PHYSICAL DEFECTS AND SCHOOL PROGRESS 



These data furnish still further surprises. The children of 

 normal age actually show higher percentages of defective vision 

 and hearing than do the retarded ones, and the significant feature 

 disclosed seems to be that irregular attendance rather than 

 physical defects is the important factor affecting school progress. 



DEFECTS AMONG PROMOTED AND NON-PROMOTED CHILDREN 



In his report for 1910 (page 37), Superintendent Verplanck 

 of South Manchester, Connecticut, reports results of physical ex- 

 aminations among 1,396 children, of whom 1,093 were promoted 

 at the end of the year and 303 failed of promotion. The find- 

 ings are as follows: 



TABLE 39. PHYSICAL DEFECTS AMONG 1, 093 CHILDREN PROMOTED 



AND 303 CHILDREN NOT PROMOTED IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, 



IN MANCHESTER, CONNECTICUT, I9IO 



These figures show that a greater percentage of the non- 

 promoted than of the promoted pupils had adenoids and defective 

 teeth. In the case of the other defects the difference in the 

 figures is so slight as to be non-significant. 



DEFECTS AMONG RETARDED CHILDREN 

 In his report for 1909-10 (page 28), Superintendent D. C. 

 Bliss of Elmira, New York, reports the results of the physical 

 examinations among 449 children who had been in the first grade 

 of the Elmira schools for from two to seven years. The findings 

 are presented in Table 40. 



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