Child beyond; Neither devilish nor divine

That child be all produced by Radio host the University of Texas under a grant from the Educational Television and Radio Center in cooperation with the National Association of educational abroad. You are. The child who is there beyond the hurt and the handicapped. Beyond the defect and the difference beyond the problem and its probing. There is a child. How can we reach you. How can we set him free. You are. News. Radio hosts the University of Texas brings you the child beyond a series of recorded programs devoted to the exceptional child in our society. His problems his areas of difficulty the avenues of adjustment open to him. It is these avenues of adjustment which deserve our most serious consideration. Important as it is for us to understand and identify with the problems of our handicapped or

gifted youngsters it is more important still for us to work toward solutions of those problems. Urgent as it is for us to recognize the areas of difficulty which which confront a blind child or a deaf child a mentally retarded child or a child of superior intelligence. It is even more urgent that we do all we can to eliminate those areas of difficulty. On this final program our series commentator Dr. William G Wolfe reminds us too of something he first said to us in the opening broadcast of the child beyond. There is a brighter and more reassuring world constantly emerging for our exceptional children. And there are among us men and women whose companionship with exceptional children constantly reveals to them. These youngsters great capacity for rewarding life and happiness in living. Some understanding has come with the years and a measure of wisdom has been gleaned from their passing but sometimes the wisdom falls short of completion.

The understanding is not universally shared and to the words to the attitudes of our present time there cling still shreds of superstition from a darkened long ago yesterday when a crooked body was the dwelling place of demons and a shadowed mind. The whole mark of God's curse. Birth injury my foot every time you see a kid like that you can put it down to just one thing. Bad blood in the family. Tell me. Never you mind why I don't want you going over there and I don't want that boy hanging around here. He knows too much of a natural law don't like it. And there they were biggest brainiest bringing that child to a church where everybody could see the twisted little thing I said to me dense and I said much good. Churchill did know. Here and there these traces remain. But more and more we see our exceptional children as they really are. Unless unless we stamp them with the

things they are not. For they are basically and fundamentally children our children like all the others. There are children who need our wisest and most skillful and understanding help. And they are rendered by virtue of their gifts by nature of their handicaps me their devilish nor divine. We have come a long way. We have a long way still to go but there are heartening signs that we move forward in favorable Auguries of progress. Still to come. More doors are opening to our exceptional children more trained and dedicated people are working in their behalf and the areas in which they work. Open the pages of a contemporary Journal and and read their the signs and symbols of interest and care. Driver education for the deaf. Adapting the nursery school to the retarded child teaches must structure the

situation simplify the experience so that it is understandable to the child. Repeat the same experience with emphasis on different phases and help the child relive the experience in his book. Now turn the pages in and read the evidence of specialized health science programs for the Edge a couple mentally handicapped personality development of the brain injured child testing the cerebral palsy child tests have now been developed which are specially designed for and specifically applicable to the most severely handicapped. Shot adaptations for Author be deeply handicapped children. The ARC immobile ready to step into exhibition of arts and crafts which brings these things to the child who cannot seek them out. Social drama for disturbed adolescents now follow page by page the record of specialized techniques for those with special problems or close a magazine and pick up your local newspaper. Blinking lights teach deaf children to talk. And electronic device that looks like the scoreboard of a pinball machine is teaching

preschool deaf children how to talk on the device with its vertical row of flashing lights was invented and is being used by the Arizona Crippled Children Society and a small school for deaf youngsters in less than a year. Ten children almost totally deaf since birth or by early disease have been taught surprisingly normal speech or put down the paper and visit a Girl Scout camp where scouts with physical handicaps are sharing the camp experiences of those not so handicapped. Pat why are you sure I know her. She's my best friend. If you want to me or she'll be over to our tent after rest our pet cat right you know so she dictates her letters home and I write for our works out fine. On every hand in print and in fact on the screen and in the activities of every day notice is being taken of our exceptional children. Situations and methods are being adjusted to meet their needs and research goes on

