The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-06-15
MISS DICKINSON TALKS REGARDING PRECOCIOUSNESS
Clinic Head Strong For It,
 Despite Leopold {, And Loeb


 ! / Although the stock of child prod [igies has slumped. considerably lately particularly since the disclosures re garding Nathan Leopold, Jr., anC Richard Loeb, in Chicago, have beer . made, the trait of precocity finds sup port in opinions expressed by Mis: Elizabeth V. Dickinson, head of tht psychology clinic of the Birmingham schools, and thorough student Oi ?, children. .>
 At least Miss Dickinson can see hope for the precocious child. Parents who have such child have joy for. ever,' she puts it, provided they can keep him on a well-balanced menta and emotional diet .., -..
 Regarding the assertion that the de- fense in the Chicago criminal case will probably center upon contention that the youths were not responsible for their actions due to their precocity. Miss Dickinson gives some interesting views.
 She declares that brilliant childrer are usually more than ordinarily stable in emotions, we'll developed in physical traits, and able to- make satisfactory social adjustments. Moreover, she adds, they are less likely to become insane than the average person.
 Public opinion,' Miss Dickinson 7 said Saturday. finds form in two popular ideas of child prodigies. First, that their abnormal mental develop ment is always accompanied by grave T shortcomings in other respects; and second, that children who mature early reach a period of intellectual falling off sooneh than the average person.
 Falling Off, A Fallacy
 "The latter idea is a failacy. Almost every bit of reliably gathered evidence points out that precocity lasts longer than ordinary mental endowment; that the brilliant child will become bril- liant. adult and if he takes care of his health remain distinguished for in tellect into an old age.
 So little is known about the careers of very highly endowed children that experts are unwilling to predict their histories. Little scientific investigation and gathering of facts had been done in this field ten years ago, but since that time much effort has been expended in ascertaining the degree of preocity and the amount of social, abstract and mechanical learning acquired in given amount of time by very gifted chill dren. Whatever knowledge has been amassed indicates that being born pre- cocious in one line gives, you a good chance of being born above the aver age in every desirable quality.
 However, one is seldom born as much above the average in one kind of intelligence as in the other, al- though his general tendency is to superiority in all respects. In Birming- ham we have two child problems in the child guidance clinic. One boy is ready for high school at the age of ten and is probably as we'll prepared as any. child matriculating at Paul Hayne this year. At seven years of age in the second grade he could do all the arithmetic of the seventh grade. Yet his play and social activities are those of child only little above his age.
 He helps his sister with her lessons at school in exchange for her protec tion on the playground when the boys in his grade-physically much older than 5 he-begin to tease him. Consequently, until recently he has been proficient in girls games rather than boys, and therefore has had to stand many humili- ating references to that fact by the school children. Mentally he can hold his own with superior adults; socially he is an infant Where can he find an environment that will stimulate both sides, of his persOnality?. If he is at all emotionally unstable he will probably reach many crises that will tax his emo- tional endurance and may cause him to do bizarre and unconventional things. That is unless someone who understands .his situation can make for him in his i impressionable youth an environment where he can progress at his own men, tai rate and in addition have the com panionship of persons of his own social caliber.
 Another extraordinarily precocious child in Birmingham has the. mentality of juvenile somewhat more than twice his age. He can express himself as well as an eighth grade pupil, his arithmetic reasoning is sixth senior, his arithmetic computaton, fourth junior; his reading sixth senior. But in using hs hands in drawing, weaving and writing, and industrial craft he is much below kin dergarten children and in social ad justments he is almost nil. The latter i. due to the fact that he has never had an opportunity to cultivate any latent talents along that line.
 However, his general efficiency ir life is dependent on the integratiOn Oi all CapacltleS. pnySlcaI, emotional anC intellectual. That person is sane whc is not conspicuously disorganized ir personality. Precocious children are not likely to became insane unless markedly unevenly endowed in these three kinds of traits. Moreover, they are less likely to do. so than is the average person.
 f'Parents who have a child precociou' in all respects have a joy forever, pro vided they can keep that child to a we'll balanced mental and emotional diet They probably have a problem if they allow him to squander his talents ant gifts and learn bad habits of thinking If they have. an unevenly endowed chilt they no doubt must rear him with pray CTS constantly on their lips. They should try to develop those capacities which are less prominent and to teach him , above all things, the art of living help fully and happily with his fellows
 Tile should be forced to learn that he cannot always occupy the center Oi the stage-that he must submit grace fully to superior and graciously to ar inferior