View report page

103
At present no serious attempt is being made to deal with the
problem of the mentally defective child. While the funds at the
disposal of the Committee for educational purposes are so limited I
do not feel that any useful purpose would be served by discussing
any scheme for the establishment of a special school. Certainly as
a matter of educational economics better return can be insured by
expenditure on normal children. On the other hand, if the mentally
defective are regarded, as they should be, from a social standpoint
there is little doubt that permanent institutional care must
eventually be provided. This would be one way of thinning the
ranks of the unemployable.
AUXILIARY CLASS.
In June, 1908, the Committee opened a small class at Whitehorse
Road for the reception of children whose mental progress was
retarded, and who could not be satisfactorily dealt with in ordinary
schools. This class was intended for children whose education for
one reason or another had been neglected and for those who could
not be taught to read and write without more individual attention
than is possible in an ordinary class. On the other hand it was not
intended to admit children who were obviously mentally defective,
though it could not be expected that the selection of children would
in all cases be made with absolute accuracy, and in a few instances
children were purposely admitted on trial so that one might judge
from experience what their mental condition really was. The
following is the result up to the end of 1909.
In all 16 children have been admitted. Four have been
transferred back to ordinary schools, two have left for other reasons,
and ten were in attendance in December, 1909. Of the ten remaining
in December, seven are likely to be transferred to ordinary
schools, and three are mentally defective.
It was hoped that during the coming summer the Committee
would have been able to transfer this class to Grange Wood where
facilities would have been afforded for increasing its-scope and
adding to its usefulness. The Committee has not however found it
possible to make any provision for this extension in the current
estimates.
NECESSITY FOR FURTHER TREATMENT.
This subject was dealt with at some length in my last annual
report. I then stated that while the present arrangement for
securing medical treatment for the poor left much to be desired, we