Deviations in the mental and intellectual development of the child are usually detected at preschool or school age, when the symptoms of these abnormalities become most noticeable.
It is not always easy to determine whether mental retardation or mental retardation occurs in children, since these conditions have similar features. But the CRA, in contrast to mental retardation, is expressed more gently and more successfully compensated.
What is the difference between ZPR and oligophrenia?
When parents notice that their child lags behind peersthey feel anxious and rush to contact pediatricians and child psychologists to make sure everything is in order.
It is important to remember: each child develops at an individual pace, and what the parent may perceive as a deviation will not in fact appear.
It is more difficult for a child with mental retardation to memorize information, concentrate in class, control his own behavior. The emotional background of such children is unstable. If the CRA do not compensate before school starts, the child will regularly receive unsatisfactory marks.
In the order of 15-16% of children, this or that degree of CRA is observed. But mental retardation is always possible to eliminate, if you actively engage with the child according to specialized techniques. The sooner the CRA is identified, the higher the chances of overcoming it completely.
If a child has mental retardation, eliminate it will not succeed. The main task of teachers, psychologists and parents is to prepare him for adulthood as much as possible: to teach reading, writing, counting, to give basic household skills.
The more pronounced the oligophrenia, the less likely it is that the child will be able to support himself in the future.
Mental retardation almost always combined with deviations that have developed in the prenatal period, and severe genetic diseases (Down, Angelman, Rett, Williams syndromes). CRA may also be associated with disorders present in a child, but these disorders are less serious than those that are characterized by mental retardation.
Only 1% of the population has a diagnosis of oligophrenia.. Wherein:
- more than 80% of oligophrenics have mild degree mental retardation (in the special literature it is also called debility);
- moderate degree oligophrenia was detected in 10% (also referred to as imbecility of weak severity);
- severe and extremely severe degree malium have a total of about 5% oligophrenics.
The difference between oligophrenia and CRA is extremely significant and is easily noticed in practice. Children with CRA have a higher than oligophrenic development potentialand their skills (motor skills, ability to memorize and reproduce information, thinking, attention, control of behavior) are much better developed.
With properly organized correctional work, abnormalities in mental development can almost always be compensated for, unlike in mental retardation.
How to identify child retardation?
All children in educational institutions are tested for their degree of development, and therefore the CRA and more serious intellectual defects are detected quickly enough. Also, that the child is lagging behind and needs to be shown to specialists, teachers and psychologists working in an educational institution can say.
Light degrees of CRA are capable go unnoticed even by a schoolboy. The fact that with the processes of formation of the psyche and the intellect of the child is not all normal, can say his marks and information about the behavior. If he has poor academic performance, he is restless, does not know how to control behavior, it is important to show him to specialists.
Part of children with CRA have no disturbances in the emotional sphere. They are able to control behavior, are less distracted and do not cause problems to parents and caregivers, therefore, only the marks of the child will tell about the presence of a delay: if they are consistently satisfactory and unsatisfactory, it is important to go to the hospital.
Light degrees of oligophrenia may also be missed before school age, and in rare cases until adulthood.
The main signs of mild oligophrenia in a preschooler child:
- the child is overly irritable;
- not interested in communicating with peers;
- does not show significant emotionality in contact with adults;
- not interested in toys up to three or four years old (the rest of the children in this age period actively use them);
- at an older age, when peers are trying to copy the behavior of adults, they play in the “profession”, in “daughter-mothers”, they become interested in toys.
More severe degrees of oligophrenia detected in the first two or three years of a child's life, because they have pronounced symptoms (see photo). It is important for parents to know the norms of mental development for each age period.
If a baby does not hold its head for a month and a half, and does not begin to babble at six or eight months, this may indicate the presence of CRA or oligophrenia.