behind the scenes and in medical advances in a pace of dramatic swiftness in the treatment of epilepsy for instance 1835 you know Barbara Topp. 1938 and I'm ten thousand nine hundred forty five never Roman Taddeo 1946 design toit forty seven forty eight fifty two. How did you know 19 year old kid akong. Seizures have been controlled or reduced in 60 percent of the cases of epilepsy. Wider doorways for children in wheelchairs approved methods of lifting and carrying the handicapped for school and transit personnel. A child's book of speech sounds in rhymes for home therapy biographical studies for gifted boys and girls. These things are part of the total picture of interest in the welfare of the exceptional child. They are evidence that work is being done but toward what are

we working. What is our ultimate aim. What goals have we in mind for these children of special needs from different parts of the country from men and women whose work with exceptional children warrants special attention. We have sought the answers in Newark New Jersey. As director of special education for the Newark public schools Dr. Elizabeth Kelley has concerned herself with the past as well as the future of our exceptional children. Dr. Kelly looks from an even broader vantage point as president elect of the International Council for Exceptional Children. And here is the outlook for our children of special need as Dr. Kelly sees it. The outlook for the exceptional child has undergone changes in the last decade and a half. These changes have stemmed from the discovery that he is exceptional that he has definite exceptional needs and that only through planned programming will these exceptional need to be served. The acceptance of these knowledge is has accelerated the forward march of the

program of special education. This program had its greatest impetus between one thousand eight hundred forty and one thousand eight hundred fifty. It was marked by a decided growth and extension of programs for the exceptional nationally enact ment of legislation and state and federal levels to support these programs and increase in teacher college programs to afford a wider choice in teacher training for the exceptional development of greater physical independence through the advances in medical research for the physically handicapped particularly a more positive parental acceptance of the handicapped and a decided objective understanding by the community of the nature of the exceptional child and the part the community can play in providing for his needs.

Science has played a major role in the prevention and adjustment of many physical conditions in the exceptional by the improvement of electronic equipment for the acoustically handicapped. The discovery of a vaccine by salt to halt the ravages of poly in the lightness and a general advance in drug therapy resulting in the prevention of negative residual conditions as sequels to childhood maladies. It is certain that medical science will continue its forward movement of prevention. The public is awakened to the need for contributing funds for research in these various fields. They are insisting upon this continued research public and private agencies are alerted to this demand. However I feel sure that the general overall

concern of educators in the field at the exceptional goes beyond this public perspective. Educators are concerned about the program of guidance to be offered exceptional children and youth who are not only physically and mentally handicapped but who also are emotionally and intellectually handicapped. A school program particularly that of special education is not complete unless these two exceptional groups the intellectually gifted and the emotionally disturbed are included. I would like to indicate here very briefly that such a program of guidance for all exceptional children will need at the outset of his educational life a pooling of the skills of the different disciplines. It is no longer possible for one person to plan inclusively and explosively

a program of growth and life adjustment for the exceptional. This planning requires the knowledge is of those in many different professions such planning to include the co-operation of the parents and the exceptional child after the team has defined the prescription for educational living for a specific individual. A happy and bright outlook for Exceptional Children and Youth then means a better life made possible by the efforts of the sciences and education. It includes also all the right for exceptional children and you to know their assets and limitations intellectually physically and emotionally. And to be provided with the type of mental health program. By which they can learn to live effectively with themselves and with their fellow man.

These things we have done. Dr. Elizabeth Kelley of Newark New Jersey. These things we will need to do. These are the forces which must be joined in the work cut out for us. And are we actively moving toward some of our objectives. Are we presently in pursuit of our goals at the University of Illinois Dr. Samuel A. Kirk is director of the Institute for Research on exceptional children and answered all our questions Dr. Kirke describes for us some of the projects in which the institute is currently engaged research looking toward more realistic more effective living and learning for our exceptional children. One extensive study initiated in 1950 is investigating the effects of training mentally retarded children at the preschool level. Most previous training of retarded children has been with children of school age. We are

attempting to discover whether training at such an early age will accelerate the social and mental development of these children. As you know brain damage is one common cause of mental retardation. At present no medical remedy for these conditions exists and so a research project has been established at one Illinois state institution to train children for social adaptation by utilizing the abilities which they do have 21 children are being given training to determine whether their intelligence can be improved through instruction for one hour each day. Each child works in the vigil with a teacher. The progress of these children will be contracted with a comparable group of brain damaged children who have had no such training. Our studies of mongoloid children in institutions and communities have indicated a great discrepancy in the growth patterns of these children. The language function of mongoloids lags far behind all other aspects. A study now in

