Mental retardation is not a sentence. Mental retardation treatment Common manifestations of mental retardation are

Mental retardation (MPD) is a complex disorder in which a lag in the formation of a child's mental functions is detected compared to the norm generally accepted for a particular age group. In order to properly build developmental and educational work with a preschooler, you need to be well aware of the symptoms of mental retardation in children.

The concept of ZPR

Mental retardation (MPD) is a concept that was used until 1997 in preschool psychology and pedagogy, and could also be applied to primary school students. In 1997, by order of the Ministry of Health, instead of this term, definitions from the International Classifier were introduced: “disorder of psychological (mental) development”, “emotional and behavioral disorders in childhood and adolescence”. The concept of “symptoms” is not suitable for making an official medical diagnosis, but continues to be actively used in Russian defectology and pedagogy, in particular, in 2015, the Adapted Basic General Education Program of Primary Education for Students with Mental Retardation (MPD) was developed and recommended for use, and in 2016 it came into force in Russian schools.

Thus, the symptoms and signs of mental retardation (MPD) include the characteristics of the development of memory, attention, perception, emotional-volitional sphere, thinking of a preschooler at a pace that does not correspond to average age norms.

Causes of CRA

Mental retardation is a complex phenomenon that can be due to reasons of a different nature. Analyzing the signs of mental retardation in a child, the biological causes of mental retardation usually include the following:

• pathological course of pregnancy;
• violation in the supply of oxygen during pregnancy and during childbirth;
• pathological childbirth;
• frequent diseases of the newborn;
• early visual and hearing impairments;
• heredity, etc.

In addition to biological, there are also social reasons for the appearance of CRA:

• dysfunctional situation in the family (insufficient care, neglect, overprotection, emotional instability);
• psychological trauma;
• lack of conditions for normal development (limitation of physical activity, lack of emotional and verbal contact with others), etc.

In most situations, they indicate a complex socio-biological. In accordance with the indicated reasons, symptoms and signs of mental retardation are formed in preschool children.

Note! The reasons for the development of ZPR are often surgical operations undergone in infancy, drug treatment.

Symptoms and signs of mental retardation (MPD) in a one-year-old child

It is quite difficult to diagnose mental retardation in newborns. However, you can name some signs of ZPR in children per year. For example, if by 3 months a newborn does not know how to follow a toy with his eyes, does not recognize loved ones, does not turn to the voice or the appearance of his mother, father, grandmother and other household members, you should definitely consult a doctor. Signs that should alert the parents of a one-year-old baby are the following:

• began to hold his head, turn, sit down, stand up, walk later than normally developing peers;
• hardly holds objects in his hand, including a spoon, a bottle, a cup;
• the first babble, a rare repetition of sounds and syllables appeared only by 12 months or did not appear at all;
• by 12 months, the baby most often lies quietly or sits in the crib, moves little, is unemotional;
• uncoordinated movements, it is difficult for him to perform precise movements with his hands (take an object from a shelf, hold it for a while, etc.);
• the formation of chewing movements is difficult.

Of course, it is impossible to assert without consulting a doctor that these features are symptoms of ZPR per year. Each baby has its own developmental characteristics, so it is worth continuing to monitor, engage more with the child and be sure to consult a neuropathologist about the symptoms noted.

Symptoms and signs of ZPR at 2 years

By the age of one and a half to two years, a normally developing little man already walks confidently, speaks his first words and sentences with pleasure, is able to memorize small poems, is mobile, active and inquisitive, successfully masters self-service skills.

Consider the most common and identified in the psychological and pedagogical literature symptoms of mental retardation in children at 2 years of age:

• does not know his name, does not respond to simple questions (show the ball where mom is);
• does not say the first words (mom, give), does not try to repeat words after adults;
• there is a flow of saliva, the tongue often protrudes from the mouth;
• there are problems with sleep (difficult to lay down, sleep is not strong and intermittent);
• tendency to whims, prolonged crying, irritability, etc.

Symptoms and signs of mental retardation (MPD) are difficulties with keeping attention on any object or process. For example, children cannot concentrate on a book that their parents show, on a poem that is read to them, they cannot concentrate on a simple game, they are not interested.

Important! Symptoms such as various sleep disorders, appetite disorders, increased excitability of the child and his inability to calm down without the help of adults can indicate a delay in the psyche.

Symptoms of ZPR in a child at 3 years old

Children are not alike; in modern preschool pedagogy, the concept of “norm” is practically not used. Early childhood education programs talk about what a child needs to learn and has the opportunity to learn. However, some features in the formation of cognitive abilities by speech pathologists are classified as signs of mental retardation at 3 years. Let's name the most noticeable symptoms:

• the active dictionary consists of 20 words;
• fuzzy pronunciation of sounds, incorrect formation of word forms (“eats” endings);
• the grammatical skill of combining words into phrases and sentences is not formed;
• there is no stable knowledge about the names and signs of familiar objects, body parts, names of colors;
• the ability to understand coherent text is not developed;
• there are difficulties in fulfilling the requests and instructions of adults;
• in game activity, the underdevelopment of imagination, the uniformity of game actions are manifested;
• inattention and fatigue;
• it is difficult for the child to formulate his needs and requests;
• tendency to aggressive behavior, hysterical reactions, etc.

