “hard-working” indicates a virtue to him. For some time Willie has displayed a very active curiosity regarding the names of people. He insists on having the names of students written on the board so that he may pronounce and copy them. He no sooner pronounces and writes the name of a student than he exclaims, “What color is her dress ? Write the color of her dress. And does she wear glasses ?” When a stranger enters he at once asks the teacher to speak her name, then he goes to the person, offers his hand, and pronounces the name and asks her to wait and dance with him when his work is done. This places him on a friendly footing with every person who comes in.
Next to his inability to talk, Willie’s excessive timidity has been his greatest defect. During the first two or three weeks he seemed to be in a state of terror bordering on shock. He shrank from every one, refusing even to look at a stranger. He has lost much of this fear, but he still falls far short of the normal in this respect. Recently on two occasions he was too frightened to speak even to his teacher. Once when twenty high school girls came into the room unexpectedly, he clutched the teacher’s gown, and stared open-mouthed. The second time was on June 13, when he was present at a gathering of three or four thousand people, mostly children. He clutched his mother’s hand, and seemed unable to speak or move.
As an evidence of his gain in courage, however, may be mentioned his daring on June 10, when he actually crossed the street alone and went around to the back door of a large building in search of Miss N., the director of the kindergarten, whose presence he desired at his dancing lesson. There was no possible way by which he could get her unless he sought her out and fetched her himself. The first day when he undertook this expedition, lie failed utterly. The second venture was successful, and his pride in his achievement was great.
The child’s fears decrease as his social development increases. After six months’ training he had acquired sufficient courage to read aloud upstairs in the presence of the children of the second grade. He was able to do this because the children agreed to shut their eyes while he read. Two days later he read with the children looking at him, the teacher having promised that if he would do this, the children should come down to his room and dance with him.
Another evidence of growth in social sympathy is his desire to walk home with any of the teachers who go his way. He will shout for the kindergarten teacher to wait, and will run to overtake her. As yet, however, he does not talk with the teacher with whom he walks. The chief reason for the child’s unsocial tendency seems to lie in his inability to use words freely. When at play, his great need for intercourse with others overcomes for the time his unwillingness to talk.
Another significant hindrance to Willie’s social development lies in his lack of capacity to do anything for other people. He has been cared for so constantly that he accepts service as a matter of course. He has no idea of making any return for favors received, and has no sense of obligation whatever. He is utterly dependent without in the least realizing this dependence. Without a sense of dependence and a certain sense of obligation or at least of recognition of service received, the development of any great degree of social sympathy is impossible. Though the child has made some progress, he is still lamentably deficient in this direction. He has great dread of a stranger, as he has of any unknown thing. Insurmountable difficulties stand in the way of any new undertaking. If required to come alone from the room upstairs to the room downstairs, he sees himself in imagination helpless before the shut door of the latter room. This dread is still sufficient to deter him from starting unless a teacher is with him. Every new undertaking requires management 011 the part of the teacher. First a suggestion is made, and repeated day after day until the idea is quite familiar. Then a desire for some pleasant thing already known is developed. The attainment of the desire involves the new activity required, and before he thinks, the movements which the teacher desires are made. Being once made, these movements are repeated generally without difficulty. After many repetitions something of a habit is formed. As an example,?when writing or ciphering on the blackboard, in order to reach the upper part of the board, the child climbs upon a chair. Only after about six months’ training could he be induced to stand upright on this chair. Day after day the upright attitude was suggested to him, but he was too fearful to attempt it. The best he could do was to kneel on the chair, and reach upward. Finally on condition that the teacher would stand behind the curtain and sing while he worked, he consented to stand erect. As soon as he found himself standing upright, he was delighted and called loudly to the teacher to come and admire his achievement.
In many cases, suggestion has been used to considerable advantage. By referring constantly to desirable foods, and assuring Willie that he liked them, his rather morbid tendencies in the matter of eating have been significantly checked. By making him familiar with an idea through repeated suggestion, much of his dread for untried things has been removed. Suggestion is also effective in trifles. One day while reading, he coughed inadvertently. In a moment, he coughed again, evidently to gain sympathy from the teacher The latter remarked casually, “Willie, you will not cough again.” Again he coughed, again the remark was made in exactly the same tone. He coughed six different times, and six times the suggestion was made. The last time he coughed, before the teacher could speak, he said, “I not cough again.” The coughing ceased and was never resumed.