progress is attempting to determine whether the language function of mongoloids will respond to specific training. Language is a common problem with handicapped children. The institute is presently attempting to ascertain which aspect of the language function is retarded and have a unique deaf cerebral palsy and other children. This project will be followed by a study in which we will try to train these children in the particular aspect of language which proves most deficient. Much is heard about the effects of parents upon their children's development. The reverse effect is seldom mentioned. One of the institute's most extensive social logical project studies the effects of exceptional children on the rest of their families. When the real facts are known about what effects these children have it will be possible to base our consolation of parents upon a more solid scientific foundation. The gifted child on the other hand has another form of deviation which cannot be forgotten.

Here the problem is one of adapting education to his superior abilities. We are trying to define where in the regular classroom teachers can make instruction truly beneficial to gifted children. We are also trying to discover whether a special class is necessary for some of these children within our public schools. The outlook for exceptional children is greatly dependent upon research. Twenty years ago very little research was being conducted in the field. Now many organizations both public and private are willing to support well-designed research projects. This development is one of the major advances in behalf of exceptional children during the post-war period. Of 30. The studies described by Dr. Kirk are being made at the University of Illinois in its Institute

for Research on exceptional children but their implications for progress are the common property of all exceptional children work in behalf of exceptional children anywhere. His work in behalf of the exceptional children everywhere. This common stake in recognized accomplishment leads us to look with searching interested developments in Minnesota as they are described for us by Dr. Maynard Reynolds president elect of the Council on Teacher Education International Council for Exceptional Children. We have so many organizations concerned with exceptional children formed just recently. We have formed recently a council of such organizations the kind of federation of these many organizations providing a place and means by which they can share their ideas identify common problems work on legislative programs recruitment of teacher programmes training programmes and so on. Just the other day in a meeting of the board of directors of this new council or federation of

organisations some of us were discussing recent developments in the field of special education in Minnesota. It was mention of a new camp for cripple children of a new cerebral palsy center established in St. Cloud Minnesota. There was mention of the training program being run at the University of Minnesota this summer for teachers of the deaf. There was mention of the planned training program for teachers of the Blind at the University of Minnesota. There was much discussion of the institute a short term workshop session to be held this fall at the University of Minnesota concerning state wide planning of programs for Exceptional Children. Several summer camp plans for mentally retarded were discussed. Very important in our discussion was the fact that we have had recently established in Minnesota an interim commission of our state

legislature to study the problems of coordinating services to handicapped children in our state. Of these many developments in our state in recent years let me mention to you briefly one in particular we have in our community. An institution which was established in 1862 and for 60 years served orphaned children in 1900 to when the problem of orphaned children had considerably lessened they shifted to polio care. This institution has decided to set up the program concerned with survey really retarded children. There are plans that the program will start this fall. Already there is a social worker employed. They have also employed a full time psychologist. There is to be a medical consultant in the program. The public schools in our community have pledged cooperation and will operate and supervise a day training aspect of the programme.

Here you have an optimum type program for severely retarded children one where we can. In research orientation. Try to find some answers to the problems which have plagued as in these past few years as we've tried to serve severely retarded children. Yes there have been many developments in special education in Minnesota recently. We see more specialized services than ever before. Yet less segregation. More public understanding more public education renewed research interest. More community planning more recognition that the job of serving exceptional children and their families is one for a variety of professions calling for teamwork more recognition of the fact that exceptional children require a broad range of experience. There is clear sign in our community as elsewhere that the

future will bring improved understanding's and services to the child beyond. There is perhaps no finer augury for the future of our exceptional children than the scope and vigor of current research or signaled success in the recent past. Cause for optimism in both areas is indicated by Dr. John Aizen director of the Queen's College speech and hearing clinic at Flushing New York a specialist in delayed speech brain injury and aphasia as he talks with Dr. Jessie Virial director of the speech and hearing clinic at the University of Texas. Parents we talk to very frequently seem to think that the area in which we ought to concentrate our research would be in the development of some sort of vaccine or antidote that would prevent the occurrence of handicapping situations something like the