When a child with these symptoms begins to attend a preschool educational organization, it is difficult for him to concentrate during classes, to complete the task to the end. He has poorly developed mechanisms of logical actions, he finds it difficult to compare, classify, highlight the features of objects, talk about the text or plot of the game.

Symptoms of ZPR in children at 4 years old

By the age of 4, the differences between preschool children with developmental delays become more noticeable. Signs of development lagging behind average age indicators can be divided into several groups (table).

In addition to these signs, one can name such symptoms of mental retardation at 4 years old as difficulties with the formation of self-service skills (inability to dress, put on shoes, eat neatly, etc.)

Symptoms of mental retardation in a child at 5 years old

A five-year-old preschooler with developmental delay noticeably differs from his peers primarily in signs of insufficiently developed emotional and volitional spheres. He sees himself as a very small child, therefore, in most situations, he is unable to make a decision on his own, to bring the work he has started or received to the end, he prefers to communicate with the younger ones. It is difficult for him to organize himself due to absent-mindedness. He has poorly developed fine motor skills, it is difficult to work with modeling materials, drawing with pencils and paints. Such symptoms and signs of mental retardation are noticeable in children at the age of 5, such as the fact that a preschooler cannot sit still, fidgets in a chair, moves his arms and legs, pulls clothes or other objects, speaks a lot, quickly and unintelligibly.

A five-year-old preschooler still has problems with memorization, performing mental operations, naming signs of objects, holistic perception of objects and phenomena, improving the phonetic and grammatical structure of speech.

Important! Serious symptoms and signs of mental retardation (MPD) in a preschool child - lag in the formation of the phonetic, lexical, grammatical structure of speech and complex speech disorders.

Symptoms and signs of mental retardation in children (MPD) are diverse and manifest themselves in different ways. Therefore, it is necessary to seek help from a teacher-defectologist, to constantly monitor the dynamics of the development of a preschool child. The baby needs a comprehensive examination and an individual plan of corrective work.

Video

Mental retardation (or ZPR for short) is characterized by a lag in the formation of mental functions. Most often, this syndrome is detected before admission to school. The child's body realizes its capabilities in slow motion. The delay in mental development is also characterized by a small stock of knowledge in a preschooler, the scarcity of thinking and the inability to engage in intellectual activity for a long time. For children with this deviation, it is more interesting to just play, and it is extremely problematic for them to focus on learning.

Mental retardation captures not only the psychological aspects of the personality. Violations are observed in different types of activity, physical and mental.

Mental retardation is an intermediate form of disorders in the development of the baby. Some mental functions develop more slowly than others. There is damage or defective formation of individual areas. The degree of underformation or the depth of damage present may vary from case to case.

• problems during pregnancy (past infections, injuries, severe toxicosis, intoxication), fetal hypoxia recorded during the gestation period;
• prematurity;
• birth trauma, asphyxia;
• diseases in infancy (trauma, infection, intoxication);
• genetic predisposition.

Social reasons:

• long-term isolation of the child from society;
• frequent stresses and conflicts in the family, in the garden, situations that cause psychological trauma.

There is a combination of a number of factors. Two or three causes of mental retardation may be combined, resulting in aggravation of disorders.

Types of ZPR

ZPR of constitutional genesis

This type is based on hereditary infantilism, affecting the mental, physical and psychological functions of the body. The emotional level with this type of developmental delay, as well as the level of the volitional sphere, are more reminiscent of the levels of primary school age, which means they occupy an earlier stage of formation.

What is the general characteristic of this species? It is accompanied by a wonderful mood, easy suggestibility, emotional behavior. Vivid emotions and experiences are very superficial and unstable.

ZPR of somatogenic genesis

This species is associated with somatic or infectious diseases in a child, or chronic diseases of the mother. Mental tone in this case decreases, emotional developmental delay is diagnosed. Somatogenic infantilism is supplemented by various fears that are associated with the fact that children with developmental delay are not confident in themselves or consider themselves inferior. The uncertainty of a preschooler is caused by multiple prohibitions and restrictions that take place in the home environment.

Children with developmental delay should have more rest, sleep, be treated in sanatoriums, as well as eat right and receive appropriate treatment. The health status of young patients will influence the favorable prognosis.

An unhealthy family environment and constant bans can also cause a child's mental retardation.

ZPR of psychogenic origin

This type is caused by frequent stressful situations and traumatic conditions, as well as poor education. Environmental conditions that do not correspond to the favorable upbringing of children can worsen the psychoneurological state of a child with developmental delay. Vegetative functions are among the first to be violated, and then emotional and psychological ones.

A species that involves a partial violation of some body functions, which is combined with the immaturity of the nervous system. The defeat of the central nervous system is of an organic nature. The localization of the lesion does not affect the further impairment of mental activity. The defeat of the central nervous system of such a plan does not lead to mental disability. It is this variant of mental retardation that is widespread. What are the symptoms for him? It is characterized by pronounced emotional disturbances, and the volitional aspect also suffers extremely. A noticeable slowdown in the formation of thinking and cognitive activity. This type of developmental delay is generally characterized by a slowdown in the maturation of the emotional-volitional level.

