A Clinical Demonstration of Superior Children

As a part of the program of the nineteenth annual Schoolmen's Week1 held each year at the University of Pennsylvania, a clinical demonstration of five superior children was given, March 12, 1932, by Dr. Lightner Witmer, Director of the Psychological Clinic, assisted by Dr. Miles Murphy, Chief of Clinic. The interest of this Clinic in superior children has developed concurrently with, although less intensively than, its interest in the feebleminded, the intellectually deficient, and the modal child. There has been a Pre-School Class for Superior Children conducted in this Clinic over a period of years, with a minimum eligibility requirement of 140 I.Q. In 1911 Witmer collaborated with Van Siecle and Ayres2 on the general subject of provision for exceptional children in public schools, in which article cognizance was taken of the problem of educating the talented or unusually bright child in a public school. It was stated that there was indication at that time, based on school statistics and Binet Examinations, that " about 4 per cent of the entire school membership may fairly be rated as exceptionally bright or talented," . . . "who are born with exceptional endowments, and go through the public schools with greater than average ability and rapidity." However, "that these unusually able children have been given scant attention in our public schools is shown by the fact, that at the present time only five cities are known to have special classes for exceptionally gifted children." The following year, 1912, Witmer was abroad, studying pedagogical methods for exceptional children, both in England and on