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  • With a delay in mental development is observed. Signs and symptoms of ZPR in a child - especially the development of children, behavior, habits. The principles of therapeutic therapy

With a delay in mental development is observed. Signs and symptoms of ZPR in a child - especially the development of children, behavior, habits. The principles of therapeutic therapy

Mental and motor development is the main indicator of the baby’s health. Each baby develops in its own way, but, despite this, there are general trends in the formation of the emotional, cognitive, motor activity of the child. When a baby is faced with developmental difficulties or with an inability to master new knowledge, skills, it is a question of a delay in mental development (or in short - ZPR). Detecting lag at an early stage is difficult due to the individual child development schedule, but the sooner the problem is discovered, the easier it is to correct it. Therefore, each parent should have an idea of \u200b\u200bthe main factors, symptoms of developmental abnormalities, and methods of therapy.

Delayed development is a disorder of an adequate rate of psychomotor, mental and speech development. When lagging behind, some mental functions, such as the ability to think, memory, level of attention, etc., do not reach an adequate degree of severity established for a specific age period. The diagnosis of ZPR is reliably made only at preschool or primary school age. When the baby is growing up, and the delay still cannot be corrected, then we are talking about serious violations, for example, mental retardation. Delay is more often found when children are admitted to school or primary school. The child has a lack of basic knowledge in the first grade, infantilism of thinking, the dominance of the game in activity. Children are not able to do intellectual work.

Causes

There are several reasons for the occurrence of ZPR. They are divided into biological or social factors. The reasons for the biological type include:

  1. The negative course of pregnancy. This includes severe toxicosis, infection, intoxication and trauma, fetal hypoxia.
  2. Prematurity, asphyxia, or damage during childbirth.
  3. Infectious, toxic or traumatic diseases suffered during infancy.
  4. Genetic factors.
  5. Violations of constitutional development, somatic diseases.
  6. Disorders of the central nervous system.

The social causes that cause ZPR include:

  1. Obstacles that limit the active life of the baby.
  2. Adverse education conditions, traumatic situation in the life of the child, his family.

ZPR arises from impaired functioning of the nervous system, hereditary diseases, as well as many social causes. Therefore, it is important to remember that the features of correction of mental retardation depend on how quickly eliminate the causes of the delay.

The main types of ZPR

The typology of forms of ZPR is based on the causes of its occurrence. Stand out:

  1. Violation of the mental development of the constitutional type. Children are characterized by bright, but unstable emotions, their game activity, spontaneity and high emotional background dominate.
  2. Somatogenic retardation of mental development. The emergence of this form is provoked by somatic diseases transferred at an early age.
  3. Delay of a psychogenic nature, i.e., a delay caused by negative conditions of upbringing, insufficient guardianship, or, conversely, hyper-custody. A feature of this form of ZPR is the formation of an emotionally immature personality.
  4. Mental retardation as a result of abnormal functioning of the nervous system.

Knowledge of the types of ZPR facilitates the diagnosis, allows you to choose the best methods of correction of the disease.

Symptoms

With ZPR, cognitive impairment is insignificant, but it covers mental processes.

  • The level of perception in a child with mental retardation is characterized by slowness and inability to form a holistic image of the subject. Auditory perception is the most affected, therefore, an explanation of the new material for children with ZPR must necessarily be accompanied by visual objects.
  • Situations that require concentration and stability of attention cause difficulties, since any external influences switch attention.
  • Hyperactivity disorder along with attention deficit disorder is characteristic of children with ZPR. The memory level in such children is selective, with poor selectivity. Basically, the visual-figurative type of memory works; the verbal type of memory is underdeveloped.
  • No imaginative thinking. The kid uses abstract logical type of thinking, but only under the guidance of a teacher.
  • It is difficult for a child to make conclusions, compare, generalize concepts.
  • The child’s speech is characterized by distortion of sounds, limited vocabulary, the complexity of constructing phrases, sentences.
  • ZPR is often accompanied by a delay in speech development, dyslalia, dysgraphia, dyslexia.

In the sphere of emotions in children with developmental delays, emotional instability, lability, a high level of anxiety, anxiety, and emotions are observed. It is difficult for children to express their emotions, they are aggressive. Children with mental retardation are closed, rarely and rarely communicate with peers. They experience insecurity in communication, prefer loneliness. In children with ZPR, game activity dominates, but they have monotonous and stereotypical activity. Children do not follow the rules of the game, prefer a monotonous plot.

The main property of the lag in mental development is that it is possible to compensate for the lag only in conditions of special training and correction.

Learning under normal conditions is not recommended for a child with ZPR. Special conditions are required.

Diagnosis

Lag is not diagnosed in children at birth. Babies do not have physical deficiencies, so parents often do not notice developmental delays, because they always appreciate the potential of their baby. The first signs begin to notice when the children go to preschool or school. Usually, teachers immediately notice that such children can’t cope with the learning load, poorly master the learning material.

In some cases, a delay in the development of emotions is clearly pronounced, and intellectual disturbances are not expressed. In such children, emotional development is at the initial stage of formation and corresponds to the mental development of a young child. At school, such children have difficulty observing the rules of behavior, with the inability to obey and follow generally accepted rules. In such children, the game remains the predominant type of activity. Moreover, thinking, memory and attention reach the norm in development - this is the main feature of such children. In other cases, there are clear deficiencies in intellectual development. They have no problems with discipline, they are assiduous, but it is difficult for them to master the curriculum. Memory and attention are low, and thinking is primitive.

Diagnosis of developmental delays is only possible using a comprehensive psychological and pedagogical examination, which involves psychotherapists, defectologists, psychologists and speech therapists. A feature of the approach is that it evaluates the level of development of mental processes, motor activity, motor skills, analyzes errors in the field of mathematics, writing and speech. Parents should consult a specialist if the first symptoms occur. Norms correspond to each stage of development; close attention must be paid to their violation. Deviations from the norm:

  1. At the age of 4 months to 1 year, the child has no reaction to the parents, no sounds are heard from him.
  2. At the age of 1.5, the baby does not pronounce elementary words, does not understand when his name is by name, does not understand simple instructions.
  3. At the age of 2 years, the child uses a small set of words, does not remember new words.
  4. At 2.5 years old, the child’s vocabulary is no more than 20 words, he does not compose a phrase and does not understand the names of objects.
  5. At the age of 3 years, the child does not make sentences, does not understand simple stories, cannot repeat what was said. The kid speaks quickly or, conversely, stretches the words.
  6. At the age of 4 years, the baby does not have coherent speech, does not operate with concepts, and reduced concentration. Low level of auditory and visual memory.

