Diagnostic Teaching: The Grading and Analytic Diagnosis of a Feebleminded Boy

When Edward was examined at the Psychological Clinic this spring he was pronounced qualitatively feebleminded. The examiner noted particularly these defects: poor distribution of attention, distractability of attention, a limited imagination and a poor memory. But the boy had good motor coordination, good judgment, excellent persistence and a fair amount of general information; and these facts led the examiner to wonder just how teachable Edward was. Was he trainable in manual and intellectual arts, or in manual arts and the simplest mental acquirements, or was he only trainable in the simplest manual and industrial occupations? The best way of solving the question was by an attempt to teach. Accordingly, Edward has come for clinical instruction three times, remaining about an hour each time. The boy is ten years old, well grown and well developed, but he is not very well. Has very poor vision, lacks energy, has adenoids and enlarged tonsils and bad teeth and has had a cold for about three