ZPR of cerebral-organic genesis is characterized by impaired development of the emotional-volitional sphere

Features of the manifestation of ZPR

Physical development

In children with developmental delay, it is always quite difficult to diagnose the syndrome. This is especially difficult to understand in the early stages of growth. What are the characteristics of children with mental retardation?

For such children, a slowdown in physical education is characteristic. The most frequently observed signs of poor muscle formation, low muscle and vascular tone, growth retardation. Also, children with developmental delay learn to walk and talk late. Playful activity and the ability to be neat also come with a delay.

Will, memory and attention

Children with mental retardation have little interest in their activities or work being evaluated, praised, they do not have the liveliness and emotional perception inherent in other children. Weakness of will is combined with monotony and monotony of activity. The games that children with developmental delay prefer to play are usually completely uncreative, they lack fantasy and imagination. Children with developmental delay quickly get tired of work, because their internal resources are instantly depleted.

A child with mental retardation is characterized by poor memory, inability to quickly switch from one type of activity to another, and slowness. He cannot fix attention for a long time. As a result of a delay in a number of functions, the baby needs more time to perceive and process information, visual or auditory.

One of the most striking signs of developmental delay is that the child is unable to force himself to do something. The work of the emotional-volitional sphere is inhibited, and, as a result, there are problems with attention. It is difficult for the child to concentrate, he is often distracted and cannot "collect his strength" in any way. At the same time, an increase in motor activity and speech is likely.

Perception of information

It is difficult for children with developmental delay to perceive information in whole images. For example, it will be difficult for a preschooler to identify a familiar object if it is placed in a new place or presented in a new perspective. The abruptness of perception is associated with a small amount of knowledge about the world around. The speed of perception of information also lags behind and orientation in space is difficult.

Of the features of children with mental retardation, one more thing should be highlighted: they remember visual information better than verbal information. Passing a special course on mastering various memorization techniques gives good progress, the performance of children with mental retardation becomes better in this regard compared to children without deviations.

Special courses or correctional work of specialists will help improve the memory and susceptibility of the child.

Speech

The child lags behind in the development of speech, which leads to various problems in speech activity. Distinctive features of the formation of speech will be individual and depend on the severity of the syndrome. The depth of the ZPR can affect speech in different ways. Sometimes there is some delay in speech formation, which practically corresponds to the level of full development. In some cases, there is a violation of the lexical and grammatical basis of speech, i.e. in general, underdevelopment of speech functions is noticeable. An experienced speech pathologist should be consulted to restore speech activity.

Thinking

Considering the issue of thinking in children with mental retardation, it can be noted that the greatest problem for them is the solution of logic tasks offered in verbal form. Developmental delay also occurs in other aspects of thinking. Approaching school age, children with developmental delays have poor ability to perform intellectual actions. They cannot, for example, generalize, synthesize, analyze or compare information. The cognitive sphere of activity in case of mental retardation is also at a low level.

Children suffering from mental retardation are much worse than their peers are savvy in many matters related to thinking. They have a very meager supply of information about the world around them, have a poor idea of ​​spatial and temporal parameters, their vocabulary also differs significantly from that of children of the same age, and not for the better. Intellectual work and thinking do not have pronounced skills.

The central nervous system in children with developmental delay is immature, the child is not ready to go to the first grade at the age of 7. Children with mental retardation do not know how to perform basic actions related to thinking, are poorly oriented in tasks and cannot plan their activities. Teaching children with mental retardation to write and read is extremely problematic. Their letters are mixed, especially those that are similar in spelling. Thinking is inhibited - it is very difficult for a preschooler to write an independent text.

Children with developmental delays who enter a regular school become underachieving students. This situation is extremely traumatic for an already damaged psyche. As a result, there is a negative attitude towards all learning in general. A qualified psychologist will help to solve the problem.

Creation of favorable conditions

For the complex development of the child, it is necessary to create external favorable conditions that would contribute to successful learning and stimulate the work of various parts of the central nervous system. It is important to create a developing subject environment for classes. What does it include? Developing game activities, sports complexes, books, natural objects and more. Communication with adults will also play an important role. Communication should be meaningful.

For such children, it is extremely important to get new impressions, communicate with adults and friendly-minded peers.

The game is the leading activity for a child of 3-7 years old. Practical communication with an adult who would teach a child to manipulate this or that object in a playful way is of paramount importance for children with mental retardation. In the process of exercises and classes, an adult helps the child to learn the possibilities of interaction with other objects, thereby developing his thought processes. The task of an adult is to stimulate a child with a developmental delay to learn and explore the world around him. You can consult a psychologist for advice on these issues.

Educational games

Corrective classes for children with mental retardation should be diversified with didactic games: nesting dolls and pyramids, cubes and mosaics, lacing games, Velcro, buttons and buttons, inserts, musical instruments, playing devices with the ability to extract sounds. Also, sets for comparing colors and objects will be useful, where different-sized homogeneous things that are different in color will be presented. It is important to "provide" the child with toys for role-playing games. Dolls, cash register, kitchen utensils, cars, home furniture, animals - all this will be extremely useful for full-fledged activities and games. Children are very fond of all kinds of activities and exercises with the ball. Use it for rolling, tossing or teaching your child to throw and catch the ball in a playful way.