Pay attention to the emotional sphere. Typically, these children have hyperactivity. Children are inattentive, quickly tire, they have a low level of memory. They also have difficulty communicating with both adults and peers. Symptoms of ZPR can also occur with disorders of the central nervous system (central nervous system). It is advisable to conduct a study using electroencephalography.

Complications and consequences

The consequences are mainly reflected in the personality of the child. When measures are not taken in time to eliminate the developmental delay, it, in turn, leaves an imprint on the future life of the child. If the developmental problem is not corrected, then the child aggravates all his problems, he continues to separate from the team, closes himself even more. When adolescence comes, the child may form an inferiority complex and appear low self-esteem. This, in turn, causes difficulties in communicating with friends and the opposite sex.

The level of cognitive processes also decreases. Written and spoken language is even more distorted, and there are difficulties in mastering everyday and working skills.

In the future, it will be difficult for children with ZPR to master a profession, enter the labor collective and establish personal life. In order to avoid all these difficulties, correction and treatment of developmental delays should be started with the appearance of the first symptoms.

Treatment and correction

Correction must be started as early as possible. The treatment should be based on an integrated approach. The sooner it starts, the greater the likelihood that the delay can be adjusted. The main methods of treatment include:

  • microcurrent reflexology, i.e., the method of the influence of electrical impulses on the working points of the brain. The method is used for ZPR of cerebral-organic origin;
  • constant consultations with speech therapists and speech therapists. Speech therapy massage, articulatory gymnastics, methods of developing memory, attention, thinking are used;
  • drug therapy. It is prescribed only by a neurologist.

Additionally, work with a child psychologist is necessary, especially if the delay is caused by social factors. You can also use alternative methods, such as dolphin therapy, hippotherapy, art therapy, as well as many psychological and educational developmental exercises. The main role in the correction is played by the participation of parents. Creating a safe atmosphere in the family, proper upbringing and support of loved ones will help the child gain self-confidence, reduce emotional stress and achieve effective results in treatment, and the prognosis will be favorable.

Rules for raising a child with ZPR

  • Relationship with mother. Relationship with mother is extremely important for a child, because it is she who supports him, tells what to do, cares and loves. That is why the mother should be an example, support for the sake of the child. If the child does not receive all this from the mother, then resentment and stubbornness arise. That is, the child in this behavior signals the mother that he urgently needs her adequate assessment and attention.
  • Do not push the baby. Whatever the baby does, whether it’s eating porridge, collecting a designer or drawing, it is important not to rush him. Otherwise, you will cause him stress, and this, in turn, will adversely affect its development.
  • Annoying parents. Seeing him, the child may fall into a stupor, and not even take simple actions: the baby subconsciously feels disappointment and anxiety, loss of security.
  • Communication An important stage is to create a strong emotional connection with the child and help him transfer his fears from the category “fear for oneself” to “fear for others”. Teach the little one compassion - to begin with at the "inanimate" level (to toys, characters of books), and then to people, animals and the world as a whole.
  • Fears - no. Freedom from fear allows the child to develop intellectually, since the barrier disappears from fear.
  • Skills are important. Find out what your child is good at, and develop it in him. It is impossible to teach a fish how to fly, but swimming is possible. This is what you have to do.

Prevention

Prevention of a developmental delay in a child requires accurate pregnancy planning, as well as preventing the negative impact of external factors on the child. During pregnancy, it is necessary to try to avoid infections and various diseases, as well as to prevent them from a child at an early age. Social factors of development cannot be ignored. The main task of parents should be to create positive conditions for the development of the baby and a happy atmosphere in the family.

The child needs to be engaged and develop it from infancy. Much attention in the prevention of ZPR is given to creating emotional-bodily communication between parents and the baby. He should feel confident and calm. This will help him to develop correctly, orient himself in the environment and adequately perceive the world around him.

Forecast

The lag in the development of the child is surmountable, because with proper work with the baby and correction of development, positive changes will appear.

Such a child will need help where ordinary children do not need it. But children with ZPR are trained, it just takes more time and effort. With the help of teachers and parents, the child will be able to master any skills, school subjects, and after school go to college or university.

Every mother dreams that her baby should be the best and most successful. But sometimes parents notice that their baby develops more slowly than their peers. Minimum deviations from the norm are quite acceptable and may depend on the individual characteristics of a particular child. But if the problem begins to manifest itself more clearly, it is recommended to visit a doctor and a psychologist with the baby, and if violations are found, take action to eliminate them as soon as possible. ZPR in preschool children - what to do?

Mental retardation in preschool children is characterized by:

  • personal immaturity;
  • slow speed of mental development;
  • mental disability in a mild but persistent form;
  • pathology of cognitive activity in a rough form.

At school, a child with ZPR can be distinguished by the following characteristic problems:

  1. It’s hard for a child to obey adults.
  2. It’s not easy to stay until the end of class.
  3. It is difficult for him to learn, as he seeks only for entertainment and games.
  4. It is difficult for a kid to keep his attention on mental activity.

Important! Symptoms of violations can be detected in children long before the child sits at the school desk. So, you can timely correct the situation and help the baby.

ZPR is ...


ZPR is a violation of the correct rate of mental development of the child. Pathology is manifested in a slowdown in the process of emotional and psychological perception of the world around, poor memory and attention, and a delay in the formation of thought processes.

Physically, such children can be completely healthy, while experiencing difficulties in social adaptation. Among all children with ZPR, about 15-16% of babies are found.

With a delay in mental development, either mental activity or emotional one can suffer. In the first case, the kids are calm and timid, obedient, but have difficulty learning. In the second case, while maintaining normal mental abilities, the emotional background of children does not correspond to age, they have problems with discipline, concentration of attention on learning.

What is mental retardation (video)

Causes of ZPR

ZPR in children of preschool age. Difficulties in the development of babies are associated with the causes and time of the occurrence of pathologies, the degree of damage and the importance of the affected function in the system of mental development.


