Riqe Halal kya Hain

Selfie nay insan ko apna self respect karna he bula diya

General Zia-ul-Haq

THE EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED CHILD

Chapter 20

THE EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED CHILD

The Chapter at a Glance

Need for understanding and guidance.

Causes of emotional disturbances.

The responsibility of the teacher.

Guidance and treatment.

            An emotionally disturbed child presents another group of problems for a teacher. He is 'naughty', mischievous, trouble­some and difficult to manage in the class. His aggression, anger, rage, etc., seem to be utterly out of his control. His tempera­ment is fiery and inconsistent. Describing such a child, Burt* says:

            "First one impulse, then another, then a third, each contradictory to the last, and each successively excited by the changing situations of the moment, explodes forth into action. And the life of the un­stable child becomes a series of discontinuous fulminations, like the pops of a Chinese cracker."

Need for Understanding and Guidance

            Such a child proves immensely troublesome for his class­mates as well as the teacher. He must be adequately under­stood and properly guided for his own interests and for the larger interests of the class.

            Details of the various forces that contribute towards different kinds of emotional maladjustment have been discussed in a previous chapter on Emotional Development. In the pre­sent chapter the emphasis will centre round the educational implications of understanding and helping the emotionally dis­turbed child. An attempt will be made to see what is the teacher's responsibility and role in achieving this end.

Causes of Emotional Disturbances

            A child might become a victim of emotional disturbances on account of a number of internal and external factors. An understanding of such causes proves useful for any person who endeavors to help emotionally disturbed children. Some of the prominent factors leading to emotionally disturbed behavior are as follows:—

            (1) The organic factors.

            (2) The psychological factors.

            (3) The sociological factors.

            (4) The social factors.

            (5) The environmental factors.

            (6) The economic factors.

(1) The Organic Factors: Certain bodily factors might become responsible for emo­tional disturbances. Endocrine imbalance and glandular changes are the most common bodily causes of emotional troubles.

In some cases, certain states of the body also give rise to disturbances in the emotional equilibrium of a child. Thus prolonged disease, continuous bodily strain or stress, organic conditions consequent upon nutritional deficiency, etc., may also cause emotional disturbances. Such disturbances might range from mild trouble like temper tantrums to violent outburst of anger and aggression, altercations, heated disputes, etc.

(2) The Psychological Factors: Often purely psychological factors also cause emotional upheavals. One's ideas, attitudes, prejudices, likes and dislikes, modes of reaction to success and failure and a host of other mental factors are very frequent and significant causes in dis­turbing one's emotional life.

(3) The Sociological Factors: Emotional and economic atmosphere of the family counts much in determining the child's emotional health. A family where the parents lead a disturbed emotional life are always arguing and wrangling, so that there appears to be almost a state of war between them all the time, affects the emotional health of the children very adversely. An unfortunate child in such a disturbed family is most liable to develop undesirable emotional traits similar to those of his parents.

            Similarly, a child from a broken home or any other type of emotionally unhealthy home is very likely to be emotionally disturbed. On the other hand, a child hailing from an adjusted home environment, with plenty of affection and physical com­fort, has relatively less chance to lose his emotional equilibrium.

(4) The Social Factors: Even the general social environment, in which a child moves, affects his emotional health favorably or adversely. If the street the child lives in, the school he studies at, the children he mixes with and other people he comes into contact with are predominantly suspicious, worrying, quarrelsome, angry, hostile and inclined to flare up into sudden fits of rage, the child can hardly remain immune to their emotionally disturbing influences.

(5) The Environmental Factors: The physical environment is also considerably potent on its ability to color one's emotional health. A desirable, healthy and aesthetically appealing atmosphere is soothing and comforting. It is liable to promote emotional harmony and balance. An unhealthy environment, on the contrary, can become a source of many emotional upsets and disturbances. By their very filthy layout, stinking slums, dirty lanes, overcrowded and unhygienic housing accommodation, even unfavorable climate, etc., com­mingled with other factors, can be conducive to a variety of emotional disturbances.

(6) The Economic Factors: Economic want has been noticed to be a frequent source of emotional unrest. We often compare the ill-tempered tone of a hostile individual to that of a 'hungry person.' A satiated person, on the other hand, seems to be less liable to emotional provocations and disturbances. Children living in abject poverty have less chance to enjoy emotional equilibrium than those enjoying a freedom from economic want.

            It may, however, be remembered that, an emotional dis­turbance is not usually aroused by any one single of the fore­going causative factors. It is more often caused by a number of factors working together and producing a particular form of emotionally disturbing behavior.

The Responsibility of the Teacher

            It is needless to re-emphasize that the presence of an emo­tionally disturbed child in a class-room is liable to endanger the emotional health of the entire class. A teacher must, there­fore, pay immediate heed to the difficulties of the emotionally disturbed child.

