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Marked Mental Retardation: Teachers can recognize marked mental retardation. Among 592 children whom teachers referred to a psychological bureau because of suspected feeble-mindedness, 51 per cent were classified by the Binet test as feeble-minded, 46 per cent as borderline, and only 3 per cent as above the borderline level.
Mental defect appears to be associated with a constellation of factors: retardation in traditional school systems, mentally defective brothers and sisters, oversuggestibility, preference for younger children as playmates, and a slow or dull manner. The vocabulary of mental defectives is markedly below normal. Even in practical, nonabstract types of work mentally deficient children are characterized by limited attention, limited use of experience, and a poor understanding of interrelations.
Personality difficulties and emotional conflicts often arise out of fears of physical inadequacy. On the other hand, physical acceleration, among boys, may contribute to better social and psychological adjustment.
Physical acceleration coupled with mental retardation is an especially disturbing form of development. In the traditional school such an individual's mental status places him with children much smaller. Owing to his apparent maturity, he is constantly prodded to achieve beyond his real ability, often with resulting apathy or antisocial conduct.
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