South Edmonton Home for Mentally Defective Children
| South Edmonton Home for Mentally Defective Children | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1916 |
| Opened | 1919 |
| Current Status | Closed |
| Location | Edmonton, AB |
| Alternate Names | |
History[edit]
The building for Alberta's institution, the South Edmonton Home for Mentally Defective Children, was formerly used as the Red Deer College, and housed 40 to 50 children. During the First World War, it was temporarily taken over for the accommodation of soldiers with “shell shock”. The facility was a temporary school created for the treatment of "mentally defective children." Its opening helped make Alberta a leader in treating youth with mild to moderate disabilities separately from severe psychiatric cases. This Home was overcrowded after less than a year in operation, and was set up on a temporary basis. From here, students were often institutionalized into other permanent facilities. Its dates of operation are unknown. Eventually children deemed mentally defective be would be moved to the Provincial Training School upon its opening in 1921.