The main groups of factors that provoke ZPR include:

  • lack of communication, leading to a lack of public experience;
  • biological factors that impede the normal maturation of brain structures;
  • the presence of various somatic diseases;
  • negative social environment in which the child grew up;
  • lack of age-appropriate, full-fledged activities that allow the child to gain social experience.

Also, the causes of ZPR include unfavorable factors during pregnancy of the mother or various complications during childbirth:


  • diseases of the mother of a chronic nature (diabetes mellitus, heart disease, thyroid disease);
  • diseases when bearing a child (flu, mumps, rubella);
  • toxoplasmosis;
  • toxicosis (especially dangerous in the 2nd and 3rd trimester);
  • rh factor incompatibility in mother and baby;
  • use during pregnancy by the mother of hormonal drugs, nicotine, alcohol, narcotic substances;
  • asphyxia of the baby during childbirth or its threat;
  • injuries to the child caused by the use of obstetric instruments;
  • somatic and infectious diseases of young children;
  • damage to the nervous system of the crumbs that occur after injuries, infections, prolonged anesthesia, etc.

Remember! The cause of ZPR may be a genetic predisposition in the baby's family to pathologies in the mental and mental sphere.

Also, a delay in the mental development of the secondary species can occur due to defects in the visual system and impaired auditory activity, speech deficiencies, which leads to limited communication and a lack of sensory information.

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ZPR classification

ZPR in children of preschool age. To systematize violations, the classification of C.S. Lebedinsky, a well-known children's defectologist and psychiatrist.


The delay in mental development in children is divided into 4 types:

  1. Somatogenic.   With this form, violations are caused by excessive custody of the children by the parents, when relatives do everything for the crumbs, not allowing them to show independence, without which it is impossible to study and know the world around them. The second reason for somatogenic ZPR can be long and frequent illnesses of a child at an early age, in this case all the forces of the body are aimed at recovery, weakness and decreased activity are noted, in such conditions the development of the psyche slows down.
  2. Constitutional. This type of ZPR is due to heredity, when such violations were found in close relatives of the crumbs. This form is manifested in the underdevelopment of the emotional-volitional background. In such kids, the inability to make independent decisions without the help of loved ones, a rapid change of emotions and their turbulence is noted. By the school period, children with a constitutional form of ZPR do not show a desire for knowledge and learning, they prefer primarily game activity.
  3. Cerebral organic. This is the most common form of ZPR with the most negative prognosis. In this case, the disorders are caused by organic lesions of the central nervous system of the child due to pathologies of bearing the crumbs, birth injuries, prematurity or neuroinfection. In children, there is MMD - minimal cerebral dysfunction, mild developmental disorders, manifested in a variety of areas related to mental activity. Such kids are not emotional and are characterized by poverty of imagination.
  4. Psychogenic. The reasons for this type of ZPR are social disadvantage in families of children when there is aggression or violence at home, and the children are left to their own devices and no one is engaged in them. As a result, the rules of behavior in society are not inculcated in such kids, the level of knowledge about the world around them is at a rather low level.

Kids with mental retardation are trained. Teachers help to inculcate skills and abilities that healthy children can master independently, for children with ZPR.

Symptoms of ZPR

ZPR in children of preschool age. The sooner it is possible to identify the presence of mental retardation, the more successful the treatment and the more favorable prognosis. Typically, signs of disturbance are noticeable from an early age.


These include:

  • immaturity of the emotional-volitional sphere;
  • the inability of the crumbs to eat on their own due to the inability to use cutlery, the later appearance of speech and the ability to walk, crawl and hold his head;
  • low interest in learning about the world, lethargy and weak activity, such kids ask few questions, are self-absorbed and do not show interest in communicating with peers;
  • or vice versa, increased anxiety and aggression, moodiness and poor, restless sleep.
  • pathological motor activity or, conversely, reduced;
  • lag in the development of various self-service skills, for example, difficulties in tying shoelaces, dressing in general.

Remember! The final diagnosis can only be made by specialists after a comprehensive examination of the crumbs.

The task of parents is the timely detection of these alarming signs and contact a doctor. Even if the specialist does not detect deviations, it is better to play it safe and check the crumbs to avoid exacerbating problems in the future.

Characterization of children with mental retardation

Usually, children under 8 years old are diagnosed with ZPR. At different age periods, the symptoms of the disorders appear in different ways.


At 2 years

At this age, the child should actively show interest in the world around him, be interested in everything new, ask a lot of questions.


  What should a child be able to do at 2 years old

Also, in the norm, the crumb during this period recognizes the mother and other loved ones and shows positive emotions when they appear.

Mental skills by this time should also be sufficiently developed. For example, there are various games where the child must insert figures of different shapes into the holes. The crumb must cope with this task independently.

In 3-4 years

At this age, the baby begins to develop an outlook, he is able to call a spade a spade. For example, a child should understand what a machine is and why it is needed, who the doctor is and what kind of work he does.


The narrow vocabulary and the lack of basic knowledge about objects and the world as a whole should raise suspicions and become an occasion for going to a specialist.

At 5-6 years old

During this period, the child should be able to cope with the following tasks:


  • count to 10;
  • be able to solve examples of plus and minus with numbers up to 10;
  • has the concepts of "one" and "many";
  • knows the primary colors;
  • calls geometric shapes, knows how to distinguish between them.

Important! Pay special attention to the play activities of the baby. At the age of 5-7 years, the child should be actively involved in the design, modeling or drawing.

When preparing a child with ZPR for school, there is a lack of knowledge and practical skills, immaturity of thinking, a lack of ability to perform tasks independently, insufficient development of the emotional-volitional sphere, the predominance of game activity over teaching, which is typical for younger children.


If there are alarming signs of lagging behind normal development in the baby, parents should definitely visit a doctor.


Diagnosis of ZPR

ZPR in children of preschool age. The diagnosis of mental retardation is often made to children 4-5 years old. Identifying abnormalities at an earlier age is extremely problematic.

In order to identify children with mental retardation and find the causes of deviations, a comprehensive examination by specialists is necessary:

  • defectologist;
  • a psychotherapist;
  • pediatrician
  • speech therapist;
  • pediatric neurologist;
  • a psychologist.

