Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-04-23
DR.. JESSIE TAFT
On the Need Of a Mental Hygiene Clinic

On the Need Of a Mental Hygiene Clinic
THERE is n level where every child is
l. capable of succeeding, according to DR..
Jessie Taft, director Of the mental hygiene
clinic of the Childrcn's Bureau.
IF he is placed in an environment where
the standard is too high for him he feels
inferior and fails; if, on the other hand.
il is too low. he fails because he doesn't
have the right opportunity, said DIR. Taft.
THE object of the mental hygiene clinic
is to solve the problem of the child who is
cassed as abnormal. The case may be one
of stupidity OR il may be one of a child OF
superior mentality who, through environ
mcnt, has become lazy and Indifferent.
Whatever the condition, 1t can only be
understood and reached by individual study.
There was a time not long ago when the
only problem of placing a fricndlcss child
was that of finding some one, any one, TO
take it, ANY town officials or group of city
fathers would be competent to decide that
the Jones family, being respectable and
God fearing, were just the people to bring
up Mary Brown, and that Mary was lucky
girl to find such home. Or, If there were
an orphan asylum available, Mary's fate
would be settled even more simply. There
the individual case is treated, with dozens
| of others, collectively.
Duty Toward Friendless
Case problems with children. as with
| adults arise through some blocking of the
| main trends of life-lovc and creative work.
| We have to remember that in the last
analysis the success of our treatment de-
| pcnds upon our obtaining for the child at
| least a minimum of fulfllment in both.
''With the distinctly inferior child; no
| amount of home treatment can undo the
| effect Of his inevitable and constant failure
! to com" up to public school standards. 1t
| is here that we get our greatest problems
| Of delinquency, beginning and confirmed.
| If the case problems presented to me by
| child caring agencies in Philadelphia during
| the last year and half are any criterion.
| the crucial situation in all ChildrCn's work
| is lack of suitable school opportunities for
| the duh normal child.
1T seems to me our difficulty lies in
| fundamental miscOnCcptiOn of the relation
| Of abnormal to normal and consequent
! belief that We can do nothing with so called
| abnormal children unless we possess some
| mysterious technique which has no relation
or application to our everyday normal cases.
| Mental hygiene doesn't mean labelling chill -
drcn, but means increasing their happiness
and adjusting them.
Look Into Personality
"lf, instead of marking off n group Of
| children as psychOpathic or abnormal. we
| began trying to understand from the inside
| to place, taking enough time to get at the
| actual details of his mental and social
| makeup as consciously and systemat ically
| aS we now do his teeth, tOnsis and adCnOids
| we should go far in eliminating many of
| the cases which now seem to belong to the
! abnormal class, and there would remain n
comparatively small group of those who are
| too far removed from normal to be treated
without n special technique.
I'm this city, at least, and | am sure in
the vast majority of city public schools still
| running along conventional academic lines
| there is no possibility of obtaining for the
dull normal child who has become a be.
| havior problem because of his sense of in
fcriority and failure. the treatment thar
will touch his case; that is. II school pro
gram that is suited to his abilities.
He is not allowed TO leave the public
school when II gets beyond him; yet to fnrc
| failure. rdCulc, rcprimands day after dny
| is something which human nature cannot
do without efforts to escape from so un-
bcarablc situation. The child will run
| away either III body or in spirit He is
| bound to gain Il sense of Importance some
| how; if not by good conduct, by bad. He
| will take refuge In Sullenncss, Indifference or
| in more active, aggressive attempts to cOun-
tcract the boredom and infcriOrity of his
| position. IT he cannot shine in school, he
| can perhaps become the terror of the neigh
| DOrhOOd.
Needs Special Avenue
! "lheEc is only one possible treatment for
| this type Of child; that is. to offer him
| legitimate avenues of successful expression
i see that he has the right interests and that
| his normal needs are gratifed. II school or
! work oncrs him chance 70 act success