. The practice of pediatrics. r tried, or, having failed after several trials, he willnaturally say he cannot do it, and not wish to attempt it. Confidencemust be inspired in him to follow directions unhesitatingly by insisting CONGENITAL ATAXIAS 801 upon his accomplishing eve^ task given him, and thus proving his abilityto do it, and also by showing him that his interest is yours, and thatyou have never permitted him to be injured during his unsuccessfulattempts. With a child it is not enough to secure coordinate action, but youmust secure endurance along the lines of reflex, coordinate actio
. The practice of pediatrics. r tried, or, having failed after several trials, he willnaturally say he cannot do it, and not wish to attempt it. Confidencemust be inspired in him to follow directions unhesitatingly by insisting CONGENITAL ATAXIAS 801 upon his accomplishing eve^ task given him, and thus proving his abilityto do it, and also by showing him that his interest is yours, and thatyou have never permitted him to be injured during his unsuccessfulattempts. With a child it is not enough to secure coordinate action, but youmust secure endurance along the lines of reflex, coordinate action. Co-ordinate action with one who is ataxic calls for general tension, and theunnecessary accessory action of groups of muscles is fatiguing, and re-sults in excessive waste of nerve and muscle energy. To teach a childto do his work easily and to carry on prolonged coordinate effort is thusaccomplished by the same means. A parallel can be found in a personlearning to skate or swim. Here we have a general tension and the gen-. Fig. 138, -Walking on a narrow board several feet above the floor,exercise in coordination. An advanced eral action of all the muscles of the body—a great waste of energy toprevent one from falling, or going under the water—and even after onehas learned how to swim, much of that nervous waste of energy will con-tinue until he has thoroughly mastered the art. Endurance and con-servation of energy are very desirable in an ataxic. After he had been in training for several months one patient walkedforward, without stopping, five hundred feet on the top of a fence, andbackward one hundred and twenty feet without stopping. The samechild walked several miles up and down a mountain-side without stop-ping, his mind occupied with observation and not applied at all to hiswalking, save in response to caution. He was able also to run half amile without stopping or falling. It is not for the purpose of making51 802 THE PRACTICE OF PEDIATRICS the child a long-distan
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