Before making the diagnosis, the following types of examinations are used:

  1. History collection and study.
  2. Consideration of intellectual activity.
  3. Analysis of the child’s medical records.
  4. Studying the living conditions of the crumbs.
  5. Diagnostic study of speech skills.
  6. The study of emotional-volitional characteristics.
  7. Neuropsychological testing.

Without fail, experts conduct a conversation with children.

From instrumental examinations, CT, EEG and MRI of the brain are used.

On the basis of studies, the diagnosis of ZPR is made, parents are given recommendations on raising a child and learning in a specialized preschool for children with developmental disabilities.

Correction

Correction of mental retardation in children should begin with preschool age and requires a long time and efforts of children's neurologists, pediatricians, defectologists, speech therapists, child psychologists and psychiatrists, as well as parents and relatives of the child.


Toddlers with ZPR attend specialized children's educational institutions, schools of 7 types or correctional classes.

Basic principles of learning   in such institutions, unlike ordinary secondary schools and classes is:

  • application of the method of visualization;
  • dosage of the issuance of educational material;
  • repeated repetitions;
  • application of technologies aimed at saving and protecting health;
  • frequent change of activity.

Medical care for children with mental retardationconsists in the appointment of:

  1. Drug therapy in accordance with the identified violations.
  2. Massage.
  3. Water treatment.
  4. Physiotherapy.
  5. Therapeutic physical education.

A special role in the upbringing of children with ZPR is the improvement of cognitive processes:

  • attention;
  • perceptions;
  • thinking
  • memory.

Attention during corrective work is also given to the sensory, emotional and motor areas. To develop these areas, art therapy, fairy tale therapy, game therapy and much more are actively used.


How to determine if the child’s psychological development is normal: Dr. Komarovsky

To eliminate speech impairment, a group with individual classes with specialists: a psychologist, speech therapist, and a defectologist are held with a child with ZPR.

Corrective work with children also includes social educators and teachers themselves.

To work with children with ZPR and create an adequate program to support such crumbs, it is necessary to take into account the individual characteristics of each child.

Prevention

Among the measures to prevent mental retardation in children, the following can be distinguished:

  1. Pregnancy planning. Compliance with all the recommendations of a doctor when carrying a child, timely visits to medical institutions and passing all tests and examinations.
  2. The exclusion of negative effects on the fetus during pregnancy, a complete rejection of bad habits.
  3. Providing positive conditions for the life and development of the child.
  4. Prevention of somatic and infectious diseases in young children.

Compliance with these preventive measures will significantly reduce the risk of a child having developmental delays and health problems in general.

Treatment

For the treatment of ZPR, it is necessary to use in the treatment of:

  1. Comprehensive rehabilitation.
  2. Microcurrent reflexology (stimulates the work of various areas of the brain, normalizes behavior and increases the ability to learn).
  3. Drug exposure.
  4. Classes with a psychologist.

Classes with a child psychologist are aimed at the development of causal relationships and logical thinking, as well as the formation of basic concepts:

  • about the size and shape;
  • about the distinction between “big” and “small”;
  • grouping objects in a certain way.

A child psychiatrist may recommend a family-parental consultation. Relations within the family are the most important for the crumbs, it is in the family that the baby’s own “I” is formed, its place in society and life is determined. From loved ones, the child receives a margin of safety and love, through which he will later solve serious problems and issues.

It is a family psychologist who will help to give an analysis of family relationships and, if necessary, give advice on conflict-free interaction with a child.

Remember! At the initial stage of training, problems arise even in children who are mentally healthy from birth. These difficulties are temporary and are overcome with the support and help of educators and parents.


The experience of specialists in mental health of children shows that with timely diagnosis and proper treatment and development, almost all children with ZPR in an uncomplicated form can become successful pupils by the school period, no different from their peers. In the future, such children can continue their studies in colleges and universities.

Health to you and your loved ones! Natalia Belokopytova.

The work of Clara Samoilovna and Viktor Vasilievich Lebedinsky (1969) is based on the etiological principle, which allows to distinguish 4 variants of such development:

1. ZPR of constitutional origin;

2. ZPR of somatogenic origin;

3. ZPR of psychogenic origin;

4. ZPR cerebral-organic origin.

In the clinical and psychological structure of each of the listed variants of ZPR there is a specific combination of immaturity of the emotional and intellectual spheres.

1.ZPRconstitutional origin

(HARMONIOUS, PSYCHIC and PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL INFANTILISM).

This type of ZPR is characterized by the infantile type of physique with children's plasticity of facial expressions and motor skills. The emotional sphere of these children is, as it were, at an earlier stage of development, corresponding to the mental structure of a child of a younger age: the brightness and liveliness of emotions, the predominance of emotional reactions in behavior, play interests, suggestibility and lack of independence. These children are tireless in a game in which they show a lot of creativity and fiction, and at the same time they are quickly fed up with intellectual activity. Therefore, in the first grade of the school they sometimes have difficulties associated with both a small focus on long-term intellectual activity (they prefer to play in the classroom) and inability to obey the rules of discipline.

This "harmony" of the mental appearance is sometimes disturbed in school and adulthood, because immaturity of the emotional sphere impedes social adaptation. Unfavorable living conditions can contribute to the pathological formation of an unstable personality.

However, such an “infantile” constitution can also be formed as a result of non-coarse, for the most part exchange-trophic diseases, transferred in the first year of life. If at the time of fetal development - then this is genetic infantilism. (Lebedinskaya K.S.).

Thus, in this case, there is mainly a congenital-constitutional etiology of this type of infantilism.

According to G.P. Bertin (1970), harmonic infantilism is often found in twins, which may indicate the pathogenetic role of hypotrophic phenomena associated with multiple pregnancy.

2. ZPR somatogenic origin

This type of developmental abnormality is caused by prolonged somatic insufficiency (weakening) of various origins: chronic infections and allergic conditions, congenital and acquired malformations of the somatic sphere, primarily the heart, diseases of the digestive system (V.V. Kovalev, 1979).

Prolonged dyspepsia during the first year of life inevitably leads to developmental delays. Cardiovascular insufficiency, chronic pneumonia, kidney diseases are often found in the anamnesis of children with SAD of somatogenic origin.


It is clear that a poor somatic state cannot but affect the development of the central nervous system, delaying its maturation. Such children have been in hospitals for months, which naturally creates conditions for sensory deprivation and also does not contribute to their development.