Play with sand, water and other natural materials should often be referred to. With such natural "toys" the child really likes to play, besides, they do an excellent job of forming tactile sensations using the play aspect.

The physical education of a preschool child and his healthy psyche in the future directly depend on the game. Active play and exercise on a regular basis will be excellent methods for teaching a child to control his body. It is necessary to do exercises constantly, then the effect of such exercises will be maximum. Positive and emotional communication during the game between the baby and the adult creates a favorable background, which also contributes to the improvement of the nervous system. Using imaginary characters in your games, you help your child to show imagination, creativity, which will contribute to the formation of speech skills.

Communication as a development aid

Talk to your child as often as possible, discuss every little thing with him: everything that surrounds him, what he hears or sees, what he dreams about, plans for the day and weekends, etc. Build short, clear sentences that are easy to understand. When talking, consider not only the quality of words, but also their accompaniment: timbre, gestures, facial expressions. When talking to your child, always make eye contact and smile.

Mental retardation involves the inclusion of listening to music and fairy tales in the correctional training program. They have a positive effect on all children, regardless of whether they have any disabilities or not. Age also does not matter, they are equally loved by children of 3 and 7 years old. Their benefits have been proven by years of pedagogical research.

Books will help you develop your speech in the process of learning. Children's books with bright pictures can be read together, studying the drawings and accompanying them with voice acting. Encourage your child to repeat what they heard or read. Choose the classics: K. Chukovsky, A. Barto, S. Marshak - they will become faithful assistants in the formation of the child's personality.

In the first months and even years of a baby's life, it is impossible to diagnose developmental delay. To identify problems, it is necessary to wait for the stage when the child already shows any skills acquired in the process of life. You should be wary if the baby, for example, has a poor vocabulary compared to peers, later than everyone starts to sit, hold a spoon.

Often, parents rarely notice ZPR in their children, and this disease is easier to determine by kindergarten teachers.

As a rule, a child with mental retardation suffers from an insufficiently accumulated amount of knowledge, a lack of ability to analyze the world around, memory impairment, immaturity of thinking, and a violation of the mechanism for receiving and processing the information received.

At a deeper level of diagnosis, a child with a delay in psychological development has frequent mood swings. He is often inactive in games, infantile, thoughtful in his own way. However, during periods of high spirits, such children become restless, bring to life all their inventions and ideas during games, but they are not at all interested in classes with elements of intellectual development.

In other cases, ZPR in children manifests itself in absolutely the opposite way to the situation described above. In some babies, on the contrary, intellectual development prevails, but personal development is delayed, there is no independence and the ability to get used to a change of scenery. Such children are shy and silent.

Causes of CRA

If suddenly the baby clearly shows signs of mental retardation, it is strongly not recommended to take out aggression on him, forcing him to acquire certain skills by force. It is not difficult to explain such a ban: in fact, the causes of mental retardation lie not in the laziness or unwillingness of the child to develop in any way, but in the pathology of brain dysfunction. Also, a delay in the mental development of a child can act as a consequence of a difficult mother's pregnancy, difficult childbirth, treatment of toxicosis with potent medications, and prematurity of the baby. Very often, ZPR attacks the little one due to hereditary predisposition in the first generation through the mother.

Social predisposition is also worth paying tribute to - often underdevelopment occurs in children who grow up in dysfunctional families where due attention is not paid to the upbringing and development of the youngest member of the family.

If you notice in your child symptoms such as lethargy, incomprehension of human speech; if he fails even a small fraction of what the vast majority of his peers do; if it is difficult for the baby to develop in accordance with the framework - do not waste precious time! It is extremely wrong in such a situation to wait until the delay accumulates over the years - you must immediately contact specialists for help.

Despite the fact that specially trained people are engaged in the restoration of development, parents should not give up. Be sure to look at the pictures with your child, try to analyze the image together. Let the baby work and speech therapist - this will speed up the learning of new words and give the child the skills to build sentences in oral speech.

To determine the type of mental retardation and develop stages for correcting the child's behavior, it is advisable to visit psychologists and psychotherapists. In the process of working with professionals, it is worth paying attention to the psycho-emotional state of the child, the elements of his gestures and motor skills, and the ability to learn.

When making a diagnosis of ZPR, therapy is most effective in a complex of procedures that, if properly applied, can get rid of the defect forever.

In addition to classes with a speech therapist and a child psychologist, the child is recommended microcurrent reflexology. The procedure is an alternative technique, the action of which is directed at the nerve receptors and bioenergy centers of the body. However, the effect of this stage is difficult to predict, since it depends on the individual characteristics of the organization of the nervous system of the baby.

Speech therapy massage is one of the non-traditional methods of treatment of mental retardation of a child. This procedure is aimed at correcting the tone of the muscles responsible for the correct pronunciation of difficult sound combinations. The technique is based on massage of the cheekbones, soft palate, lips, tongue using special speech therapy probes.

Of course, you can not do without drug therapy. In cases of treatment of children suffering from mental retardation, drugs are prescribed by a neurologist. Often this Akatinol and Neuromultivitis.