Willie’s obedience is very marked. So far as his feeble attention and his fears allow, his tendency is to do the thing required. Yet his obedience may be regarded as passive, rather than active. It is more a response to a suggestion, than a deliberate volition. At least two exceptions to this have been observed, however. In two cases he refused direction and assistance at the blackboard. Very recently he has shown signs of independent activity, which will probably develop later into disobedience.
Every effort is made to develop power of self-direction. To this end every possible opportunity for managing and planning is afforded him. In carrying out his plans, it is not unusual for him to direct every movement of the teacher. “Now you place the chairs while I get the box ready. You go behind the curtain and sing while I put the blocks away. Bring me a good crayon. Here, you hold this box till I want it.” One day when he was ready to go home, he discovered that he had left his lunch box upstairs. He said to the teacher, “You go and get the box, and I will wait here.” “‘No,” said the teacher, “You go and get the box, and I will wait here. I think that will be the better plan.” He ran off quite cheerfully and fetched the box.
Willie’s quick and exact imitation of tones and movements, as well as of attitudes, implies considerable power of perception. Yet his attention being very fleeting, his observations are often very faulty. Frequently, however, he seems to see and hear with less effort than ordinary children. Without appearing to look or to listen carefully, unexpected reproductions often occur, which indicate that he must have been very alert. In securing correct pronunciation of syllables, his power of imitation is very serviceable. It aids him in enunciating final letters, d, t, etc., yet he has objections against pronouncing certain words other than they are spelled. He persists in calling the word stopped, “stop-ped” rather than “stopt.” He treats similarly many words ending in ed.
Such originality as Willie possesses is shown more in his play than in his work. In the latter, he is addicted to routine. In singing he will often improvise words appropriate to his actions. In his skipping games, he frequently introduces new figures. His interpretations of the characters of his reading lesson are his own. In his written work he dislikes greatly to write after a copy. The teacher one day gave him as a copy, “My dear mother remembers her boy.” He wrote the page, then read the copy and said, “Yes, I am her boy, but why I write the same words many times ?” “Very well,” said the teacher, “next time you make your own copy.” “No,” said he, “I write this,” and he wrote, “I am glad Miss F. comes every day to sing and dance with me.” He refused to write the same words a second time, but instead wrote a new sentence.
Throughout the work, Willie has never shown any signs of anger. The reports of his family are directly contrary to this statement. An aunt and a grandmother both state that at home he has always been addicted to fits of violent anger. Before he talked, this anger was expressed in cries, and in throwing his limbs about. Since he has acquired some facility of speech, he threatens to strike or even to kill. He does not swear, but makes use of abusive words. The writer has never been able to see the child in one of these states, and is still disposed to believe that they are states of fear rather than of anger. From her own experience, she cannot say that his vocabulary contains a single abusive term. Throughout the training, every effort has been made to adjust the work to his tendencies, and to secure a pleasant tranquility that should make for repose and serenity, to the end that both anger and fear might be allayed.