            If the teacher endeavors to keep the general atmosphere of the class cheerful, harmonious and co-operative little occasions will arise for any serious emotional disturbances. Thus if the instruction is interesting, the class work is stimulating, ample provision is made for engaging extra-curricular activities, etc., children will be less inclined to be emotionally disturbed. On the contrary, if these desirable elements are absent from the class-room atmosphere, the chances for various manifestations of emotional disturbance are multiplied.

Helping an Emotionally Disturbed Child

            A teacher must, therefore, leave no stone unturned to under­stand and treat the emotional difficulties of the troublesome pupils. Some of the specific methods of dealing with an emo­tionally disturbed child are as follows:—

            (1) Re-education for improved emotional behavior.

            (2) Development of insight.

            (3) Removal from disturbing environment.

            (4) Developing emotional immunity.

            (5) Catharsis.

            (6) Emotional education through sports.

(1) Re-education for Improved Emotional Behavior: This method consists in encouraging the emotionally disturbed child to think things through critically in the light of a new and effec­tive method which replaces an old and ineffective one. He is so re-educated as to enable him to make an improved approach to persons and situations arousing emotional disturbance in him.

 (2) Development of Insight: After development of insight regarding disturbing persons, places or events stimulates one to approach them more reasonably. A teacher could help a child to develop such an insight into situations that purport to disturb his emotional equilibrium. The disturbed child should be helped to concentrate on the positive and salient aspects of the situa­tion with a view to making an improved and socially desirable approach towards it.

(3) Removal from Disturbing Environment: Often transfer­ring an emotionally disturbed child from one section to another or from one school to another helps him tremendously. A changed social situation in the new environment encourages him to make a better readjustment to persons, events and situa­tions.

(4) Developing Emotional Immunity: An emotionally annoying experience or situation frequently loses its violently disturbing nature if one gets used to it through repetition, familiarity, un-mindfulness, etc. Thus when a child becomes accustomed to certain undesirable persons, places or events through constant association with them he is desensitized towards them. Loss of sensitivity towards them eliminates his earlier emotionally disturbing reaction towards them. The child becomes emotionally immune to disturbances arising from those stimuli.

(5) Catharsis: Catharsis means 'purge' or a ‘release’. An emotional disturbance usually originates from mental tension. If a proper outlet is provided for the tension the emotionally disturbed behavior usually disappears. Thus if a violently angry child could be persuaded to express his anger in words or in socially approved aggressive activities, e.g., boxing, wrestl­ing, debating, etc., much of the angry behavior is liable to cool down. It has been commonly observed that such cathartic activities, providing an appropriate release for pent-up emotions, introduce elements of peace and calm in the life of many a disturbed child.

(6) Emotional Education through Sports: Children have in them a surplus amount of energy. If adequate and desirable outlets for this overflowing fund of energy are not available, it is liable to take unhealthy directions, e.g., emotional distur­bances and other forms of troublesome behavior.

            Sports and indoor and outdoor recreations can do a tremen­dous lot in this direction. Their soothing and educative effect on the personality of the child cannot be exaggerated. An emotionally disturbed child can be helped immensely if he is encouraged to participate in school games and various other sporting activities.

            A teacher should, therefore, see that all children, especially the emotionally disturbed once get ample and adequate oppor­tunities to participate in that school's extra-curricular life. Such participation is bound to have a very desirable effect on the emotional health of the disturbed children.

            These are some of the commonly used methods of helping the emotionally disturbed child. A teacher may try them with a troublesome pupil in his class.

Effect of Teacher’s Own Emotional Health

            It may, however, be remembered that if a teacher himself is emotionally disturbed he is liable to ruin rather than improve the emotional health of the children. Just think for a moment of a hot-headed teacher; one who is ill-tempered, fussy and punitive all the time. Such a teacher is liable to aggravate rather than alleviate the plight of a child who is already emotionally disturbed.

            A teacher must, therefore, endeavor to improve his own emotional health. He must avoid angry, violent and irritating modes of behavior in the class-room at least in order to promote the emotional health of his pupils. By behaving in such a way that he sets up always before their eyes the example of an emotionally adjusted person and a 'jolly good fellow', he is most likely to eliminate emotional inadequacies from the behavior of the students. He is bound to inspire them with his appreciable emotional traits and attitudes.

Referral to a Child Guidance Clinic

            A seriously emotionally disturbed child needs specialized treatment. An average school teacher does not possess the……………..

THE MENTALLY RETARDED CHILDREN

Chapter 19

THE MENTALLY RETARDED CHILDREN

The Chapter at a Glance

Characteristics of retarded children.