Do not despair if you notice a mental retardation in your child. With proper treatment and care, the disease disappears without a trace, without being deposited in the memory of the baby. The main thing is to devote more time to the development of the child, as well as to intellectual games that can defeat, and in some cases eliminate (with a generic predisposition), such an unpleasant disease.

Mental retardation in children (the disease is often referred to as ZPR) is a slow rate of improvement of some mental functions: thinking, emotional-volitional sphere, attention, memory, which lags behind generally accepted norms for a particular age.

The disease is diagnosed in the preschool or primary school period. It is most often detected during pre-testing before entering school. It is expressed in the limited ideas, lack of knowledge, inability to intellectual activity, the predominance of gaming, purely children's interests, immaturity of thinking. In each individual case, the causes of the disease are different.

Causes of CRA

In medicine, various causes of mental retardation in children are determined:

1. Biological:

• pregnancy pathologies: severe toxicosis, intoxication, infections, injuries;
• prematurity;
• intrauterine fetal hypoxia;
• asphyxia during childbirth;
• infectious, toxic, traumatic diseases at an early age;
• genetic predisposition;
• trauma during childbirth;
• lagging behind peers in physical development;
• somatic diseases (disturbances in the work of various organs);
• damage to certain parts of the central nervous system.

2. Social:

• limitation of life for a long time;
• mental trauma;
• unfavorable living conditions;
• pedagogical neglect.

Depending on the factors that eventually led to mental retardation, several types of the disease are distinguished, on the basis of which a number of classifications have been compiled.

Types of mental retardation

In medicine, there are several classifications (domestic and foreign) of mental retardation in children. The most famous are M. S. Pevzner and T. A. Vlasova, K. S. Lebedinskaya, P. P. Kovaleva. Most often in modern domestic psychology, the classification of K. S. Lebedinskaya is used.

1. Constitutional ZPR determined by heredity.
2. Somatogenic CRA acquired as a result of a disease that has affected the brain functions of the child: allergies, chronic infections, dystrophy, dysentery, persistent asthenia, etc.
3. Psychogenic mental retardation is determined by the socio-psychological factor: such children are brought up in adverse conditions: a monotonous environment, a narrow circle of friends, lack of maternal love, poverty of emotional relationships, deprivation.
4. Cerebral organic mental retardation observed in the case of serious, pathological abnormalities in the development of the brain and is most often determined by complications during pregnancy (toxicosis, viral diseases, asphyxia, alcoholism or drug addiction of parents, infections, birth injuries, etc.).

Each of the species according to this classification differs not only in the causes of the disease, but also in the symptoms and course of treatment.

ZPR symptoms

With confidence, it is possible to make a diagnosis of mental retardation only on the threshold of the school, when there are obvious difficulties in preparing for the educational process. However, with careful observation of the child, the symptoms of the disease can be noticed earlier. These may include:

• lagging skills and abilities from peers: the child cannot perform the simplest actions characteristic of his age (shoes, dressing, personal hygiene skills, independent food);
• unsociableness and excessive isolation: if he shuns other children and does not participate in common games, this should alert adults;
• indecision;
• aggressiveness;
• anxiety;
• during infancy, such children begin to hold their heads later, take their first steps, and speak.

With a delay in mental development in children, manifestations of mental retardation and signs of a violation in the emotional-volitional sphere, which is very important for the child, are equally possible. Often there is a combination of them. There are cases when a baby with mental retardation practically does not differ from the same age, but most often the retardation is quite noticeable. The final diagnosis is made by a pediatric neurologist during a targeted or preventive examination.

Differences from mental retardation

If by the end of junior (grade 4) school age the signs of mental retardation remain, doctors begin to talk about either mental retardation (MR) or constitutional infantilism. These diseases are:

• with UO, mental and intellectual underdevelopment is irreversible, with mental retardation, everything is fixable with the proper approach;
• children with mental retardation differ from the mentally retarded in the ability to use the help that is provided to them, independently transfer it to new tasks;
• a child with mental retardation tries to understand what he has read, whereas with VR there is no such desire.

When making a diagnosis, do not give up. Modern psychology and pedagogy can offer comprehensive assistance to such children and their parents.

Treatment of mental retardation in children

Practice shows that children with mental retardation may well become students of an ordinary general education school, and not a special correctional one. Adults (teachers and parents) must understand that the difficulties of teaching such children at the very beginning of school life are not at all the result of their laziness or negligence: they have objective, rather serious reasons that must be jointly and successfully overcome. Such children should be provided with comprehensive assistance from parents, psychologists, teachers.

It includes:

• individual approach to each child;
• classes with a psychologist and a teacher of the deaf (who deals with the problems of teaching children);
• in some cases - drug therapy.

Many parents find it difficult to accept the fact that their child, due to the nature of their development, will learn more slowly than other children. But this must be done to help the little schoolboy. Parental care, attention, patience, coupled with the qualified help of specialists (a teacher-defectologist, a psychotherapist) will help to provide him with targeted education, create favorable conditions for learning.

The diagnosis of "mental retardation" sounds like a bolt from the blue for parents. How so? After all, they didn’t notice “anything like that” for their child! And in kindergarten they say that he is lagging behind. Before accusing educators of prejudice, let's take a look at how ADHD manifests itself in children, consider its symptoms and treatment.