Hp to the present time, fear has seemed to act directly upon the motor centres, so that action, especially articulation, was almost if not quite impossible. When not under the influence of fear, the child’s motor activities are satisfactory. He is deft in the hand work required of children of his age. In drawing and coloring he uses pencil and brush fairly well. He sketches fairly well from memory such objects as steam engines, dwelling houses, churches, mills, factories, trees, etc. In the shop for manual training he can saw, hammer, and cut fairly well. He writes legibly and freely. He can run, jump, hop, skip, and dance, though as yet in a jig dance the co-ordination of his feet is awkward. He can beat simple time accurately with fingers -or feet, or even by shrugging the shoulders. At present, his head, shoulders, arms, legs, hands, and feet are under fairly good control. This control has required much practice. The teacher walked with him daily, again and again showing him how to lift his feet, how to hold his head, to depress the chin, square the shoulders, keeping the arms at the sides, and throwing the weight 011 the ball of the foot. At times he was required to walk alone and to observe all these directions. In a similar way he learned to run and jump. Skipping and dancing were his own discovery, resulting from his efforts to act words in his reading lesson. While the acquisition of language has been the child’s greatest need, it is doubtful whether without the bodily activities the language would have had the desired mental effect. The rhythm of singing gave purpose and grace to his movements, while the rhythmic exercises were effective in controlling the writhing of the body, and in correcting the facial grimaces. Indeed the rhythms of singing and dancing secured a concentration of attention and energy which has benefited both body and mind. Skipping and dancing in time to his own singing afford him a pleasure of which he never tires. Under the influence of this pleasant feeling he expands socially and seeks the people whom under other circumstances he carefully avoids. At any work which allows him to keep time with his hands, he is disposed to sing. It may be stated here that Willie is required to keep his body still only when he is reading. Of late even this exercise is carried on with both teacher and boy on foot. When conversation is in order, very likely they are walking up and down the room, perhaps together, perhaps on different sides of the room. If he sat still while the teacher talked, there is no doubt that he would become incapable of understanding half of what she says.
In giving the meanings of words, the evidence of the prominence of motor activity is very marked. In every case at first he seemed to see himself in action. For example, he defined neatly, “to measure nice”; happy, “to dance”; anger, “you get mad”; trouble, “you get hit”; surprise, “you laugh” ; moon, “to shine”; uneasy, “to move”. At the present time, liis thought appears to consist of concrete images more or less logically related. When asked the meaning of the word pilloiu, he laid his head on the table, shut his eyes and said “Good night,” sleepily.
Willie’s habits seem to be formed by the unconscious repetition of certain acts, rather than by any deliberation or resolution on his part. An instance of this is his habit of greeting people. At first the teacher directed him to remove his cap from his head and to present his right hand. This was done day after day and week after week. At present when he meets his teacher, or indeed any person he knows, he takes off his cap and extends his right hand automatically. When told to go and speak to visitors, he offers his hand instinctively and immediately says, “Good morning.” An exception to this, however, is the deliberate effort he is now making to keep his mouth shut when not speaking. One day in April he was amusing himself by pronouncing words very vigorously, when he observed the syllables which made him open his mouth, as well as those which made it necessary for him to bring the teeth or lips together. Then he began to name the letters of the alphabet, and found amusement in opening his mouth much too widely when pronouncing the vowels, and in shutting lips or teeth much too tightly when speaking the consonants. “Oh,” he exclaimed, “I must keep my mouth shut!” The matter of keeping the mouth shut had been suggested very many times with no apparent result, but from this time whenever the thought occurs to him, he shuts his mouth and runs his finger along the lips to convince himself that they are close together. His later attempts in this matter seem to arise entirely from his own volition. In undertaking the training of this child, the writer had at first in mind the repetition of a few fundamental physical movements by means of which she hoped to secure a certain co-ordination of nerves and muscles sufficient to enable the boy to remain in the grades of the public school without distracting the attention of the other children. Because of his serious difficulty in speaking, she began with the simplest movements of the vocal organs, speaking to him a single word many times, until lie was constrained to imitate the sound, arid the movements of the lips and tongue. As the work progressed, it became evident that, in order to save the child from permanent arrest and perhaps from idiocy, the acquisition of language was absolutely necessary. With his senses fairly acute, and with power of locomotion, he was con146 THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CLINIC. stantly gaining images from the outside world, but without power to speak the names which he must have frequently heard. Beyond the most primitive gestures and tones (limited to nodding and stamping, and to a moan, whine, or shriek), he had no means of communication with people. Deaf-mute children, who have no words to express their mental states, often develop a condition of restlessness, and uncontrolled anger. In Willie’s case, instead of anger, overwhelming fear seemed to paralyze his efforts.* As a means of developing an apprehension of his own and of other people’s possibilities and limitations, the acquisition of a knowledge of number relations seemed to be only second in importance to the acquisition of words and their relations. In laying the foundation for a later apprehension of number in accordance with the Herbartian idea, viz., that number as a multiple (manifold) of unity has its origin in space relations, the “Tillich blocks” were used as illustrative material. The presentation was careful and slow, and the results have been unexpectedly satisfactory. The addition tables were worked out from the blocks and expressed in figures. The multiplication table was developed from addition, and later was constructed systematically. Fractions to tenths were developed and expressed, thus laying a foundation for division. Nothing was done with subtraction concretely, but a good deal of abstract work involving this process was performed. With the use of the “Tillich blocks,” Willie manifested quite as great an aptitude for the apprehension of number as the average boy of his age.