Symptoms and signs
How to understand that a child is lagging behind in development? Main symptoms of mental retardation:
- slight deviations in cognitive processes relating to all functions (memory, thinking, attention, perception, speech skills) are affected;
- impaired ability to correctly analyze information coming from outside;
- the presence of signs characteristic of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (instability of mood, pronounced difficulties with concentration, excessive activity, vigor, impulsivity);
- small vocabulary;
- difficulties in formulating proposals, especially complex ones;
- aggressiveness, irritability, low stress tolerance (the child reacts violently to any, even minor, stressful situation);
- excessive anxiety, possible sleep disturbance, appetite;
- low development of fantasy;
- poor coordination of movements, carelessness;
- nervous tics and other dyskinesias.
The most noticeable delay in mental development becomes at preschool and school age. The severity of symptoms may vary.
Mental retardation, which is observed in the case of mental retardation, is not included in the modern classification of diseases, because it is not sufficiently expressed (IQ level above 68). It is called marginal mental retardation.
In contact with the topic of oligophrenia, it is important to take into account the degree, since the differences between the different degrees of mental disability are extremely significant.
A child with mild and even moderate mental retardation has a chance to learn most of the skills you need for everyday life and serve yourselfif it receives high-quality treatment, and a child with severe or deep degrees is not capable of almost anything and needs palliative support first of all.
Main symptoms of mild to moderate mental retardation:
- lack of abstract thinking;
- severe motility disorders (awkward movements, more pronounced than in children with CRA);
- speech disorders (speech is slow, not clear enough);
- difficulties in trying to formulate cues (often get clumsy phrases);
- small vocabulary;
- undeveloped will;
- lack of ability to form an opinion in various aspects, combined with the willingness to accept someone else's (one of the reasons why mentally disabled people often fall under the influence of criminals);
- pronounced cognitive impairment (the child remembers the information poorly, has difficulty when it comes to retelling the material, and because of thinking disorders, he is not able to find logical connections in the information that is given to him, it is also difficult for him to concentrate on various occupations).
People with mild and moderate oligophrenia do a fairly good job of doing everyday things and are able to perform monotonous physical work. It takes a lot of effort to prepare the oligophrenic child for a future life, and the lower the IQ, the more difficult this task.
With a severe degree of imbecility, the vocabulary of an adult does not exceed 200-400 words, he is inactive, he only cares about the satisfaction of physiological needs.
If you apply enough diligence in childhood, you can give such a person some basic skills. But he will still need support throughout his life.
People with a very severe degree of oligophrenia - idiocy - deep disabledwho are not able to talk, are almost incapable of expressing emotions (they almost always have only two emotional states available, which can be designated as “satisfaction” and “dissatisfaction”), have pronounced motor abnormalities. The idiocy is almost always combined with other serious disorders.
Degrees of severity
Mental retardation has the following degrees of severity.:
- Easy The formation of the child is delayed in the framework of one age stage.
- Average. The child lags behind in formation by one or two age stages.
- Heavy The child lags behind more than two age stages.
In the past oligophrenia also had three severities: debility, imbecility, idiocy. Now there are four degrees of severity:
- Easy. A child has an IQ of 50-69 points.
- Moderate: 35-49 points.
- Heavy: 20-34 points.
- Deep: below 20 points.
Also, many researchers tend to abandon the names that existed in the old classification.
Causes of pathology
The main factors causing CRA and similar deviations:
- Biological: mild brain developmental disorders in the prenatal period, complications of infectious diseases, hypoxia and other complications during childbirth, bad habits of the mother (smoking, alcohol, drugs), mothers taking medications that are not suitable for pregnant women, prematurity, genetic disorders.
At the same time, insufficient development of the psyche and intellect can be observed in children who were born healthy. If a child is often sick with severe diseases, it also affects his mental development.
- Social: abundance of stressful situations (death of loved ones, war, separation from parents), development in an unhealthy environment (life with alcoholic parents, drug addicts), toxic parents (those that regularly humiliate, beat a child, load it with demands that do not meet its age, or those that ignore it), malnutrition, hyper care.