Why do children have ADHD and can this problem be eliminated?

Let's start with the definition of the SRP. What it is - can be found in any medical reference book or speech therapy manual. This term means a slowdown in the normal rate of mental maturation of the child in comparison with the accepted age norms. Simply put, if a child has a mental retardation, then at the age of 6 he will be more like a 4 or 5-year-old in his development. Such a pathology occurs in 8-10% of all young patients suffering from mental illness. In 50% of cases, it is ZPR that is detected in lagging students.

Terms are terms, but for moms and dads, the most important thing is whether their child will catch up with their peers, whether they will be able to study at a regular school and enter a university. There is no single answer to these questions. It all depends on the severity of the violation and the persistence of the parents. If a child has a mild degree of mental retardation, then its correction will take up to two years, and speech therapists, psychologists and defectologists can cope with this task. The prognosis is positive, but the child will learn more slowly than the others.

In more complex cases, you can not do without the help of a pediatric neuropsychiatrist and drug therapy. Most likely, the child will have to attend a specialized school: in a regular school, he will lag behind in his studies and become the subject of ridicule. He will not become a great scientist, but he will be able to work and start a family.

The main causes of mental retardation are genetic disorders, birth trauma, pathologies of intrauterine development, parental alcoholism, the mother taking potent drugs during pregnancy, and the premature birth of a baby.

How does ZPR manifest itself?

Specialists quite quickly recognize that a child is lagging behind in development (although there are mistakes here too: pedagogically neglected children sometimes fall into this category). Can the parents themselves suspect that the child has a mental retardation? Symptoms and signs of this pathology in children are quite diverse. We list the most common:

• slow perception. Difficulties with the formation of a holistic image (for example, a child cannot put together a picture cut into several parts). In children with mental retardation, visual perception is more developed than auditory;
• difficulty concentrating. They are easily distracted by any external stimuli (teachers characterize this as follows: "the child is not collected");
• the predominance of visual-figurative memory, fragmentary memorization of information;
• figurative thinking is broken. A child can build a logical chain or make a conclusion only with the help of a teacher or parents;
• speech disorders - incorrect or fuzzy articulation of sounds, poor vocabulary, difficulties in constructing statements, problems with phonemic hearing (the ability to distinguish phonemes by ear, determine their place in a word, name words by sounds);
• difficulties in mastering reading, writing;
• interpersonal disorders - the child prefers to play alone, communicates little with peers, or chooses younger children as friends;
• emotional instability. Children who are lagging behind in mental development suffer from sudden changes in mood, are easily suggestible, and are unable to show independence. They are not self-confident, cannot adequately assess the emotions of others, are often in an anxious state, show apathy or hyperactivity.

Most often, ZPR is detected in preschoolers 4-5 years old, but sometimes such a problem is found in primary school students, when against the background of peers, the slow development of the child becomes very noticeable. If the intellectual and mental processes can be aligned, this diagnosis is removed. If there is no improvement by the end of elementary school, then the question of possible mental retardation may arise.

How to cure developmental delay?

Treatment of mental retardation consists in long-term psychological and pedagogical assistance. A speech therapist, psychologist, defectologist, psychiatrist should deal with the child. But it happens that only methods of psychotherapy are not enough. To eliminate the symptoms of mental retardation in children, nootropic drugs are needed for treatment - drugs that have a direct effect on the central nervous system: they improve memory, mental activity, and have a positive effect on emotional and volitional functions. The child may be prescribed Piracetam, Cerebrolysin, Glycine, Actovegin, Encephabol, Neuromultivit, vitamins, antioxidants - Mexidol, Cytoflavin, restorative drugs - Elcar, Cogitum, Lecithin. Widely used massage, physiotherapy (Ultraton, Darsonval)

Will the child become “like everyone else”?

Do modern methods and drugs help to eliminate the symptoms of mental retardation in children? Reviews about the treatment are far from unambiguous. If we talk about a mild degree, then many achieve excellent results. Regular classes in kindergarten and at home, massages, restorative therapy, trips to the sea - and the child can go to a regular class.

Things are much worse for those children who suffer from a severe form of mental retardation. Their parents note that after a rehabilitation course (including nootropic drugs, electrophoresis, transcerebral micropolarization, general massage) there is a leap in development - new words appear, behavior improves, attention stabilizes. However, such treatment should be carried out regularly. Of the drugs, parents note Neuromultivit and Actovegin. Akatinol memantine earned positive reviews, but this is an expensive remedy.

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We would like to end our short conversation about ZPR with the following recommendation: the sooner the relatives see an unpleasant problem, stop “burying their heads in the sand” and turn to specialists, the higher will be the chances for full compensation for all violations. It is quite possible to eliminate the lag in the preschool period, or at least achieve that development reaches an average level. But this will not happen on its own - the child needs help!

Mental retardation is a pathological condition that occurs in childhood (preschool and school age). According to statistics, signs of mental retardation in primary school students have a negative impact on the performance of about 80% of students.

This article will tell you what is a mental retardation in children, why such a pathology suddenly arises, what symptoms of children's mental retardation are treated, are there any adverse consequences for mental retardation, how to treat pathology and take preventive measures?