In number, as in language, the teacher repeated the presentation until a reaction involving some effort on the part of the child was secured. ISTo mention of his ability or inability to do a thing was ever made. Working was regarded as a matter of course. If the child made his best effort, and a result was produced, even though the result was poor, beyond an expression of pleasure in the accomplishment, nothing was said. If his best efforts were not put forth, or if no result was gained, by one means or another *For the sake of opening communication with the people around him, by far the larger part of his instruction consisted of the acquisition of words and the use of words in sentences. Though the results are fairly satisfactory, yet the child’s greatest difficulty is still in connection with speech. Any sudden excitement may make it difficult for him to say a word. If he is to be permanently helped, his speech must receive attention for years to come. Before fluent speech can be depended upon, a much greater control of his emotions must be secured.
he was induced to do the same thing again and again until the accomplishment was in some degree adequate.
The habit of looking for a result after every series of effortshas given a constructive character to Willie’s work, and does much towards enabling him to understand the relation between the beginning and the end of his work. His expressions indicate this, ?”Now you hide till I have done something for you. Don’t peep until it is finished. Come and see what I have done.” Upon such occasions the teacher strives to do exactly as directed. If he needs her help at any point, he calls her, tells her what to do, and then tells her to leave him. “Come and write the word about and the word finger on the board. Don’t rub them out. Leave them there. ISTow go.” “When allowed to see his finished work, the teacher read, “I cut my finger about off one day.” Once when in response to his summons she did not appear immediately, he shouted impatiently, “Come! I have done it. It is good!” An apprehension of accomplishment being the intellectual result of all sustained effort, it is always assumed that work is begun with the intention of keeping at it until it is finished. Nothing partly done is ever given up. The relation between accomplishment and effort is always maintained. The result is not always reached in a single period. Occasionally the same point comes up in three or four lessons. Throughout the training the teacher has managed so that every moment has been occupied. A habit of industrious (purposeful) activity is the result. Willie begins his work briskly, never stopping until the last exercise is finished, and the last objects used have been returned to their places. The habit of working toward a known (desired) result has developed some power of looking ahead. Before the close of school (June 18, 1908) Willie began to plan the reading of certain books during the summer, that he might be ready to enter the third grade in the autumn. He has much respect for school requirements, and a lively sense of responsibility in meeting engagements. Throughout the training no questions as to Willie’s liking or disliking to do a thing have been asked. It has always been taken for granted that, since a thing was to be done, it was necessarily pleasing and interesting. As a result, Willie’s work and play are performed with equal cheerfulness. Until work is finished, he does not think of play. He delights in dancing, but never mentions it until the last exercise is finished, and all apparatus has been put carefully away.
One unexpected feature of this work has been that the in148 THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CLINIC. struction has demanded on the part of the child much more synthesis than analysis. In his immature condition synthesis has been less difficult than analysis. The peculiarities of his fleeting, feeble attention, and his great need of language have determined this procedure. The observation of an object involving anything like careful analysis has always been physically exhausting, and often quite beyond the power of the child. His tendency is always constructive. For example, “Miss B. wears a brown dress. She does not wear glasses, and she wears red (tan) shoes. Miss F. wears glasses, she wears a black dress, and her shoes are black.” In this way his images of Miss B. and Miss F. are quite complete, and the one is quite distinct from the other. Such analysis as was performed was merely incidental to the construction of the image.
