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71
As a result of these examinations mentally defective children are
classified into four groups:—
(1) Idiots.
(2) Imbeciles.
(3) Moral Imbeciles.
(4) (a) Feeble-minded who are troublesome at home or at
school, or whose home circumstances are bad;
(b) Feeble-minded children who are capable of some education
and who are amenable to discipline.
The children coming under the headings (1), (2) and (3) (Idiots.
Imbeciles and Moral Imbeciles) are reported to the Local Control
Authority (The Middlesex County Council), under whose care the Law
places them.
Children coming under (4) (a) are sent to Residential Special Schools,
where they remain until they are 16 years of age.
The last group, (4) (b) have so far been allowed to attend the ordinary
schools where their educational progress is variable, depending on their
mental capacity, the interest taken in them by the teachers, and the
home circumstances. This group consists of the highest grade mental
defectives, some of whom appear to the casual observer to be quite
normal children, and some of whom are able to earn their own livelihood
in certain classes of unskilled work. These, together with very backward
children, are medically inspected each year and have their intelligence
assessed by mental tests to determine their mental progress.
As regards the suggestion that ten of this group of children should
be sent to the Acton School for Mentally Defective Children, I wish to
offer some criticisms. The school is not a mentally defective school in
the true sense of the phrase, because in a mentally defective school the
beginnings of certain specified trades or occupations, suitable for such
abnormal children, are usually taught. The education provided is that
which is usually given in a school or class for backward children. Proper
classification of the children according to mental capacity is quite
impracticable in a school where there are so few children. Only the
highest grade of children is desired and insisted upon by the Acton
Education Authority, so that we should still be left with the more difficult
cases. It would require a great and disproportionate effort to secure the
attendance at Acton of simply ten children from Ealing. I should,
myself, find difficulty in saying which cases ought to go and I should
always be opposed by the parents who would strongly resent their children
being sorted out and sent to a mentally defective school while other
children worse than theirs would not undergo this form of treatment.
Many of the parents of the children, and particularly of those of the
higher grade, believe them to be only backward, and strongly resent my
calling them mentally defective. In securing the compulsory attendance
of these children at Acton we should be constantly experiencing difficulty.
If it is suggested that the number to be sent to Acton be extended
to twenty the strongest argument is then provided for dealing with all
our mentally defective children, between 40 and 45 in number, in Ealing
itself.
After considering the whole question thoroughly I am going to put
forward the suggestion, the same as I put before the General Purposes
Sub-Committee a little over two years ago, that a certain number of
backward classes should be established in connection with our schools
to deal not only with all mentally defective children, but with the most
backward children. My proposal on that occasion did not meet with
sufficient support, but T take the opportunity of putting it forward again
on this occasion.