What is mental retardation in a child

Mental retardation (MPD) is a pathology in which the development of the baby does not meet the established medical parameters and standards, being at a lower level. ZPR causes a violation of some cognitive functions of the child's body. For example, such aspects of the personality as the emotional and mental sphere, memory and attention suffer.

Why do not all children develop according to the norms

Delayed mental development in children can manifest itself for several reasons.

genetic predisposition. If you look, for example, at children suffering from Down syndrome, they always develop more slowly than their peers. The manifestation of this pathology can be different (both a mild degree of developmental delay, and a more serious condition - mental retardation). There are other types of chromosomal disorders that strongly affect the formation of intelligence in childhood and the acquisition of new skills and abilities by the child.

Personality disorders associated with autism. Children with autism experience great difficulties in communicating with their peers. This happens because of a disturbed perception of the world. Depending on the form of autism (mild or severe), the interaction of the baby with society is either severely limited or even impossible. The nature of childhood autism is still controversial among many experts. None of the scientists can unequivocally answer whether autism belongs to genetic pathologies, or whether it is a mental illness.

Birth injury. If a child during its intrauterine development experiences a state of hypoxia (chronic or acute lack of oxygen), then this negatively affects the functioning of its brain. As a result, after the birth, there are problems with the normal mental development of a child of preschool and primary school age.

The impact on the body of a pregnant woman of unfavorable factors becomes the cause of the appearance of a ZPR in a child. If, during the period of intrauterine gestation, a woman takes potent medications, works in hazardous production conditions, consumes alcohol, drugs, smokes cigarettes, or suffers from an infectious disease, this does not have the best effect on the mental development of her unborn baby.

Mental trauma. If a child suffers a strong emotional shock in early childhood, his intellectual development can be greatly slowed down or even “roll back” far back.

Less common causes

Somatic diseases. Their influence on the intellectual and mental health of the baby can be direct and indirect. If a child has been sick a lot since childhood and constantly stays in a hospital ward, this will definitely affect the state of his psyche, skills and thinking.

Unfavorable psycho-emotional situation within the family. In order for a preschooler (schoolchild) to develop normally and in accordance with medical standards, he must be surrounded by an atmosphere of love and care. Parents should show much attention to the little inhabitant of the house. If the family in which the child grows up is experiencing serious difficulties (for example, lack of money, a serious illness of one of the parents, lack of good housing, the presence of violence in any form (physical or psychological), drug addiction or alcoholism in parents) - this is undoubtedly affects the mental development of a small person. If the child does not have congenital abnormalities at the mental level, then living in a dysfunctional family provokes their appearance.

Violated sensory functions in the child's body. Poor functioning of the organs of hearing and vision prevent the baby from learning about the world around him. If the problem of deafness or blindness cannot be eliminated, then the poor situation with mental development will only get worse. The child does not have enough available means for full interaction and communication with other people, so his mental development slows down.

Pedagogical neglect. The correct and appropriate mental development of children largely depends on whether their parents work with them, whether they help them to learn about the world around them and discover something new in it, whether they contribute to their full and versatile development and correct upbringing.

According to statistics, only 20% of parents read educational books with their child! But this is the guarantee of the future child!

Modern trends show that more and more children suffer from mental development disorders precisely because of pedagogical neglect. Young parents are too keen on computer games, and they do not have time for the development of the baby.

In fact, all the causes of deviations in the mental development of a child from medical standards are divided into:

• biological (pathological conditions that develop during the period of prenatal development of the crumbs);
• social (related to the child's living conditions).

Factors leading to mental retardation in children ultimately affect the classification of pathology.

Varieties of mental retardation in childhood

Differences between mental retardation and mental retardation

The manifestation of mental retardation usually continues until the completion of primary school age (grades 3-4 of school). If the symptoms of pathology are observed at an older age, doctors are already talking about mental retardation. Both pathologies differ from each other in the following aspects:

• mental retardation causes irreversible changes in the intellectual and mental spheres of the personality, and with mental retardation, the underdevelopment of these areas can be corrected by special techniques;
• children suffering from mental retardation are able to use the help that adults give them, and subsequently apply the experience gained in performing new tasks (with mental retardation, a child will not be able to do this);
• children with mental retardation always have a desire to understand the information they read, while crumbs with mental retardation do not have it.

If a child is diagnosed with mental retardation, do not despair. Today, in pedagogy and psychology, there are many methods for correcting and eliminating children's mental developmental delays.

Receiving comprehensive assistance allows special children and their parents to work together through a difficult period of development.

Signs and symptoms of mental retardation in a child

Mental retardation in a child cannot be diagnosed at home. Only an experienced doctor can accurately determine the pathology. However, there are some features by which attentive parents will be able to understand that their child has mental retardation.

