Читать книгу Deficiency and Delinquency: An Interpretation of Mental Testing - James Burt Miner - Страница 18

At first it seems like a hopeless task to try to bring harmony out of the confused estimates of the proportion of the feeble-minded in modern society. Authoritative estimates by commissions or by recognized experts range from less than 0.2% to 5.0% that is, from 2 to 50 per thousand. Further study of these estimates shows that they reflect not so much a difference in expert opinion about the same problem as differences in the problems which were considered in making the estimates. As soon as we compare only those estimates that have been made to answer the question, what percentage of low grade minds should be provided with a certain form of social care? it is rather surprising how much less the discrepancy becomes. An analysis of important estimates will therefore be undertaken in order to try to discover some of the sources of disagreement.

The most significant thing about an estimate is that the estimator is thinking of providing for his group of deficients in a special way. This is the purpose of the estimates. Three important groups of the mentally deficient now demand attention. They are: (1) The group which, for moral and eugenic reasons, society is justified in isolating for life or an indefinite period. (2) The group which needs special simple industrial training in order to get along with social assistance without isolation. These deficients may be cared for in their home towns by special schools, public guardians, and after-care committees. (3) The group which needs special school assistance, but is socially passable after leaving school. These individuals are incapable of competing in school with their fellows, but they are able to get along in the simplest employments without social assistance. We may designate these three groups as those needing (1) social isolation, (2) social assistance, and (3) only school assistance. The largest estimates of feeble-mindedness, it will be found, include the third group, while the smallest intend to include only the first group. The first and second groups are clearly below the limit of feeble-mindedness designated by the verbal definition of the British Commission. They are socially unfit. The language of that definition is ambiguous enough to include the third group, but the plan of the Commission, judged by its consideration of the number to be sent to special schools, would regard only the first two classes as feeble-minded. Following this common conception I have regarded those in the third group as above the feeble-minded. It will help to find harmony among the estimates if we estimate separately those mentally deficient enough to need social isolation, social assistance, and only school assistance. This discrimination of the retarded by the kind of social care needed should also make the social definition more useful.