Causes and prevention of retardation.

Education of the retarded child.

Importance of educating the retarded child.

            Certain children are exceptionally low in intelligence. They are mentally subnormal to such an extent as to be unable to follow regular school instruction. Those among them whose I. Q. falls below 70 are known as mentally retarded children.

            A school may be very well-organized, the teaching staff highly qualified, the instructional methods and the general environment of the school extremely congenial; yet, despite all this, "there will still be problem cases among the exceptional group, whatever its makeup, that do not respond to the educa­tional program."

Characteristics of Retarded Children

            A retarded child develops more slowly than the normal child. Thus at the age of six which is the normal school going age in most countries of the world, such a child might be at the mental level of a child of four or five, or even below that. He is, therefore, unable to begin schooling at the right time. Even when he starts schooling he is a markedly slow learner. Discouraged and disgusted, he might develop a disliking for school and its activities. Lack of proper schooling adds to his social and emotional maladjustments.

            The typical features of a retarded child are: physical inferiority, constant ill-health, emotional instability, social mal­adjustment, imperfect and defective vocabulary, limited and simple interests, infantile hobbies, short attention span, slow reaction time, inability to generalize, lack of ability to work with abstractions, poor initiative, lack of originality, diminished sense of auto criticism and personal restraint, poor habits of application, hyper suggestibility, fickle-mindedness and marked inclination towards immorality and delinquency.

Causes and Prevention of Retardation

            No single cause is responsible for retardation. It appears to be a phenomenon of multiple causation. A brief summary of the causes and the preventive measures that have usually been suggested might help the teacher to understand and reduce the difficulties of a retarded child to a certain extent.

Causes of Retardation

            Usually more than one factor is responsible for causing mental retardation. Some of the prominent kinds of causative factors are as follows:—

            (1) Hereditary factors.

            (2) Physiological factors.

            (3) Emotional factors.

            (4) Sociological factors.

(1) Hereditary Factors: It has been widely held that hereditary factors are mainly responsible for retardation. A large proportion of mentally retarded children have inherited this defect from parents who are mentally retarded.

(2) Physiological Factors: Brain deterioration is another important causative factor. Injuries to brain cells caused by trauma or fevers, for example, have been found to result in mental retardation. Diseases like meningitis, encephalitis, con­genital syphilis, German measles taken by the mother during the first few months of pregnancy, pelvic irradiation of the pregnant mothers, etc., are also responsible for causing retarda­tion.

            Apoplexy, epilepsy, insanity and paralysis have also been mentioned as causes. Subnormal conditions of the mother during gestation, birth accidents, parental alcoholism, syphilitic or tubercular conditions, head injuries during early infancy, acute infectious diseases, convulsions, malnutrition and under­nourishment may also cause retardation.

(3) Emotional Factors: Mental retardation, especially that aspect of it which manifests itself in poor scholastic achievement, might be due to deeper emotional factors, operative in the life of the child.

(4) Sociological Factors: Some sociologists have even maintained that retardation is the result of economic and social conditions prevailing in a family.

Prevention of Retardation

            Many measures have been suggested for the prevention of mental retardation. Some of the common preventive measures are as follows:—

            (1)   Segregation.

            (2)   Sterilization.

            (3)   Birth control.

(1) Segregation: It has been advocated that mentally re­tarded children should be segregated from normal children and kept in special institutions.

(2) Sterilization: Seriously retarded parents and their chil­dren should be sterilized to put an end to the propagation of their species.

(3) Birth Control: Relevant information on and apparatus for conception control could also be given to mentally retarded parents to stop the multiplication of the mentally poorly endowed children.

Education of the Retarded Child

            Retardation is essentially an educational problem. It mani­fests itself clearly in a child's exceptionally slow rate of progress at school. The problem before the teacher is to find out the causes and analyze specific areas of retardation. Such know­ledge helps him immensely in the task of reducing the retarda­tion of the child.

            The fundamentals of normal education do not differ from these of special education. Martin and others maintain that "the basic philosophy underlying the education of the retarded children is not different from that recognized for all children; the fundamental aim of all education is to teach children to live wisely and well in the environment in which they find them­selves."

Some of the helpful principles that should guide the teacher of retarded children are as follows:—

            (1) Equality of opportunity.

            (2) Appropriate school work.

            (3) Training for desirable conduct.

            (4) Avoidance of stigmatization.

            (5) Pre-academic programs.

(1) Equality of Opportunity: The fate of a retarded child in a class of normal children is very pathetic. He is usually senior-most in age but junior-most in scholastic achievement. Forced to keep pace with other children, far superior to him mentally, he usually finds it exceedingly hard to make even the minimum amount of progress expected of children of his age. He generally repeats grades and develops a failure complex.

