What has been done with one deaf child in his own home / Anna C. Reinhardt.
- Reinhardt, Anna C.
- Date:
- 1905
Licence: In copyright
Credit: What has been done with one deaf child in his own home / Anna C. Reinhardt. 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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![[Reprinted from the Journal of Proceedings and Addresses of the National Educational 1 Association, Asbury Park, N. J,, 1905] WHAT HAS BEEN DONE WITH ONE DEAF CHILD IN HIS OWN HOME * ;y* ANNA C. REINHARDT, TEACHER IN SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF, BALA, PA. It is my desire to tell you as briefly as possible what has been done with a little deaf child in his own home under the most favorable circumstances. In order to do this, it is necessary to quote from his teacher’s notes as well as from the child’s quaint and original expressions. He was born deaf, and his speech-training was begun at the age of two. Of course, with so young a child almost everything had to be learned thru play. Everything possible was done to keep the child happy, and he was happy all day long; there was so much to interest and amuse him. As soon as he found objects had names, he wanted to know the names of all the objects that were of interest to him. At the end of four months he knew forty-seven words; when I say “knew,” I mean, of course, that he read them from the lips and connected them with the objects to which they belonged; but this does not mean that he articulated any one perfectly. Some of them he did not even attempt to say. We all know that a deaf child learns speech as a hearing person learns a foreign language, understanding much that is said before being able to respond. From his teacher’s report I quote the following: We get many fine lessons out of readers. In them are the animals with which Laddie is familiar, the boys, girls, babies, houses, trees, Santa Claus, and many other words he knows. Where a dog is running after chickens I shake my finger at the dog and say: “No dog, you must not catch the chickens.” Laddie looks at me and then at the picture intently. Once, in a contrary mood, he shook his finger at me, patted the dog, and slapped the chickens. In other pictures I can bring in the verbs that he knows. “The dog fell into the water;” “See the horse run;” and so forth. In the zoo catalogue he points out deer, bears, birds, monkeys, and elephants (taking the names from the lips). He left the closet door open. I had my back to the door when I said: “ Shut the door.” He went immediately and closed it. At the end of eight months his teacher again writes: He not only reads sentences (from the lips), but tries to form them himself; putting together two or three words. For instance: “Top fell;” “Good-bye, trolley car, away.” At the end of a year and a half he learned fifty-two new words in one month. He was then three and a half years old. He did not increase his list per month, however, as there were times after that when a much smaller number was learned in one month. At this time “Jack and Jill” and “Little Boy Blue’’were much enjoyed; “Jack and Jill ” especially, as it gave frequent opportunities for tumbling down-hill in the park. Laddie was not expected to repeat the lines, but he did understand them. How could he help it when](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b22400989_0003.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