Chronic physical and mental asthenia inhibits the development of active forms of activity, contributes to the formation of personality traits such as shyness, timidity, self-doubt. The same properties are largely determined by the creation of a regime of restrictions and prohibitions for a sick or physically weakened child. Thus, to the phenomena caused by the disease, artificial infantilization is added, caused by the conditions of hyper-custody.

3. ZPR of psychogenic origin

This type is associated with adverse educational conditions that impede the proper formation of the child’s personality (incomplete or dysfunctional family, mental injuries).

The social genesis of this developmental anomaly does not exclude its pathological nature. As you know, adverse environmental conditions that have arisen early, have long-term effects and have a traumatic effect on the psyche of a child can lead to persistent shifts in his neuropsychic sphere, disruption of vegetative functions, and then mental, primarily emotional, development. In such cases, we are talking about pathological (abnormal) personality development. BUT! This type of ZPR should be distinguished from the phenomena of pedagogical neglect, which are not a pathological phenomenon, but are caused by a lack of knowledge and skills due to a lack of intellectual information. + (Pedagogically neglected children, it means “pure pedagogical neglect”, in which the lag is caused only by social factors, Russian psychologists do not classify them as ZPR. Although it is recognized that long-term lack of information, the lack of mental stimulation during sensitive periods can lead the child to decrease potential mental development opportunities).

(I must say that such cases are recorded very rarely, as well as SOM of somatogenic origin. There must be very unfavorable somatic or microsocial conditions for the appearance of SOM of these two forms. Much more often, we observe a combination of organic CNS deficiency with somatic weakness or with influence adverse conditions of family education).

ZPR of psychogenic origin is observed, first of all, with abnormal personality development by type of mental instability,   most often caused by gopoeki phenomena - neglect conditions under which the child does not instill a sense of duty and responsibility, behaviors whose development is associated with active inhibition of affect. The development of cognitive activity, intellectual interests and attitudes is not stimulated. Therefore, the traits of the pathological immaturity of the emotional-volitional sphere in the form of affective lability, impulsiveness, increased suggestibility in these children are often combined with an insufficient level of knowledge and ideas necessary for mastering school subjects.

Option abnormal personality development like the "idol of the family"   It is caused, on the contrary, by hyper-custody - improper, pampering upbringing, in which the child does not inculcate the traits of independence, initiative, responsibility. For children with this type of ZPR, against the background of general somatic weakness, a general decrease in cognitive activity, increased fatigue and exhaustion are characteristic, especially with prolonged physical and intellectual stress. They get tired quickly, they need more time to complete any training tasks. Cognitive and educational activities suffer SECONDARY due to a decrease in the general tone of the body. This type of psychogenic infantilism, along with a low ability to volitional force, is characterized by features of egocentrism and selfishness, dislike of work, installation of constant help and guardianship.

Variant of pathological personality development neurotic type   more often observed in children whose families have rudeness, cruelty, despotism, aggression towards the child and other family members. In such an environment, a timid, fearful, emotional immaturity personality is often formed which manifests itself in insufficient independence, indecision, low activity and lack of initiative. Adverse educational conditions lead to a delay in the development of cognitive activity.

4. ZPR cerebro-organic origin

This type of ZPR takes the main place in this polymorphic developmental anomaly. It occurs more often than other types of ZPR; often has great persistence and severity of violations both in the emotional-volitional sphere, and in cognitive activity. It is of greatest importance for the clinic and special psychology due to the severity of manifestations and the need (in most cases) for special measures of psychological and pedagogical correction.

A study of the history of these children in most cases shows the presence of a coarse organic deficiency - RESIDUAL CHARACTER (remaining, preserved).

Abroad, the pathogenesis of this form of delay is associated with "minimal brain damage" (1947), or with "minimal brain dysfunction" (1962) - MMD. → These terms emphasize the EXPRESSION, DEFINED FUNCTIONALITY OF CEREBRAL VIOLATIONS.

Pathology of pregnancy and childbirth, infection, intoxication, incompatibility of maternal and fetal blood by Rhesus factor, prematurity, asphyxia, birth injuries, postnatal neuroinfection, toxic - dystrophic diseases and injuries of the National Assembly in the first years of life. - The reasons are to some extent similar to the causes of oligophrenia.

GENERAL for this form of ZPR and OLIGOPHRENIA   - is the presence of the so-called LIGHT BRAIN DYSFUNCTION (LDM). ORGANIC CNS DEFEAT (RETARDATION) AT EARLY STAGES OF ONTOGENESIS.

The terms are similar in meaning: “minimal damage to the brain”, “easy childhood encephalopathy”, “hyperkinetic chronic brain syndrome”.

Under LDM   - the syndrome is understood, reflecting the presence of mild developmental disorders that occur mainly in the perinatal period, characterized by a very varied clinical picture. This term was adopted in 1962 to refer to minimal (dysfunctional) brain disorders in childhood.

SPECIAL FEATURE   - is a qualitatively different structure of intellectual disability compared with u / o. Mental development is characterized by the UNEQUALITY of violations of various mental functions; at the same time logical thinking more secure compared with memory, attention, mental performance.

In children with ORGANIC affection of the central nervous system, a multidimensional picture of cerebral insufficiency is significantly more often associated with immaturity, lack of form, and therefore greater vulnerability of various systems, including vascular and cerebrospinal fluid.

The nature of the dynamic disturbances is more gross and more frequent in them than in children with ZPR of other subgroups. Along with persistent dynamic difficulties, a primary deficiency of a number of higher cortical functions is observed.

Signs of a slowdown in the rate of maturation are often found already in early development and concern almost all areas, in most cases up to somatic. Thus, according to I.F. Markova (1993), who examined 1000 primary school children in a special school for children with ZPR, a slowdown in the rate of physical development was observed in 32% of children, a delay in the formation of locomotor functions in 69% of children, a long delay in the formation of skills neatness (enuresis) - in 36% of cases.

In tests for visual gnosis, difficulties arose in the perception of complicated versions of subject images, as well as letters. Persevers were often observed in praxis tests when switching from one action to another. In the study of spatial praxis, poor orientation in “right” and “left”, mirroring in writing letters, and difficulties in differentiating similar graphemes were often noted. In the study of speech processes, disorders of speech motor and phonemic hearing, auditory-speech memory, difficulties in constructing a detailed phrase, and low speech activity were often found.

