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Work On Mental Prayer: Aloysius was greatly influenced early in life by the spiritual writings of Caspar Loarte, and especially by Louis of Granada's work on mental prayer. His life was marked by practical charity and severe penance. Benedict XIII canonized
him in 1726. In 1729 he was declared patron of youth, and Pius XI reaffirmed the declaration in 1926. Aloysius' feast is celebrated on June 21.
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.
They find concentration increasingly hard as the work becomes more difficult. On the other hand, because they work less intensely than normal children, they may not be so easily fatigued. Their rate of mental growth in later adolescence is relatively rapid; they can profit by continued education. These characteristics should be recognized and taken into account in their instruction.
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