The Social Aspect of an Experiment with Retarded Children
- Author:
Lillian M. TobiN,
Special Teacher of Retarded Children, Talcott School, Chicago, Illinois.
In all schools are found children who do not “fit in” with the regular work. They are unresponsive; cannot work in groups; are irritable or over-sensitive; will not play, rather brood in corners; are hostile to society. Sometimes they show a tendency to damaga things or torment animals or their companions.
They are individualistic. Every command must be given separately to them. They will not listen unless directly addressed; and will not respond. The result is that either their undirected energy takes the form of mischief and they become incorrigible, or they shrink back into themselves and become apathetic, sitting in their places with no interest, but conscious of the indifference of their companions.
If such children are allowed to remain indefinitely in the regular grades, it will mean years of unsatisfactory work and annoyance for the teachers; years of handicapping for the pupils of average ability, and years of stunting physically and mentally for the retarded children themselves. The fact that these children have heretofore made up from 12 to 30 per cent of our criminal class is a sufficient argument that something should be done to make them less anti-social. It is unquestionable that the establishment of special forms of instruction for these children is “not only a humanitarian duty but a social necessity.”
Eight years ago in one of the Chicago schools a special room was organized for such pupils, with the writer in charge. The room was equipped with chairs and tables of different sizes; manual training benches and tools; looms; a piano; materials for handwork of different kinds; large space for free plays and games. Moreover the children were allowed the use of gymnasium, baths, garden space, etc. The curriculum was arranged with the following underlying principles in mind: 1. To make the children strong, healthy, happy. 2. To develop a wider range of social activities. 3. To train them to a better adjustment to environment.
In short, to make them better social beings; to render them if possible capable of contributing to their own support and managing their own affairs.
The program was arranged as follows: three-fifths of the time was given to handwork and physical work; two-fifths of the time to academic work. The handwork included basketry, weaving, woodwork, sewing, crocheting, drawing, clay modeling, book-binding. The physical work consisted of free plays and games, corrective work, baths, gardening. Music included singing and rhythmic exercises of all kinds.
The academic work comprised numbers introduced through plays and games; language, reading and writing.
The child’s relationship to the school is always emphasized. He is made to feel that he is not an isolated individual but a member of the school, with the same privileges and also the same responsibilities as the other members. These children attend the song festivals with the others; use the gymnasium in their turn; have their captains to direct the ranks; their own ball teams; their own garden.
In December and June we have a display of handwork made during the j^ear and the other children come to see it. This helps to develop self-respect, and also the feeling that the child is a part of the school.
The sense of individual responsibility is secured by joint work. The entire class helped to make some picture frames for the school; one sawed the moulding, others filed, still others stained and polished, so that each one had a hand in the work and each one felt a personal responsibility in its success. Again, all the boys worked together to make a large doll’s bed, and the girls made the mattress, bed clothes, and doll clothes.
In the garden they made fertilizer to improve the poor soil, planted bushes, sowed seeds and cut the grass. Each one had his bush which he planted, but all were responsible for making our garden look as well as the other gardens. When our garden was in good shape, we helped in the gardens of others who had not so much time.
Holiday functions and other occasional incidental parties help to promote the social spirit. These children, when development begins, are strongly imitative and highly suggestible and these qualities have been used in influencing them. The discipline has been effected by depriving the offender of participation in the games and holiday functions. It has proved sufficient.
The following are some of the striking cases of social gain: (a) A boy in school in the first grade for two years. He never spoke a word; would not walk across the room without being pushed; when outside he stood up against the building and hung his head. At one time he was recommended for exclusion. In the special room he failed to respond in any way at first. One day after school, when he was sure all the others had gone, he answered yes and no by nodding his head. A few days afterward he answered almost inaudibly, yes and no to questions. The next step was to get him to do this in the presence of the other children, which he did after a few days more. Next he ran and caught a ball when his “number” was called; then threw the ball ancd called someone else’s number, etc., etc. After six months in the special room, he talked to the other children, played with them, ran errands, rang the school bell, and did some good handwork. He learned to read a few sentences and to write his name, in fact took part in all the activities of the room.
Every month or so he would have lapses into his old habits and refuse to respond for perhaps a day or two, and then would react again. It is five months now since he has lapsed, and he is improving in every way.
(b) A boy was brought by his mother and sister to be examined. He was large for his age, had no ability in reading or writing, and no experience in handwork. He had broken into a school building and was to be brought before the Juvenile Court. The parents did not want the case taken before the judge and it was recommended that he be tried in some branch of the public schools that would be likely to catch his interest and train him.
He was fourteen years old and pretty large, and had to begin to read in the primer. For the first few days he felt rather awkward, but later in one of our ball games, when he got the ball into the basket forty-eight out of fifty times, and still later in a competition with the sixth grade when none of them could approximate his score, he not only began to develop a feeling of self confidence, but was- the acknowledged leader in the room. His improvement was rapid. He was undoubtedly a model pupil. He remained in the room with us only a year and a half, and in that time he completed the first, second, and third grade work besides doing some good handwork. Repeated letters were received from the parents expressing their gratification at the change in the boy. He received a labor certificate and his uncle took him into his office in the Board of Trade. The last I heard of him he was making good.
This was a striking case of social gain considering the fact that the boy was fourteen years of age when he came to us, and remained with us only a year and a half.
(c) A boy was considered too low a case for the public schools. The parents were at a loss what to do with him. He tormented them and hurt his little sister if left alone with her. He seemed to possess a number of cruel traits. At one time he was in an institution for feebleminded children.
After some private tutoring he developed better coordination and was admitted to the special center. He has been with us six months. He runs and plays with the others, has learned to use his hands and make things; is interested, attentive, and can write a little. The parents say he has an entirely different attitude at home. From being destructive his habits are becoming constructive. The sister is no longer afraid of him. They play together and occasionally have been left alone together with good results. The improvement seems slight from the school standpoint, but the parents are overjoyed. They live two miles from the school and the mother has to bring the boy to school in the morning, and the father calls for him in the afternoon, yet they are anxious to do it and in constant fear of his exclusion.
The avenues of approach and development in the handling of these retarded children are numerous. In the present article only one phase of the problem,?namely, the social phase,?has been considered.
The writer has kept a record of the history of the children who have left her division during the years 1907 to 1914, and the tables herewith submitted may be of interest at this time.
I. Number admitted. Left to go to Parochial School Transferred to other public schools. Died Left city Number actually treated Boys 74 14 14 1 3 42 Girls 36 2 6 1 1 26 Total 110 16 20 2 4 68 Per Cent of Total 14.5 18.1 1.8 3.6 61.9 II. Number actually treated. Excluded, for low mentality Returned to grades and remained in school Returned to grades and left soon after: (a) Working: delivery boy on truck can factory peddler piano factory candy factory (b) Staying at home (c) Transferred to other schools (<d) Left city (e) No information Total Returned to grade and failed to make good Left special room for various reasons: (a) Staying at home (b) Working: office boy nurse girl (c) Working occasionally (d) Worked a while, then married Total Boys 42 11 7 2 2 0 1 0 0 2 2 1 6 16 Girls 26 Total 68 18 13 2 2 1 1 1 1 6 2 1 6 23 1 3 2 1 11 PerCent op Total 26.5 19.1 33.9 4.4 16.1
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