            The principle of equality of opportunity in his case obvious­ly demands that the teacher should pay him special and indivi­dualized attention. Simple instruction and sympathetic guidance is liable to stimulate him to make an effort for some sort of a progress and achievement.

(2) Appropriate School Work: If retarded children are given such simple and easy work at school as is appropriate to their mental level they normally fair much better. When they achieve a little amount of success it serves as an incentive for further effort.

 (3) Training for Desirable Conduct: Mentally retarded children need simple training favorable for the development of a desirable form of general behavior. They need to be trained to live cheerfully, keep themselves occupied in useful pursuits, develop habits of cleanliness, self-control, truthfulness, honesty and respect for others' liberty and property.

(4) Avoidance of Stigmatization: Ridicule and disparage­ment of such children should be discouraged. Normal children are prone to label retarded children as "dunces," "dumbbells," "feeble-minded," "subnormal," "dim," etc. They should be made to understand the injurious effect of such stigmatory titles.

(5) Pre-Academic Programs: It has been found that prolonged pre-academic programs prove very useful for re­tarded children. Such educational programs consist of in­teresting and engaging events and experiences which are provid­ed to the retarded child long before his regular academic work starts. Pre-academic work is designed to develop imagination in the retarded child. It gives him easy and interesting practice in certain specific mental functions.

            Patterson used pre-academic programs with retarded children under 12 years of age and found that these resulted in better adjustment throughout childhood. Better progress in subsequent academic learning also resulted from the use of these pre-academic programs.

Special Classes and Curricula

            Wherever possible, retarded children should be placed either in a special class of a school for normal children or placed in a special institution exclusively meant for such children. Group­ing them with normal children in average schools affects their mental and scholastic health all the more adversely. Conse­quently, they are more likely to feel insecure and unhappy most of the time.

            Specially prepared curricula should be taught in the special classes and institutions for retarded children. Their syllabi should emphasize practical work rather than bookish and academic knowledge. Their education should also have a suffi­cient vocational bias, suited to the level of their mental develop­ment.

            It may, however, be remembered that entry into such special classes or institutions may lead all the more to the stigmatization of retarded children as an abnormal and inferior group. In that case, these children should be kept with normal children and paid special and individual attention by the teacher.

Clinic for the Retarded Children

            If a school teacher fails to cope with a retarded child he may refer him to a psychological clinic meant for the guidance and treatment of retarded children. In Western countries such clinics are usually within easy reach of nearly every school.

            The following type of staff usually works in a clinic for retarded children:—

(1)       The Psychologist who analyzes the nature, extent and causes of a     child' retardation and tries various psychological methods of reducing it. He also offers help and guidance to the child to overcome the undesirable effects of his retardation.

(2)       The Visiting Teacher who works as a liaison officer between the clinic and the family. He calls on the parents and brings the picture of the home and its environment to the clinic.

(3)       The Medical Staff which usually consists of a trained physician, a nurse and, in special cases, a psychiatrist. These specialists approach the problem from a pre­dominantly medical angle.

            Unfortunately such specialized clinics are not available in our country. The desirability of opening such clinics is too obvious to need any pleading.

Some Significant Educational Problems

            An effective education of retarded children requires that attention should be paid to a number of problems. Some such significant problems and a few suggestions to tackle them are mentioned as follows:—

            (1) The class-size.

            (2) Modern equipment.

            (3) Special curriculum.

            (4) Methods of teaching.

            (5) Avoidance of prejudice.

            (6) The teaching staff.

(1) The Class-size: The irksome work of teaching retarded children, for obvious reasons, involves the paying of more individual attention to the pupils. The size of the class, therefore, must be as limited as possible. In Western countries such classes usually vary from 10 to 20 pupils per class.

(2) Modern Equipment: The class-room should be adequately furnished and well ventilated. Special educational equipment like visual aids material, educational films, auditory aids, etc., is absolutely indispensable for such pupils.

(3) Special Curriculum:       The curriculum for mentally retarded children should be exceptionally simple, interesting and stimulating. It should be carefully graded. It should abound in practical work and have a vocational bias suited to the mental level of the children.

(4) Methods of Teaching: The methods of instruction must be extremely simple and individualized. Some noteworthy features of such methods are:—

            (a)       Frequent drilling and repetition.

            (b)       Instruction of a practical nature and avoidance of lengthy and theoretical

                          discussions.

            (c)       While teaching social sciences, literature and history, emphasis should centre

                           round interesting events, characters rather than trends, spirits, philosophies,

                           etc., which are very difficult to be grasped by such children.