1. It is difficult for a child to socialize, he cannot fully communicate with his peers, interact with them.
2. A preschooler experiences difficulties in mastering educational material, cannot keep his attention on any one lesson for a long time, does not concentrate on the teacher's explanations and is constantly distracted.
3. Any failure for such children becomes a reason for resentment, the emergence of emotional instability, the manifestation of vulnerability. Self-isolation appears, kids remember disappointments and resentments for a long time.
4. Skills that are quickly mastered by peers, a child with mental retardation masters with difficulty. He cannot learn elementary life skills (dressing, eating, performing hygiene procedures).
5. The child becomes too anxious, suspicious. Unusual fears take possession of him, aggression appears.
6. Various speech disorders develop.
7. In infants, often against the background of mental developmental abnormalities, pathologies of a physical nature also occur. For example, a baby, much later than his peers, begins to hold his head, talk, crawl, stand and master walking skills.
8. The functions of memory, logic and imaginative thinking in a child with mental retardation are too poorly developed, or completely absent. This is especially noticeable in children aged 2 years and older.

Psychological aspects of the personality of a child with mental retardation

If a child has mental retardation, he has a number of psychological disorders.

1. Difficulties in interpersonal communication. Healthy children in the garden do not want to contact and interact with lagging children. A child with mental retardation does not want to interact with their peers. Children with mental retardation play independently, and in the classroom at school they work separately, communicating with other younger students in a limited way. However, interaction with younger children is more successful for them, because they are well received and understood. There are kids who generally avoid contact with their peers.
2. Emotional disorders. Children with mental retardation are psychologically labile, emotionally unstable, suggestible and dependent. They have increased anxiety, a state of passion, contrasting emotions, sudden mood swings, and anxiety. Sometimes there is an unhealthy cheerfulness and a sudden upsurge in mood. Children suffering from mental retardation cannot independently characterize their emotional state, and do not distinguish between the emotions of those people who surround them. Prone to aggression. In addition, they have self-doubt, low self-esteem, pathological attachment to one (or several) of their peers.

Complications and consequences of mental retardation

The main consequences of CRA in children are negative changes in the psychological health of the baby. In the case when the problem cannot be corrected, there is a further estrangement of the child from the team, his self-esteem is significantly reduced. The progression of mental retardation causes a deterioration in the functions of speech and writing, difficulties in social adaptation.

Features of the diagnosis of mental retardation

Diagnosing mental retardation in children in the early stages is very difficult. Difficulties are associated with the fact that specialists need to compare and analyze the existing mental state of a preschooler with those age norms that exist in medicine.

Before determining the level and nature of the ZPR, a medical consultation is held, which includes a speech pathologist, a speech therapist, a psychologist and a psychotherapist.

They evaluate the following criteria for the development of a small patient:

• speech development;
• perception of various surrounding objects, forms, correct orientation in space;
• thinking;
• memory;
• visual activity;
• ability to serve themselves independently, their level;
• schooling skills;
• level of self-awareness and sociability;
• Attention.

As the main research methods, experts use the Bailey scale, the Denver test and IQ. Instrumental methods of MRI, CT and EEG are used as additional means.

Features of correction and treatment of mental retardation in childhood

In order for a preschooler suffering from mental retardation to be able to catch up with his peers in development, he needs to make an accurate diagnosis in a timely manner and begin the treatment process. In order for a child with mental disabilities to have the opportunity to attend a normal, rather than a correctional school, his parents must enlist the support of a psychologist, psychiatrist, speech therapist (and sometimes a psychotherapist), forming a common and unified team with them. For successful correction of ZPR, an integrated approach is often used, using homeopathic and medicinal products.

The main burden in the treatment of mental retardation falls on the shoulders of the parents of a special child. The main emphasis is on correcting violations at the psychological and pedagogical level. The procedure improves emotional-communicative and cognitive functions.

After the detection of symptoms of mental retardation in children, treatment is prescribed by a doctor using complex methods. A speech therapist, a psychologist, a neurologist and a defectologist are engaged with the baby.

Sometimes psycho-correction does not give positive results, therefore, doctors recommend, in order to achieve a stable result, to reinforce psycho-correction with drug therapy, which is based on nootropic drugs.

Correction of ZPR with medicines involves the use of the following drugs:

• homeopathic medicines (including Cerebrum Compositum);
• antioxidant compounds (Cytoflavin, Mexidol);
• Glycine;
• Aminalon, Piracetam;
• Vitamins and vitamin complexes (Magne B6, Multivit, group B components);
• medicinal formulations of general tonic action (Lecithin, Kogitum).

How to prevent mental development problems

Good and effective prevention of children's mental retardation is based on the early and comprehensive development of babies. In general, medical experts advise the child's parents to adhere to the following simple rules in order to prevent ZPR.

• It is necessary to create optimal conditions for the successful course of pregnancy and childbirth in a woman.
• In a family where a small child is growing, a favorable and friendly environment should be created.
• If the baby develops any diseases, they must be treated promptly.
• From the first days after birth, the condition of the baby must be carefully monitored.
• From an early age, you need to constantly engage with the baby, developing abilities and skills.

In the prevention of mental retardation in children, contact between the mother and the baby at the emotional and physical level is of great importance. The child will feel calm when his mother hugs and kisses him. Thanks to attention and care, the baby is better oriented in a new environment for him, learns to adequately perceive the world around him.

We hope that after reading this article, you will be able to recognize the symptoms of CKD in children and start treatment in time. If you found this article helpful, don't forget to rate it 5 stars below!