The main reasons for the formation of mental retardation:
- Biological: birth trauma, asphyxia, oxygen deprivation, genetic diseases (the most severe degrees of oligophrenia are often associated with genetic diseases), pronounced deviations in the process of formation of the central nervous system, mother's drinking, drugs during gestation, taking medications that are not suitable for pregnant women, complications after severe infectious diseases, the effects of rhesus conflict. Society almost never affects the formation of mental retardation.
- Pedagogical neglect: almost complete lack of education, training. Usually observed in deeply marginal and asocial families.
The psychology of such children
Children with mental retardation and mental retardation have a lot of similar behavioral traits, such as:
- mood imbalance;
- hot temper, aggressiveness;
- hyperexcitability;
- impulsiveness;
- increased activity or, conversely, timidity, shyness;
- inability or unwillingness to play with peers;
- poorly developed ability to control behavior;
- restlessness;
- lack of initiative;
- increased fatigue.
The severity of these characteristics depends on many factors, such as the severity of the deviation, the situation in society, the quality of education, training, individual characteristics of the child.
Children with severe and deep degrees of mental retardation they are not interested in the world around them, their emotional range is extremely limited, emotional and any other contact with it is difficult.
The situation may slightly improve in the process of carrying out qualitative remedial work.
What if the baby is stunted?
If parents notice that their child is lagging behind their peers, it is important for them to remember that they may be wrong.
Labeling a child should never: each person has an individual pace of development, and any child can have serious difficulties in getting acquainted with any topic. This does not make it lagging behind in development.
If the parents suspect that the child has any degree of lag, they should contact the pediatrician. He will examine the child and, if necessary, give direction to a neurologist and a psychiatrist.
When diagnosis will stand (if he is, of course), the attending physician will explain in detail to the parents how they should act to help the child.
Diagnostics
During the initial examination, the doctor talks with the child and parents, asks clarifying questions and, if the intellectual inferiority is suspected, gives direction to further surveysincluding:
- magnetic resonance imaging;
- computed tomography;
- electroencephalography;
- consult a psychologist, neurologist, psychiatrist.
There are also tests that determine the level of intelligence of the child. Based on the results of the examination, a diagnosis is made: oligophrenia of a certain degree or mental retardation.
Children with easily detectable genetic pathologies, always accompanied by mental retardation (for example, Down syndrome), are diagnosed with oligophrenia immediately after birth.
Differential diagnosis of mental retardation (Oligophrenia): autism, CRA:
How to treat?
The basis of the treatment and DSS, and oligophrenia - long-term correctional work with psychologists, psychotherapists and defectologists.
In most cases, it allows you to completely eliminate CRA and help the child with oligophrenia to master the basic skills necessary for later life.
Medicines in the treatment of these disorders are practically not used. Drug therapy is indicated in the presence of symptoms that can be eliminated. For example, in the presence of sleep disorders and increased excitability, sedatives can be prescribed. The expediency of the appointment of certain funds is determined by the attending physician.
Physiotherapy has a positive effect. Useful massage courses, regular exercise.
Education and training
Work with children with mental retardation or mental retardation, requires teachers and parents patience. When working, you should always take into account the individual characteristics of the child.
The basic principles of working with children with mental retardation or mental retardation, based on the conclusions of L. S. Vygotsky:
- Providing the child the opportunity to act independently. You should not limit the child and do everything for him: the more he will practice, the higher his results will be and the faster he will master the necessary skills.
- Providing assistance to the child in cases where he is clearly not able to perform the task himself. At the same time, assistance should not involve the performance of all work for the child. The helper (parent, educator, teacher) should help the child in that area, which is given to him very badly, and if possible bring him to the solution in the process of interaction.
Parents of a child with CRA are often advised. giving it to school is not at six or seven, but at eight. This recommendation is extremely useful, because in this case, the child will have more opportunity to prepare physically, emotionally and intellectually for school.
Parents caring for a child with oligophrenia and CRA often feel inferior, may feel negative emotions towards him, get annoyed if he does something wrong.
