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form of functional disorder of speech. The classes are arranged in
suitable numbers in order to give each child as much individual
attention as is deemed necessary.
"Stammering is not, as is usually supposed, an organic defect of
-speech, but rather a defect of the nervous system causing a tightening
of muscles in an effort to speak. It is necessary to get at the cause
of the complaint rather than of the defect itself. Co-operation of
parents, child and teacher is, therefore, very necessary. The length
of treatment varies with each patient. Whether reaction to treatment
be spontaneous or not, it requires a very gentle and delicate
adjustment to normal. A stammerer is never wholly free from fear,
although some may deny the existence of it. Too often the advice
given to an anxious parent of a stammerer is that the child will
outgrow the difficulty, but this is seldom the case. Statistics show
the opposite to be more usual.
"One must deplore and warn against the so-called trick cure.
It may alleviate for the time, only for the trouble to recur with an
added mannerism which adds to the embarrassment of the patient.
"It would be better if stammering could be regarded, not as
a speech defect, but rather as a nervous disorder. Much valuable
time is often wasted in misplaced optimism while waiting for the
patient to outgrow his stammer or defect of speech.
"School children attend twice weekly for sessions of one hour.
To facilitate attendance, the time for travelling to and from school
is taken into consideration and tram fares paid where necessary.
"In addition to the treatment of stammerers, other classes of
speech defects are dealt with, such as those due to organic disorders,
e.g., cleft palate, and functional disorders, imperfect control
of the organs of speech (the speech organs being quite normal).
' 'It must not be expected that the return to normal speech is
just a question of being told the correct method of articulation.
A bad speech habit once formed, like all other bad habits, takes
time and patience to readjust. It is only by patient practice that
the difficulty can be overcome.
' 'In the cases of cleft palatal speech nothing can be promised
under two years (and more probably three), but no case is too difficult
to tackle. It is very gratifying to note, even in the very smallest
children, interest arising in their speech, and many times one is
told that not only is speech improving, but the children are giving
more attention to lessons in a general way as self-confidence in
themselves is becoming more established.