            (d)       In the teaching of Geography and Civics, attention should be focused on the

                           child's own street, mohallah, tehsil, town, province or country and concrete

                           situations in them. Foreign countries, their topography, governments and

                           civilizations are to be avoided be­cause they are usually beyond the

                           comprehension of mentally retarded children.

(5) Avoidance of Prejudice: It is desirable that the teacher should avoid thinking of retarded children in terms of '"dunces", "dims", or "dumbbells", etc. He should discourage others too to refer to such children in those disparaging terms.

            The teacher should rather train himself to think and to refer to them as those children who happen to be educationally re­tarded and hence in need of more individual attention, more sympathetic understanding and more careful guidance than that normally required by the average children.

(6) The Teaching Staff:       A highly specialized teaching staff is needed to carry on instructional work with mentally retarded children. Such a staff should possess all the usual academic qualifications, per­sonality traits and have the necessary experience needed for efficient teaching.

In addition to these qualifications, a practical knowledge of the psychology of exceptional children, especially retarded children, is also indispensable.

            Preparation of such a specially qualified staff presents a number of financial and administrative hurdles which must be overcome.

Importance of Educating the Retarded Child

            It is an undeniable fact that every country usually has a sufficiently large number of children who are mentally retarded. If these handicapped children are properly guided and suitably educated they are bound to feel happy and secure. They are then most likely to develop into law abiding and fairly self-supporting adults, involving the least economic or social burden on their families or on the state.

            Should their proper training and education be ignored or mishandled, however, they are most liable to develop into un­happy and maladjusted persons. They may even resort to delinquent and immoral behavior. Our negligence, therefore, might turn them into social nuisances as well as sources of serious economic drain on their family and the state.

THE GIFTED CHILD

Chapter 18

THE GIFTED CHILD

The Chapter at a Glance

Who is a gifted child?

The genius in the making.

Exceptional achievements of a gifted boy.

Characteristics of the gifted child.

Education of the gifted child.

Special class for the gifted children.

Problems in the education of gifted children.

Need for special education of the gifted.

            Gifted children have been included in the group of excep­tional children needing special attention because they are so superior in intelligence and deviate so markedly from the nor­mal children that they present huge problems connected with their training, education and adjustment. If properly brought up at home and adequately educated at the school most of them are bound to prove talented leaders and geniuses. Conversely, if they are neglected by parents and teachers their giftedness might just as well lead them to excel in undesirable directions.

Who is a Gifted Child?

            Usually exceptionally high intelligence has been regarded as a mark of giftedness. Thus the term gifted child has been commonly taken to mean a child with a high I. Q. A gifted child may or may not have some other special ability. But most of them usually do have it.

            The gifted children that Terman studied were "superior in physical development, educational achievement, intelligence and personality". Witty's observations also endorse Terman's findings. The definition of the gifted child given by the U.S. Office of Education includes not only those who have high I. Q. but also those who are markedly superior to other children in any given field, e.g., poetry, art, literature, sociability, etc.

The Genius in the Making

            Accounts of the childhood of geniuses are both interesting as well as revealing. It would indeed be very helpful if an examination of intellectual performances during childhood could enable one to predict whether or not a child under study was going to be a genius.

Early Marks of Giftedness

            The available life accounts of some gifted children are simply staggering. Hollingworth describes the case of an ex­ceptionally precocious child who wrote the following verse at the age of five years:—

                        If I had Aladin's lamp, you see,

                        I'd give one wish to you and me.

                        And then we'd wish for every toy,

                        That every child should have some joy.

            Another gifted child, the famous Ralph Waldo Emerson is reported to have composed a long poem at the age of 10 years. Two lines from that fine poem are:—

                        Six score and twenty thousand, gain the fray,

                        Six score alone survived that dreadful day.

            Such superb intellectual performances are certainly excep­tionally outstanding for children of such tender ages.

Gesell's Study of a Gifted Child

            Gesell has reported the case of an exceptionally gifted boy who excelled even adult level of intelligence at the age of eight years. His I. Q. at that tender age was approximately 200.

            The following table summarizes the accelerated develop­ment of that extraordinary boy.

Exceptional Achievements of a Gifted Boy

	Nature of Accelerated Achievements	Age of Achievements	Usual Age of Achieving the Same with other  Children
1	Clearly articulated many words	1 Year	2 Years
2	Alphabet (150) words	1/2 Years	4 Years
3	Read stories	3 Years	7 Years
4	Tales from Shakespeare	4 Years	11 Years
5	Entered Junior High School	7 Years	12 Years
6	Completed  Plane Geometry	8 Years	11 Years
7	4-Year College Chemistry  Course	9 Years	18-22 Years
8	Passed  College  Entrance  Examination	10 Years	18 Years
9	Entered College	13 Years	18 Years
10	Passed Phi Beta Kappa Test	16 Years	22 Years
11	Advanced  Postgraduate  work	16 Years	25 Years

Examples From Muslim History

            Muslim history abounds in examples of this type. Innu­merable reports are available of cases wherein children have been found to excel normal children of their age, and even adult, to an incredible extent. Most of such children later on turned to be exceptionally reputed poets, musicians, writers, physicians, lawyers, administrators and geniuses in several other fields.