It is important for them to contact a psychologist or psychotherapist if they notice these signs. Specialized help will not only improve their mental well-being, but also help them to interact better with the child, which will favorably affect its development.
Parenting advice for parents:
- Avoid the desire to do everything for the child. Even if it is easier and faster to do everything yourself, it is important to suppress this impulse and allow the child to do everything himself. Help him only in that it is very difficult for him to accomplish.
- Do not expect much. Working with a lagging child requires tremendous patience, and it is not always possible to achieve quick improvement. It is important to always remember that visible results will not appear soon.
- Praise more often. Timely praise will help the child maintain motivation and improve his mental well-being. If a child in the family is regularly criticized and offended, he develops much worse.
- Practice regularly. Даже если у ребенка есть занятия с замечательными психологами, логопедами и дефектологами, важно поддерживать с ним эмоциональный контакт и прилагать усилия по обучению. К примеру, во время прогулки по городу спрашивайте его о том, какого цвета и какой формы тот или иной объект, объясняйте различия, будьте доброжелательны.
Во время работы с отстающими детьми специалисты организовывают занятия так, чтобы тем было легче усвоить материал.
Для этого они учитывают следующие regulations:
- Дозированность информации. Дети должны получать такое количество сведений, которое они смогут усвоить.
- Большое количество наглядного материала. Детям с ЗПР легче усваивать информацию, поданную в виде изображения или видео, а не словесные сведения.
- Частое повторение. Педагогу важно убедиться, что информация усвоена, и только после этого переходить к следующей теме. Но того количества повторений, которого хватает для нормально развивающегося ребенка, ребенку с ЗПР не хватит.
- Регулярная смена деятельности. Из-за проблем с усидчивостью и концентрацией отстающим детям сложно заниматься одной и той же деятельностью больше определенного времени.
Игровая деятельность underlies работы с детьми дошкольного и младшего школьного возраста.
Развивающие игры для детей с отклонениями
Развивающие игры подбираются педагогом, в зависимости от потребностей и степени развитости отдельно взятого ребенка.
Игры, развивающие:
- Моторику. Это любые игры, так или иначе связанные с двигательной активностью и с предметным взаимодействием. Примерами являются такие игры, как «Ладушки-ладушки», «Кто быстрее перенесет фрукты», «Поймай воздушный пузырь», «Прокати шарики». Полезно предлагать ребенку в игровой форме взаимодействовать с любыми предметами. Также моторику хорошо развивают любые занятия творчеством. Родителям, которые хотят помочь ребенку овладеть важными моторными навыками, можно сделать или приобрести особую игрушку-тренажер (бизиборд), содержащую в себе несколько элементов, с которыми нужно взаимодействовать. Например, это может быть матерчатая панель, к которой пришиты шнурки, которые можно будет завязать, и несколько молний, которые можно будет расстегнуть и застегнуть.
- Мышление. К этой группе относятся игры, которые нацелены на развитие способности ребенка находить связи между объектами и явлениями. Примеры: «Назови одним словом» (перечисляются слова «лиса», «заяц», «волк», и дети должны сказать, что это дикие животные, и так далее), «Найди лишнее», «Разложи по порядку».
- Память. Практически все игры в той или иной степени развивают память. Но наиболее ценными являются игры, которые позволяют ребенку усвоить важные сведения об окружающем мире (информацию о цветах, форме, размерах и так далее). К примеру, к ним можно отнести такие игры, как «Чудесный мешочек» (развитие моторики и умения распознавать предметы на ощупь), «Большой-маленький». Очень полезны для развития памяти и других когнитивных функций занятия творчеством.
Если психическое развитие ребенка задерживается незначительно, он может посещать обычный детский сад.
Но в случае более серьезных задержек разумнее определить его в заведение для детей со схожими нарушениями, где им будет предоставлена специализированная поддержка.
Родителям, воспитывающим ребенка с задержками в развитии, важно помнить, что со временем улучшения появятся, следует лишь набраться терпения.
