1. THE EXCEPTIONAL CHILD
        
             The emphasis on the exceptional child in the public schools
        has its advocates and opponents.  Some feel that the support of
        programs for exceptional children detracts from the major purpose
        of public school education--the education of the normal or
        average child.  This point of view is expressed in the following
        verse:
        
             Johnny Jones has lost a leg,
             Fanny's deaf and dumb,
             Marie has epileptic fits,
             Tom's eyes are on the bum.
             Sadie stutters when she talks,
             Mable has T.B.
             Morris is splendid case
             Of imbecility.
             Bill Brown's a truant,
             And Harold is a thief,
             Teddy's parents gave him dope
             And so he came to grief.
             Gwendolin's a millionaire,
             Gerald is a fool;
             So every one of these darned kids
             Goes to a special school.
             They've specially nice teachers,
             And special things to wear,
             And special times to play,
             And a special kind of air.
             They've special lunches right in school,
             While I--it makes me wild--
             I haven't any specialties;
             I'm just a normal child (Scheideman, 1931)             
        
             Under a democracy as practiced in the United States, where
        the state is believed to exist for the welfare of the individual,
        education must be organized primarily to achieve this end.  "All
        men are created equal" has become trite, but it still has
        important meaning for education in a democratic society. 
        Although it was used by the founding fathers to denote equality
        before the law, it has also been interpreted to mean equality of
        opportunity.  This implies educational opportunity for all
        children--the right of each child to receive help in learning to
        the limits of his capacity, whether that capacity be small or
        great.  It is consistent with a democratic philosophy that all
        children be given the opportunity to learn, whether they are
        average, bright, dull, retarded, blind, deaf, crippled,
        delinquent, emotionally disturbed, or otherwise limited or
        deviant in their capacities to learn.  
        
             Who is the Exceptional Child?  For our purposes, the
        exceptional child is defined as the child who deviates from the
        average or normal child (1) in mental characteristics, (2) in
        sensory abilities, (3) in neuromuscular or physical
        characteristics, (4) in social or emotional behavior, (5) in
        communication abilities, (6) in multiple handicaps to such an
        extent that he requires a modification of school practices, or
        special educational services, in order to develop to his maximum
        capacity (Kirk, 1972, p. 4).
        
             A child is considered educationally exceptional only when it
        is necessary to alter the educational program to meet his needs 
        He is educationally exceptional if his deviation is of such kind
        and degree that it interferes with his development under ordinary
        classroom procedures and requires special education, either in
        conjunction with the regular class or in a special class or
        school, for his maximum development (p. 5).