            Some of the instances of such exceptionally gifted children in Muslim history are: Imam Bukhari, Imam Shafyee, Imam Ghazali, Bu Ali Seena, Ibn-e-Qasim, Shah Wali Ullah, Allama Dr. Mukhmmad Iqbal, Quaid-e-Azam M. Ali Jinnah, Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Maulana Abual-Ala Maududi, Dr. Israr Ahmed, and a host of others.

            These persons impressed their age both during their child­hood and in later life by their super-normally gifted talents.

Characteristics of the Gifted Child

            Gifted children have been found to differ from each other considerably. Certain features and traits, however, have been commonly observed amongst a majority of them.   Some of these significant traits are as follows:—

Physical Traits

            Popular opinion pictures gifted children physically under­developed. They are usually imagined to be under-weight, under-sized, bad-sighted, stoop-shouldered and clumsy creatures.

            Factual observations, however, belie this popular opinion. Most gifted children have been found to be physically superior to the normal children of their age group.

Mental Traits

            That a gifted child is mentally superior to the normal child has been unanimously agreed upon. Terman found the gifted child to excel other children at all ages in several intellectual traits, especially in "general intelligence," "desire to know," "originality," "will power," "perseverance," "desire to excel," "sense of humor," and "common sense."

            Those intellectual characteristics which are more exclusively associated with gifted children are: ability to make logical associations, longer attention span, originality, initiative, power to generalize, deep and varied interests, etc. Gifted children also eclipse others in special abilities, school work, social graces, etc.

Emotional Traits

            Emotional stability and adjustment are the commonly ob­served traits of superior children. They are usually cheerful, prefer to face their difficulties and problems independently, make adjustment to persons, places and situations easily and are inclined to develop socially healthy emotional outlooks and attitudes. Their character and personality is usually superior to other children.

            However, if they are not properly handled at home or school they are equally liable to develop into conceited and snobbish personalities. Several studies of geniuses reveal that they had been suffering from a marked emotional instability right from their early infancy.

Social Traits

            The capacity of social adjustment of gifted children has been found to be very much higher than that of the average child. They have been found to be outstandingly honest, dependable, original, self-reliant and possessing a number of other social traits which are desirable for leadership.

            Some studies have pointed to the shyness and the imma­turity of the gifted child in making social adjustments.   It may, however, be remembered that there are two distinct aspects of social adjustment:

            (a) Ability to intermingle, and

            (b) Ability to be socially useful.

            The gifted child might be lacking in the former but he certainly abounds in the latter trait. His social utility manifests itself in his creative and socially useful pursuits, e.g., research, invention, literary creation, etc.

Education of the Gifted Child

            One of the baffling problems that a teacher often faces is: what to do about the gifted child? He is "keen intellectually with unusual insight, and is a sensitive person. Consequently, he requires a special form of education, training and guidance.

            Some of the most universally accepted principles which are usually found helpful in planning the education of the gifted child are as follows:—

            (1) Equality of opportunity.

            (2) Avoidance of conceit and snobbery.

            (3) No rapid promotions.

            (4) Enrichment of curricula.

            (5) Prevention of bad social habits.

             (6) Emphasis on all-round development.

            (7) Basis of education on child study.

            (8) Special handling of the specially gifted children.

(1) Equality of Opportunity:

            Like all average children the gifted children should also be provided with all the necessary freedom and opportunities to develop their talents to the maximum.

(2) Avoidance of Conceit and Snobbery:

            Effort should be made to guard against the development of conceit and snobbery in gifted children.

(3) No Rapid Promotions:

            It is not advisable to attempt at accelerating the educational progress of the gifted child by giving him rapid promotions. Such a step brings the gifted child into contact with class mates who are physically and socially mature than he is. This may lead to social maladjustment which is liable to mar and nullify the good effects expected from rapid promotions.

(4) Enrichment of Curricula:

            The bright child usually takes less time to understand class instruction than the normal child. The time thus saved might be profitably utilized in teaching him enriched curricula of a specialized nature.

            Only a few years ago the popular trend in the education of the gifted child was rapid promotions and segregation into special classes. These steps have now been found to be inade­quate in most cases. The contemporary emphasis rather centers round the worthwhile enrichment of the curricula for the gifted child while placing him in the same class along with the average children of his age.

            Hollingsworth suggests the following programs to be included in the enriched curricula specially designed for gifted children:—

             (a) Study of civilization.      

