Contribution à l'histoire de l'orthophonie en France

The purpose of this article is to recall the work of Jean Marc Gaspard Itard (1774-1838) and his contribution to the emergence of speech therapy in France. Physician of the Paris Institute for Deaf and Dumb and member of the Society of observers of man, he is best known for his publications Mémoire and Rapport on the education of the savage child from Aveyron. His initial research-action was inspired by the philosophy of Etienne Bonnot de Condillac as well as the context of debate around the construction of a general science of man. The development of linguistic and cognitive function was of prime importance. He was particularly interested in getting the dumb to speak and in rehabilitating stutterers. His Notes on the deaf and dumb, which is easily accessed via the net, summarizes his medical activity and research and educational activities started in 1805. Among his writings, Mémoire sur le Mutisme produit par la lésion des fonctions intellectuelles, written in 19828 is of particular interest concerning the reeducation of the dysphasic. Certain extracts are proposed here to better demonstrate the impact of his work and the methods used for evaluation and rehabilitation of persons with speech and language disorders in the 19th century.