Atypical children : the etiological factors in their production / by S.P. Goodhart.

  • Goodhart, Simon P. (Simon Philip), 1873-
Date:
1913
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Licence: In copyright

Credit: Atypical children : the etiological factors in their production / by S.P. Goodhart. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    The atypical neurotic type must be distinguished from the more self controlled child, the one who has himself well in hand; has especially vivid imagi- nation, but of a highly constructive type, with a mild—not constant—tendency to day dreaming, a fondness for solitude and reflection; extremely sensitive; apparently timid. This child requires great delicacy in handling. He is liable, under un- suitable environment, and especially under suppres- sion of his innate qualities, to develop into the truly neurotic. It has always seemed to me that our routine pedagogical schemes were entirely unsuited to the education of the atypical child. In practical school work, he is found to be frequently deficient, but usually shows some special aptitude. I believe that in many instances this aptitude should be further developed, special attention being given to its fos- tering. It is in some instances absolutely impos- sible to educate these children according to the cur- riculum of our regular school system; an effort to do so often places them in the category of the seri- ously deficient, rapidly depleting their energy in fruitless effort, and bringing about an internal con- flict due to their own rebellion against what is to them most difficult and distasteful. The brilliancy, along certain lines, of some of these children war- rants devoting more time to their special qualifica- tions. The suggestibility of these neurotic, high strung children of unstable affective organization invites regression in later life and demands great care in not allowing their emotions to become unduly awakened. Let us not forget that the basic radical of the true juvenile psychosis is an internal strife —an inadequacy in the reasoning faculties and judgment; that of psychasthenia, extreme emo- tionalism; of the neurasthenic, rapid fatigue. I have found by psychoanalysis that later in life mor- bid fears not infrequently find their inception in sad experiences associated with a high degree of