             (b) Study of biographies.

            (c) Study of modern languages.

            (d) Training in special abilities.

(5) Prevention of Bad Social Habits:

            If the surplus creative energy of the gifted child is not properly exploited it may drift in socially undesirable directions. His education, therefore, should guard against the development of cynicism, conceit, snobbery, defiance, introversion and other unhealthy and wasteful social habits in him.

(6) Emphasis on All-Round Development:

            A gifted child should never be allowed to develop into a typical 'scholar' or a 'book-worm'. The physical, social, moral, cultural and emotional 'aspects of growth should not be ignored for the sake of strictly intellectual and educational development.

(7) Basis of Education on Child Study:

            Education of the gifted children should be based on a very careful and pains-taking study of each individual child and his specific talents. This can be best achieved if their education is based on child study.

(8) Special handling of the Specially Gifted Children:

            Those children who are extra-ordinarily highly gifted and outshine even other more averagely gifted children require still further special and individualized attention at the hands of the school teacher.

Special Class for the Gifted Children

            An interesting controversy is raging in the field of special education regarding the desirability or otherwise of opening special classes for gifted children.

            The advocates of the special class maintain that such an arrangement provides the best possible educational atmosphere for the maximum development of gifted children. Their mixing with average children, they hold, kills all creative urge in them.

            Those who oppose the opening of special classes for gifted children think that their segregation from normal children is extremely undesirable in that it debars the gifted child from the opportunity of getting training for adjusting to normal situations. Moreover, the average children, as well as the teacher, miss the stimulation and inspiration provided by the presence of the brighter children in the class.

            Heck has summarized the main arguments which are most commonly urged for and against special classes for the gifted child. Some of these arguments are as follows.

Advantages of the Special Class

            Those who advocate the establishment of special classes point out the following merits in such an arrangement:—

(1)       In a special class the gifted child gets an opportunity to work to a level suited to his

             superior ability

(2)        He is saved from developing habits of carelessness and slothfulness which are liable to

              take root in him if placed in an average class.

(3)       Special education provides an opportunity for the teacher to adopt instruction to the

              needs of the gifted children.

(4)        It prevents social maladjustment. Such an arrange­ment stimulates him to take due

              interest in the class work. He gets all the incentives to work creatively in such a

              congenial atmosphere.

(5)       It stimulates him to exert himself in order to keep pace with his group, the whole of

              which is composed of equally gifted children.

(6)        In certain specific fields he secures definite and specialized training for leadership.

(7)        He gets an opportunity to utilize materials and methods specially adapted to the unique

              ability of gifted children.

Demerits of the Special Class

            Opponents of the segregation of gifted children from aver­age children and grouping them into a special class put forward the following arguments:—

(1)       It is undemocratic and tends to create an intellectual aristocracy of gifted children.

(2)       The gifted children in a special class are liable to become conceited.

(3)       The average child becomes jealous of those children who are placed in the special class.

(4)       Higher and intensive work in the special class causes over work and strain on the gifted

             child.

(5)        Such   an   arrangement restricts   the   production   of leadership to a selected few.

(6)       Average children loose educationally by missing the inspiring company of their

            gifted class-mates.

(g)       It is uneconomical, the expenditure incurred being prohibitive.

A Middle Course for Gifted Children

            A middle course could perhaps be found to solve this dilemma and cater adequately for all the needs of gifted children. We could group the gifted children separately for part of the time, for certain forms of specialized training and instruction exclusively planned for them. For the rest of the time they could be allowed to remain with the average children in the ordinary classes. Such an arrangement promises to meet both the intellectual and the social needs of gifted children.

            This, however, might not be practicable in most cases. It might involve certain financial and administrative incon­veniences. However, if such expected inconveniences could be overcome the middle course suggested above appears to be the best possible arrangement for the education and guidance of gifted children.

Problems in the Education of Gifted Children

            Public opinion is not yet fully alive to the necessity and utility for making adequate provisions for the education of gifted children.

             Some of the specific problems encountered in connection with the organization and conduction of special education for gifted children are as follows: —

            (1)   Lack of proper understanding.

            (2)   Selection of a suitable school.

            (3)   Curriculum planning.

            (4)   Instructional methods.

            (5)   Provision of suitable equipment.

            (6)  Educational visits and excursions.

            (7)  Special extra-curricular programs.

            (8)   Selection of trained staff.

            (9)   Follow-up records.

            (10) Financial aspects.

(1) Lack of Proper Understanding:

            Few parents and teachers appreciate the purpose and proper significance of such special education. Similarly, average chil­dren in the school and even some of the gifted children them­selves might not be able to grasp the true spirit of such an education.