Special studies of LDM have shown that

RISK FACTORS ARE:

Late age of the mother, height and body weight of a woman before pregnancy, beyond the age norm, first birth;

The pathological course of previous pregnancies;

Chronic diseases of the mother, especially diabetes, Rhesus conflict, preterm birth, infectious diseases during pregnancy;

Psychosocial factors such as unwanted pregnancy, big city risk factors (daily long drive, city noise, etc.)

The presence of mental, neurological and psychosomatic diseases in the family;

Low or, conversely, excessive (more than 4000 kg.) The mass of the child during childbirth;

Pathological delivery with forceps, cesarean section, etc.

DIFFERENCE FROM U / O:

1. Massive lesion;

2. Time of defeat. - ZPR is much more often associated with later ones,

exogenous brain damage affecting the period

when the differentiation of the main brain systems is already in

greatly advanced and there is no danger of their rude

underdevelopment. However, some researchers suggest

and the possibility of genetic etiology.

3. The delay in the formation of functions is qualitatively different than with

oligophrenia. In cases with ZPR - you can observe the presence

temporary regression of acquired skills and their subsequent

instability.

4. In contrast to oligophrenia, children with ZPR lack inertia

mental processes. They are able to not only accept and

use help, but also transfer learned skills to mental

activities in other situations. With the help of an adult they can

to perform the intellectual tasks proposed by him at close to

normal level.

5. The prevalence of later terms of defeat causes along

with the phenomena of MATURE almost constant AVAILABILITY

INJURIES N.S. → Therefore, in contrast to oligophrenia, which

often found in uncomplicated forms, in the structure of ZPR

CEREBRAL ORGANIC GENESIS   - almost always there

a set of encephalopathic disorders (cerebroasthenic,

neurosis-like, psychopathic), indicating

damage to N.C.

CEREBRAL ORGANIC INSUFFICIENCY   First of all, it leaves a typical imprint on the structure of ZPR itself - both on the characteristics of emotional-volitional immaturity and on the nature of cognitive impairment

Data from neuropsychological studies have revealed a certain HIERARCHY OF DISORDERS OF COGNITIVE ACTIVITY IN CHILDREN WITH CIRCULAR ORGANIC GENESIS.So, in more   mild cases   it is based on neurodynamic insufficiency, associated primarily with the WEAKNESS of MENTAL FUNCTIONS.

With a greater severity of organic brain damage, the more severe neurodynamic disorders, expressed in the inertia of mental processes, are joined by PRIMARY DEFICIENCY OF SEPARATE CORD-CORNEAL CORD FUNCTIONS: praxis, visual gnosis, memory, and speech sensorimotor. + At the same time, a certain PARTIALITY, MOSAICITY OF THEIR VIOLATIONS is noted. (Therefore, some of these children experience difficulties primarily in reading, others in writing, and others in numeracy, etc.). PARTIAL INSUFFICIENCY OF CORTIC FUNCTIONS, in turn, leads to the underdevelopment of the most complex psychic neoplasms, including ARGENTAL REGULATION. Thus, the hierarchy of disorders of mental functions in ZPR of cerebral-organic genesis is the opposite of that in oligophrenia, where the intellect is primarily affected, and not its premises.

1. EMOTIONALLY WILL-MATTER MATURITY is represented by organic infantilism. At the same time, infantilism in children lacks the vitality and vividness of emotions typical of a healthy child. Children are characterized by a weak interest in evaluation, a low level of claims. There is a high suggestibility and non-acceptance of criticism in their address. Game activity is characterized by the poverty of imagination and creativity, certain monotony and originality, the predominance of the component of motor disinhibition. The desire for the game itself often looks more like a way of avoiding difficulties in tasks than the primary need: the desire to play arises precisely in situations where you need focused intellectual activity, preparing lessons.

Depending on the prevailing emotional background, we can distinguish II BASIC TYPES OF ORGANIC INFANTILISM:

1) UNSTABLE - with psychomotor disinhibition, euphoric shade of mood and impulsiveness, imitating children's cheerfulness and spontaneity. Characterized by a low ability to volitional effort and systematic activity, the absence of persistent attachments with increased suggestibility, poverty of imagination.

2) BRAKED - with a predominance of a lowered mood background, indecision, lack of initiative, often timidity, which can be a reflection of congenital or acquired functional insufficiency of the vegetative N.S. by type of neuropathy. In this case, sleep disturbance, appetite, dyspeptic phenomena, vascular lability can be observed. In children with organic infantilism of this type, asthenic and neurosis-like features are accompanied by a feeling of physical weakness, timidity, inability to fend for themselves, lack of independence, and excessive dependence on loved ones.

2. VIOLATIONS OF COGNITIVE ACTIVITIES.

They are caused by insufficient development of the processes of memory, attention, inertness of mental processes, their slowness and reduced switchability, as well as the deficiency of individual cortical functions. There is instability of attention, insufficient development of phonemic hearing, visual and tactile perception, optical-spatial synthesis, motor and sensory aspects of speech, long-term and short-term memory, hand-eye coordination, automation of movements and actions. Often a poor orientation is found in spatial concepts “right-left,” the phenomenon of specularity in writing, difficulties in differentiating similar graphemes.

Depending on the prevalence in the clinical picture of the phenomena of either emotional-volitional immaturity or cognitive impairment ZPR CEREBRAL GENESIS   can be divided conditionally

on the II BASIC OPTIONS:

1. organic infantilism

Its various types are a milder form of ZPR of cerebral-organic genesis, in which functional disorders of cognitive activity are caused by emotional-volatility immaturity and non-severe cerebrosthenic disorders. Violations of cortical functions are dynamic in nature, due to their insufficient formation and increased exhaustion. Regulatory functions are especially weak in the control link.

2. ZPR with a predominance of functional disorders of cognitive activity - with this variant of ZPR, the symptoms of damage dominate: pronounced cerebrosthenic, neurosis-like, psychopathic syndromes.

In essence, this form often expresses a state bordering on the y / o (of course, here the state is also variable in terms of its severity).