So far as possible in his work as well as in his play, Willie has been encouraged to make use of any original devices that best served his purpose. Especially every effort has been made to have him put his plans into words. “What are you going to do ? IIow will you do it?”?the answers to these questions give purpose to his actions, and enable him to look over the field of his activity. His pleasure in talking by no means equals his pleasure in doing things with his hands, but the teacher tries to keep the two in connection. In the number work his devices for getting results with his blocks are never quite the same as those of his teacher, but so long as he secures a correct result, and makes a good use of his time, he is allowed to pursue his own plan. He chooses largely his own games, and determines how they shall be played, introducing such changes as seem to him good.
From being an inarticulate little boy, Willie can now use in reading and speaking more than two thousand words. At present he reads readily the stories of any third grade school reader. He had read many of Grimm’s fairy tales. At home he reads the Bible aloud every day. His talking is less fluent than his reading, but he speaks to his teacher without restraint. When at play, he will talk with children, not otherwise.
Upon the whole Willie has ceased to be the helpless victim of his fears, but this difficulty still persists in the form of imagined obstacles which are a great hindrance to undertakings requiring deliberation. The reflex movements which kept the child in constant motion have largely disappeared. It is quite possible for him to sit still in his seat, so that he no longer disturbs other children. Unless unduly excited, his hands are motionless. Even when disturbed, if reminded, lie can put liis hands at his sides and keep them still. With the head and facial muscles under control, he posesses a sufficiently attractive appearance.
The child no doubt possesses the fundamental conditions for reasoning power. His memory is good. In a limited way, he can plan and execute. He realizes the future as well as a child may. A few days ago the word money occurred in his reading lesson. He ceased reading, put his hands into his pockets and said, reflectively, “I have no money, but when I be a man I will have money in my pockets.” “Willie,” questioned the teacher, “how will you get it? How do men get money?” He remained silent and shook his pockets. For the most part his associations are logical, as shown by his definitions of words, as well as by the greater part of his actions.
Though still weak as regards his social development, lie has made much progress. He likes the teachers of the school. Pie is curious regarding strangers, and he has much more interest in the members of his family than he had at first. As regards his capacity for happiness as well as his effective activity, the child is quite a new creature. It must always be borne in mind, however, that he is still, and for some years to come must be, dependent upon the care and oversight of an experienced instructor. The cause for anxiety regarding his future lies in the uncertain influence of the public school, which in working for masses loses sight of the individual who is not adapted to its fixed lines. The teachers of the grades are so burdened with numbers of children, and with a multitude of subjects which must be presented in rapid succession that they have neither time, strength, nor interest for any special children. If adequate instruction and training could be given this child for the next five years (he is now ten years old) there is little doubt that at least ordinary intellectual capacity might be developed.
The expression “adequate training” is a very comprehensive term, however. It probably implies exclusion from home for a large part of the time indicated. At present the difference between Willie’s home life and school life is so great that there may be danger of developing a double personality. If the family reports are to be trusted, the Willie at home bears little resemblance to the Willie at school. The child at home seems to be a much less desirable person than the child at school. In the home life, filling as it does by far the greater part of the day, the opportunitv for a desirable development must be greatly hindered. The conditions ought to be reversed. Better still, if a new life quite independent of the old could be built up, it would be well. To this end, new surroundings are necessary. The mother in her misapprehended love for the child, being bent upon giving him (or herself) the gratification of the moment, loses sight of the future, which is being defeated by present indulgence.
There is also danger that both parents may underestimate or totally misunderstand the effort which the child makes, and may become unduly exacting at times when he most needs their patience. In their false shame of the child’s defects, they may be inclined to give untrue reports of his condition. Sometimes also false statements may arise from uncertainty and forgetfulness on the part of the mother. Whatever their cause, they are a formidable hindrance to the work of the trainer, who ought to have accurate information regarding everything concerning the child. The mother is in danger of misapprehending the real significance of the child’s condition, as well as of the trainer’s procedure, and may unwittingly undo a large part of the work done. Very few mothers realize the importance of obedience to directions, and of consecutive action. In this special case, the mother’s tendency to epileptic convulsions is a source of danger to the child. Also the home atmosphere lacks the requisite intelligence to stimulate him properly. The reported bursts of anger on the part of the child may very probably be traced to lack of power on the part of the mother to direct him, or even to leave him alone at the right time.
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