            Extreme care should, therefore, be taken to prepare an at­mosphere of better understanding at all levels before starting such classes, so that chances of friction, failure and frustration are minimized.

(2) Selection of a Suitable School:

            Special classes should only be started in a school where the staff is progressive enough to be enthusiastic about the starting of special classes. It is not an easy job to spot such an adequate school in a town.

            Organization of such classes in a school where the atmos­phere is uncongenial is extremely undesirable. Special classes in an unfavorable school atmosphere are liable to do more harm than good to gifted children.

(3) Curriculum Planning:

            The curriculum should be planned very carefully. The gifted child is endowed with a vast fund of intellectual energy. His character is dynamic, his personality creative. Consequently, he needs curricula which are creative, comprehensive and satis­fying. The ordinary curricula in vogue in most schools are utterly out of tune with his superior mental make-up.

(4) Instructional Methods:

            The methods of teaching needed for gifted children are somewhat different from those employed for average children. Being exceptionally bright, gifted children are liable to under­stand class instruction easily and quickly. The teaching methods should, therefore, be up to the level of their understanding and should avoid being common-place, repetitive, etc.

            A teacher, who feels unable to adopt his teaching methods to the individual needs of the gifted child, will consequently face great inconvenience in the class-room.

(5) Provision of Suitable Equipment:

            Gifted children should be provided with more comfortable class-room furniture than is usually available in schools. In ad­dition to this they need adequate library services, well-equipp­ed laboratories and the most advanced audio-visual aids and other modern instructional material.

            Non-availability of such equipment puts innumerable obsta­cles in the way of their proper educational progress.

(6) Educational Visits and Excursions:

            The teacher of gifted children should organize study trips and educational excursions very frequently. Places of historical significance, literary and scientific interest should be visited by gifted pupils in order to enrich further their social, cultural and intellectual horizon. Without participation in such educational programs they are liable to feel strangulated intellectually.

(7) Special Extra-Curricular Programs:

            Special extra-curricular programs like discussion groups, mock parliaments, specialized club activities and diversified recreational pursuits in and outside the school premises also go a long way towards exploiting the talent of gifted children to optimal achievement.

            Provision of such cultural facilities requires original thinking and creative planning on the part of the teacher.

(8) Selection of Trained Staff:

            Extreme care should be taken in the matter of the selection of staff to be entrusted with the task of teaching gifted children. If an average school teacher, gifted with a congenial tempera­ment, makes insightful readings and exerts other personal efforts he can equip himself with the necessary technique and art needed for such a job. A teacher with expert training in the art of teaching gifted children is, however, the ideal.

            Some Appreciable Traits: Some of the appreciable quali­ties that the American Educational Policies Commission consi­der desirable for a teacher of gifted children are:—

            (a)       Superior intelligence.

            (b)        Rich fund of information. •

            (c)       Versatility of interests.

            (d)        An inquiring mind.

            (e)        Ability to stimulate and inspire.

            (f)         Modesty.

            (g)       A sense of social and personal responsibility.

            (h)        Freedom from jealousy.

              (i)         Freedom from excessive sensitivity to criticism.

            Needless to point out that it is exceedingly difficult to find such a teacher who should fulfill all the above mentioned conditions.    Nevertheless, finding a teacher approximating to many of these qualities is not an impossible task.

(9) Follow-up Records:

            What becomes of gifted children when they leave the school? A follow-up record giving the details of their lives after the com­pletion of their school careers would be extremely interesting and thought-provoking.

            Unfortunately such follow-up records have never been maintained at our schools.

(10) Financial Aspects:

            Finally, an important problem which has a vital bearing on all those mentioned in the preceding pages is the financial and economic aspect of the issue. Acquiring adequate finances to meet the various items of expenditure involved in the edu­cation of gifted children, and their most economical disburse­ment are very significant problems. In order to make the campaign for the special education of gifted children a success this important aspect of the problem should, therefore, be equally seriously attended to.

Need for Special Education of the Gifted

            The specialized education of the gifted child cannot be ignored in the larger interests of the nation. If properly edu­cated, such children are most likely to develop into leaders in science, industry, arts and literature. Thus the amount of money and energy that a nation spends on the special education of its gifted children is more richly returned in the long run.

            The financial burdens involved in a specialized program catering for the education of a select minority of intellectually superior children can be easily met with only if the urgency and magnitude of the problem is adequately realized. Besides other effective fund raising measures, the government, philanthro­pists, rich businessmen and wealthy feudal lords could be moved to finance projects for such a significant form of special educa­tion. It is heartening to learn that the problem of the special education of the gifted children is now receiving the attention that it deserves. The Commission on National Education has highlighted the necessity and utility of the education, guidance and patronage of the talented children.