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Show Children's Fear of Darkness Is Removed by Novel Training NEW YORK. The horrible fear that many little children suffer from when they must enter en-ter an unfamiliar dark room can, in many cases, be overcome by a method of training worked out by Dr. Frances B. Holmes of the Child Development institute, teachers college, Columbia university, univer-sity, here. The scheme worked" out by Doctor Doc-tor Holmes was one which enlisted enlist-ed the active co-operation of the child in doing something himself about the terrifying situation. Learns by Play In the case of the dark room fear, mis is what was done to remove re-move it in a group of nursery school children: While the child was playing a game with the experimenter, the ball was rolled into the dark room and the child was sent in after it. When he refused to go into the dark room alone, the adult would go with him. At the same time the adult would encourage the child and tell him how to feel his way and how to search for the phosphorescent, phos-phorescent, glowing pendant which had been attached to the end of the long light pull-cord. When the light had been found, the child was allowed al-lowed to pull it on, but then was encouraged to pull it off again and watch its dim glow in the dark. |
