The New Student's Reference Work/Schools for Defectives

Schools for Defectives. The course of modern education in the teaching of defectives furnishes an admirable illustration of the law first emphasized by Spencer in his classic essay on “Progress”—the germ and beginning of his great elaboration of the evolutionary process. He points out that every cause produces more than one effect. And “every tree bringeth forth fruit after its kind”—the good tree good fruit, the evil tree evil. As a consequence when you start out to accomplish one good object you inevitably—if you succeed—accomplish more than one.

ORIGIN OF THE MONTESSORI METHOD

In accordance with these laws of growth it was in her work in an institution for the feeble minded that Dr. Montessori (q. v.) unconsciously began the development of the remarkable system of education which bears her name and which seems destined to hasten such vital changes in our teaching methods.

HOW DEFECTIVES ARE CLASSIFIED

Defectives include the deaf, blind and feeble-minded or idiotic. It is only within 60 or 70 years that much attention has been given to their education, but in special schools in this country and in Europe the majority become self-supporting—particularly the deaf and the brighter ones of the feeble-minded.

EDUCATION OF THE DEAF AND THE BLIND

In the case of the deaf the chief difficulty is to teach them the use of language without the aid of sound. For this purpose the three chief methods that have been used are that of sign-language, in which a separate sign is made to represent each different object or idea; that of the manual alphabet, in which our ordinary letters are symbolized by signs made on the fingers; and the direct, intuitive or oral method, in which the pupils learn to understand oral language and to speak it by watching the movements of the teacher's lips in speaking and by imitation of the movements of the vocal organs. The oral method is difficult, but in many cases excellent results have been secured by it. Most schools use a combination of several methods. Among private schools for the deaf the Wright-Humason School in New York is one of the best.

The first American schools for the blind were those of New York, Boston and Philadelphia, established about 1833, in each instance through private capital and enterpise. It is very important that the teaching of blind children should begin at an early age, lest the natural development of the mind be hindered through lack of activity. Here, also, various methods of teaching have been employed. Reading from embossed print has now been largely superseded by an alphabetical system of dots instead of letters, devised by the blind themselves. This system is easier to read by touch and easier to write than the letter-system. Recent inventions have made possible the rapid production of whole libraries for the blind in this latest braille system. The National Printing House for the blind at Louisville, Ky., keeps a large supply of books on hand. The task of teaching the blind is much easier than that of teaching the deaf and dumb.

There have been some remarkable instances of the successful teaching of the deaf-blind, particularly the cases of Laura Bridgman and Helen Keller.

Of the feeble-minded there are all varieties and gradations, and some can be helped or entirely cured by proper surgical treatment. They should always be separated from the insane. Some are incapable of much instruction and cannot be made self-supporting. In general the feeble-minded person lacks initiative and controlled and purposive action. Industrial and kindergarten training are each found very valuable for all classes of defectives.