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32.
It is with individual children that the marked differences
occur. One child made 3½ years progress in a single year, a
large number advanced by 2 years or more, while some made a
few months' progress only. Each class had similar experiences
with the best children making advances of between 24 and 43
months (average 34 months) while one or two made no significant
progress. Obviously we are dealing with two distinct types of
retarded children, the true remedial cases whose performance in
the normal school situation and in tests was depressed by
inhibitory factors and who, after their confidence had been
built up by carefully graduated work, were able to transfer to
ordinary classes and hold their own with their age group.
Twenty-three children were so placed, thirteen of them after
two years in a special class. Most of the remaining children
proved to be uniformly dull and remained within the special
classes making slow progress within their limitations. Six
who were so dull as to need special education permanently were
transferred to the E.S.N. School.
These should not be regarded as failures since although
they proved unsuitable for remedial education and, with the
larger number of dull children who made slow progress above
the E.S.N. level, have unduly depressed the progress averages,
they have individually benefitted very much from the patient and
kindly skill of their teachers in the remedial classes. Nor
should it be thought that our inability to determine with
certainty beforehand which children will be able to obtain full
benefit from remedial methods, is wasteful of special class
places. Although we have contrasted two distinct types these
are really the extremes of a continuous series. In other words
the capacity of these children to learn varies from black to
white through all the intermediate shades of grey. The initial
I.Q. test, although as independent and comprehensive as possible,
is inevitably biased by the child's scholastic attainment and
ability to give of its best. Thus a very dull child performing
to the maximum of its limited capacity may obtain a higher score
than a much more intelligent but very timid child whose response
is seriously inhibited. Billy B's. I.Q. was 63 when he joined
the Mission Grove Special Class in September 1959; a year later
it was 85, while Jane P. who started in the same class with an
I.Q. ten points higher scored only 69 at the end of the year.
The following three examples serve to illustrate the different
kinds of problems and response.
1. Richard had always been slow but at the age of seven his
development came to a full stop. Father's whereabouts were unknown,
and in turn his mother, grandmother and grandfather had
died. The intimate family group atmosphere of a special class
restored his confidence and, although his I.Q. remained at 74,