Neurological data reflect the severity of organic disorders and the significant frequency of focal disorders. Severe neurodynamic disorders, deficiency of cortical functions, including local disorders, are also observed. Dysfunction of regulatory structures is manifested in the links of both control and programming. This variant of ZPR is a more complex and severe form of this developmental anomaly.

OUTPUT: The presented clinical types of the most persistent forms of ZPR mainly differ from each other precisely by the structural peculiarity and the nature of the relationship between the two main components of this developmental anomaly: the structure of infantilism and the characteristics of the development of mental functions.

P.S. It should also be noted that within each of these groups of children with ZPR there are options that vary both in severity and in the characteristics of individual manifestations of mental activity.

CLASSIFICATION OF ZPR L.I. MOVING AND E.MASTYUKOVA

II TYPE OF ZPR:

1) Type ADVANCED (NON-SPECIFIC) DELAY   - It is not associated with brain damage and is compensated with age under favorable environmental conditions even without any special therapeutic measures. This type of ZPR is due to the slowed down rate of maturation of brain structures and their functions in the absence of organic changes in the central nervous system.

Benign (non-specific) developmental delay is manifested in a certain delay in the formation of motor and (or) psychomotor functions, which can occur at any age stage, is relatively quickly compensated, and does not combine with pathological neurological and (or) psychopathological symptoms.

This type of ZPR can be easily corrected by early stimulation of psychomotor development.

It can manifest itself both in the form of a general, total lag in development, and in the form of partial (partial) delays in the formation of certain neuropsychic functions, especially often this refers to a lag in speech development.

Benign non-specific delay can be a family sign, it is often observed in somatically weakened and premature babies. It can also occur with insufficient early pedagogical impact.

2) Type SPECIFIC (OR CEREBRAL ORGANIC) DEVELOPMENT DELAY   - associated with damage to brain structures and functions.

Specific, or cerebral-organic developmental retardation is associated with changes in the structural or functional activity of the brain. It can be caused by violations of intrauterine development of the brain, fetal hypoxia and asphyxia of the newborn, intrauterine and postnatal infectious and toxic effects, injuries, metabolic disorders and other factors.

Along with serious illnesses of N.S., causing a delay in development, most children have mild neurological disorders that are detected only with a special neurological examination. These are the so-called signs of MMD, which usually occur in children with cerebral-organic ZPR.

Many children with this form of ZPR already in the first years of life show motor disinhibition - hyperactive behavior. They are extremely restless, constantly on the move, all their activity is not focused, they can not finish a single initiated business. The appearance of such a child always brings concern, he runs, fusses, breaks toys. Many of them are also characterized by increased emotional excitability, pugnacity, aggressiveness, impulsive behavior. Most children are not capable of playing activities, they do not know how to limit their desires, react violently to all prohibitions, are stubborn.

Many children are characterized by motor awkwardness, they have poorly developed subtle differentiated movements of the fingers. Therefore, they hardly master the skills of self-service, for a long time they can’t learn how to fasten buttons, lace up shoes.

From a practical point of view, the differentiation of specific and non-specific developmental delays, i.e. essentially a pathological and non-pathological delay, it is extremely important in terms of determining the intensity and methods of stimulating age development, predicting the effectiveness of treatment, training and social adaptation.

Lag in the formation of certain psychomotor functions SPECIFICALLY FOR EVERY AGE OF DEVELOPMENT.

So, in the period NEWBORNS -   such a child does not form a clear conditioned reflex for a long time. Such a baby does not wake up when he is hungry or wet, and does not fall asleep when well-fed and dry; all unconditioned reflexes in him are weakened and are caused after a long latent period. One of the main sensory reactions of this age is weakened or not manifested at all - visual fixation or auditory concentration. However, unlike children with central nervous system damage, he does not show signs of dysembryogenesis malformations, including those expressed to a minimal extent. He also has no violations of screaming, sucking, asymmetry of muscle tone.

In age 1-3 MONTHS   such children may show some lag in the pace of age-related development, the absence or weakly pronounced tendency to lengthen the period of active wakefulness, a smile when communicating with an adult is absent or does not appear constantly; visual and auditory concentrations are short-term, no humming or only a few rare sounds are observed. Progress in its development begins to be clearly outlined by 3 months of life. By this age, he begins to smile and follow a moving subject. However, all these functions can be manifested intermittently and are characterized by rapid exhaustion.

At all subsequent stages of development, a benign developmental delay is manifested in the fact that the child in his development goes through stages more characteristic of the previous stage. However, ZPR may occur at each age stage for the first time. For example, a child of 6 months with this form of developmental delay does not give a differentiated reaction to acquaintances and strangers, he may also have a development of babble, and a child of 9 months may not be active enough in communication with adults, he does not imitate gestures, he has little game contact is developed, babble is absent or weakly pronounced, intonational-melodic imitation of a phrase does not appear, it can hardly capture or not capture small objects at all with two fingers, or not respond clearly to the word hydrochloric instruction. The slower pace of motor development is manifested in the fact that the child can sit, but not sit down on his own, and if he sits, he makes no attempt to get up.

Benign developmental delay in age 11-12 MONTHS   manifested most often in the absence of the first babble words, weak intonational expressiveness of voice reactions, the fuzziness of correlation of words with an object or action. The delay in motor development is manifested in the fact that the child stands with support, but does not walk. Lag in mental development is characterized by the weakness of repetitive actions and imitative games, the child is not confidently manipulating with two hands, not enough capturing objects with two fingers.

Nonspecific developmental delay in the first THREE YEARS of LIFE most often manifests itself in the form of a lag in speech development, lack of play activity, a lag in the development of the active attention function, regulating speech function (the child’s behavior is poorly controlled by an adult's instruction), insufficient differentiation of emotional manifestations, and also in the form general psychomotor disinhibition. It can also be manifested by a lag in the development of motor functions. In the FIRST MONTHS OF LIFE, the rate of normalization of muscle tone, fading of unconditioned reflexes, the formation of rectifying and equilibrium reactions, sensory-motor coordination, voluntary motor activity and especially subtle differentiated movements of the fingers lag behind.


B 4. PSYCHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS

Last few years to the problem mental retardation there is increased interest. This is due to the fact that such a deviation in mental development is ambiguous, there are many reasons, prerequisites and consequences of its occurrence. Therefore, this phenomenon, so complex in its structure, requires an individual approach in each case.