Salk vaccine perhaps. Do you see any chance of our developing that kind of treatment or prevention. Well Dr. Barry L. To some extent we are almost in some respects for example the studies on the RH Factor and blood and the ability to anticipate what might be the case and the transfusions that little children are given and we have the mother is our age negative to prevent the disability from taking place which might otherwise take place when the child is born. But I suppose there'll always be handicapped children with us don't you. I think we better reconcile with the maybe handicapped children with us and what we better do is learn how to treat them and make them overcome the effects of their handicaps. So what we've just been talking about as an area of research in preventative handling of handicapping conditions has to be

supplemented by an area of research and well what would it be diagnostic procedures. I think diagnostic procedures now I think therapeutic approaches general approaches doc to be really specific approaches. Varying in mind that each youngster has his own personality and that what may be good for Johnny will not be good for Joe but may be good for Mary may not be good for Suzy. I know I've tried in sort of your interest in brain injured children or children with delayed speech. It occurs to me that perhaps this is a pretty good example of an area in which research has made available diagnostic instruments that we didn't have some time before. Yes there are some very special tests which enable us to approximate the capacity of the brain damaged child who has no language.

And that's helpful in figuring out what his program should be. How much have we right to hope that he may be able to accomplish and I doctrines and if you are going to close your eyes and make a prognostication of some sort in view of the progress that has been made in the treatment of handicapped children I think a lot has. And the widespread effort that's going into the solution of problems at the present time in further research. I wonder what do you foresee as it was in let's say 25 years as the status of handicapped children do you think they would be materially better off than they are now. I think so. I think so assuming we don't find new ways of damaging ourselves and making ourselves worse off. But I really foresee much better prevention a handicap early recognition of the handicap.

And better therapy for the handicapped. I mean. On the progress we have made in the past on the progress we are making in the present we base our belief in the brighter future for our exceptional children. We do not rest upon things accomplished but recognition of success with one child serves to accelerate our efforts toward further success with more children. This point is brought home delivered by Dr. Martin Palmer director of the Institute of local PDX at Wichita Kansas. As he talks with our series commentator Dr. William Gee Wolf we've been working for 21 years with these youngsters and that's long enough for a generation to take place and we have youngsters working everywhere one of our best cases and they always talk about your best as a judge in the state of Kansas probate judge and one of the finest judges in the state graduated from law school and actually went out and ran for office. So even as a handicapped

person he was able to get the voters attracted to him in sufficient numbers to get elected. The lawyers tell me is one of the best probate men they have in the state. You know it's a very very good success now or when we first saw him at six years of age he still was not walking was not dressing himself could not talk that required about eight nine years of hard work by an awful lot of people to get the job done. I would imagine too that back then many people wanted to give up all of us not only the professional people. Sometimes the parents with it usually with the professional people gave up not the parents. Actually I think a great deal of what we do today is due to the parents and systems. But this child had something he might have an injury to the brain with the major part of it was all right and something must be done. I hope and I think we can see and research that the time is coming when some of this can be cut down. But this is a good illustration of what happens with the exceptional child where you have to bring to this child.

They leverage is that they are possessed by many professions. And is it worthwhile I can see no other answer never been able to see any other answer that simply on the grounds that society owes it to itself to bring these children into step should it be done. Thank you Dr. Palmer. Now we can see on every hand and from every part of the country we have these expressions of hope for and belief in a richer and more rewarding future for our children who are out of step. They come from men and women who is work with our exceptional children constantly reveals to them. These youngsters great capacity for effective and happy living from men and women who who know that beyond the hurt and the handicap beyond the defect in the difference beyond the problem in its probing there is a child a child who is ours like all the rest. A child who is neither devilish nor divine neither

devilish nor divine was brought to you by radio host the University of Texas as the final program of a special series titled The child beyond. These recorded broadcaster devoted to the exceptional children in our society. Their problems their areas of difficulty and the avenues of adjustment open to them. Our series commentator is Dr. William G will. Neither devolution or divine was prepared for broadcast by Jack the Summerfield from a script by the Durham twins with special music by Eleanor Paige. LR Adkins was project coordinator or announcer billed cavernous. The child beyond was produced by Radio house of the University of Texas under a grant from the Educational Television and Radio Center. This program is distributed by the National Association of educational broadcasters. This is the end E.B. tape network.