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school work is consistent with this apart from his written
work. Writing, like feeding himself, or any controlled
movement, is extremely difficult for him.
Two more examples of the problems presented by handicapped
children may be given.
1. David was severely deformed at birth, both hands
were absent and both feet deformed. He was sent (in another
area) to an ordinary school and at first did well enough..
Later it became obvious that he was very unhappy and he
came to us, where he has settled down and is making good
progress within his limitations. Very young children are
surprisingly unconcerned by gross deformity in themselves
or in their companions but with the development of self
consciousness which reaches its peak in adolescence these
unfortunates must suffer great mental anguish in a community
of normal children. From the first award of cardboard stars
in the Baby Class,competition is one of the most valuable
spurs to the normal school child but competition with normal
children can be utterly demoralising to the heavily handicapped
child.
2. Susan, at eight, was a very beautiful child, she
was also a moderately severe spastic and the youngest, and
the pet of a large family. She looked like a little princess
and was quite content to sit in regal immobility while her
parents, brothers, sisters, aunts and cousins delighted in
anticipating her every need, waiting on her hand and foot.
No amount of explanation or pleading prevailed: her family
could not bring themselves to allow her to attempt, in her
clumsy and awkward way, to do anything for herself.
Gradually she was losing all initiative and her stiffened
limbs were wasting from disuse. She had to be sent to a
residential special school to protect her from the devotion
of her family.
This survey attempts to show some of the difficulties now
encountered in providing for severely handicapped children the
type of education suited to their age, ability, and aptitude .
Even dealing with individual children the educational problems
are bad enough when dealing with groups of twenty they are
very much greater Thus the enormous scatter in physical and
mental ability throughout the school has led to far too broad
an age grouping in the classes, from seven and a half years to
nearly thirteen in Class III and from under ten to over sixteen
in Class IV, Even so, many very dull or severely handicapped
children have had to be 'promoted' on age and size alone
although they were incapable of more advanced work. Only with
sufficient teacher time to allow of much individual and small