Mental retardation (MDP) it belongs to the category of mild deviations in mental development and occupies an intermediate place between the norm and pathology. Children with mental retardation do not have such severe developmental pathologies as mental retardation, primary underdevelopment of speech, motor system, hearing or vision. The main difficulties that such children experience are primarily related to learning and social adaptation.

This happens because the pace of maturation of the psyche with a delay in development is slowed down. In addition, for each individual child, ZPR can manifest itself in different ways and differ in both degree and time of manifestation.

We will try to highlight a number of developmental features characteristic of most children with mental retardation.

The most striking sign of ZPR is immaturity of the emotional-volitional sphere ; that is, it is very difficult for such a child to make a strong-willed effort on himself, to force himself to do something. These children are also observed attention disorders : instability, decreased concentration, increased distractibility. May be present increased motor and speech activity . It is this complex of disorders (impaired attention + increased motor and speech activity) that is currently denoted by the term "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder" (ADHD) .

Impaired perception usually manifests itself in difficulties in building a holistic image. For example, it may be difficult for a child to recognize objects he knows from an unfamiliar perspective. This feature of perception is usually the reason for the limited knowledge about the world. Also, the speed of perception and spatial orientation are violated.

Memory   children with ZPR also have a certain feature: they memorize visual (non-verbal) material much better than information of a verbal nature.

Pace of development speech with ZPR, as a rule, it is also slowed down. Other features of speech development usually depend on the severity of the ZPR and the nature of the underlying disorder: in some cases there may be only some delay or even compliance with the normal level of development, in other cases there is a systemic underdevelopment of speech.

Developmental lag thinking with ZPR it is detected primarily during the solution of tasks of a verbal-logical nature. By the beginning of schooling, children with ZPR, as a rule, do not fully possess all the intellectual operations necessary for completing school tasks (analysis, synthesis, generalization, comparison, abstraction).

At the same time, ZPR is not an insurmountable obstacle to the development of a general educational curriculum. However, this program should be adjusted in accordance with the characteristics of the development of the child.

Causes of ZPR

As the reasons leading to mental retardation, domestic experts M.S. Pevzner and T.A. Vlasov distinguish the following:

1) Adverse pregnancy:maternal illness during pregnancy (rubella, mumps, flu);chronic diseases of the mother (heart disease, diabetes, thyroid disease);toxicosis, especially the second half of pregnancy;toxoplasmosis; intoxication of the mother's body due to the use of alcohol, nicotine, drugs, chemicals and drugs, hormones;incompatibility of the blood of the mother and baby by Rh factor.

2) Pathology of childbirth:injuries due to mechanical damage to the fetus when using various means of obstetrics (for example, the application of forceps);asphyxia of newborns and its threat.

3) Social factors:pedagogical neglect as a result of limited emotional contact with the child both in the early stages of development (up to three years) and in later age stages.

ZPR types

The delay in mental development is usually divided into four groups:

1) ZPR of constitutional origin . This type is characterized by a pronounced immaturity of the emotional-volitional sphere, which is, as it were, at an earlier stage of development. Here we are talking about the so-called mental infantilism. It must be understood that mental infantilism is not a disease, but rather a certain complex of behavioral features.

Such a child is often not independent, is difficult to adapt to new conditions for him, is often very attached to his mother and in her absence feels helpless; he is characterized by an increased mood background, a violent manifestation of emotions, which are very unstable at the same time. By school age, such a child still has play interests in the foreground, while normally they should be replaced by educational motivation. It is difficult for him to make a decision without outside help, make a choice or make any other volitional effort on himself. Such a baby, when compared with peers, he always seems a little younger.

2) ZPR of somatogenic origin - This group includes weakened, often sick children. As a result of a long illness, allergies, congenital malformations, a mental retardation may form. This is due to the fact that during a long illness, against the background of general weakness of the body, the child’s mental state also suffers, and, therefore, cannot fully develop. Low cognitive activity, increased fatigue, dullness of attention - all this leads to a slowdown in the pace of development of the psyche.

This also usually includes children from families with hyper-care - an excessively increased attention to the upbringing of the baby. When parents take too much care of their child, do not let him go one step, they do everything for him. In such a situation, close ones hinder the child’s manifestation of independence, and therefore - the knowledge of the world around him, the formation of a full-fledged personality. It should be noted that the situation of hyper-custody is just very common in families with a sick child, where pity for the baby and constant anxiety for his condition, the desire to make his life easier, ultimately negatively affect the development of the child's psyche.

3) ZPR of psychogenic origin - the cause of this type of ZPR are dysfunctional situations in the family, problem education, mental trauma. If there is aggression and violence in the family towards the child or other family members, this can contribute to indecision, lack of independence, lack of initiative, fear and pathological shyness of the child.

Thus, in this case, observedthe phenomenon of hypo-custody, or lack of attention to raising a child. The consequence of this is the child’s lack of understanding of moral standards of behavior in society, inability to control his own behavior, irresponsibility and inability to answer for his actions, insufficient level of knowledge about the world around him.

4) ZPR - of cerebral-organic origin - occurs more often than others, and the forecast for further development for children with this type of ZPR compared with the previous three is usually the least favorable.

The cause of this type of ZPRthere are organic disorders, namely, failure of the nervous system, the causes of which can be: pathology of pregnancy (toxicosis, infection, intoxication and trauma, Rhesus conflict, etc.), prematurity, asphyxia, birth injury, neuroinfection. With this form of ZPR there is a so-called minimal cerebral dysfunction (MMD) - a complex of mild developmental disorders that manifest themselves, depending on the particular case, is very diverse in various areas of mental activity.

Children of this type are distinguished by weak manifestations of emotions, poverty of imagination, disinterest in evaluating themselves around.

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

The disease is diagnosed in a preschool or primary school period. Most often found on pre-testing before entering school. It is expressed in limited representations, lack of knowledge, inability to intellectual activity, the predominance of gaming, purely childish interests, immaturity of thinking. In each individual case, the causes of the disease are different.

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

1. Biological:

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

2. Social:

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

Depending on the factors that led to a delay in mental development, 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. Kovalev. Most often in modern Russian psychology, the classification of K. S. Lebedinskaya is used.

  1. Constitutional ZPR   determined by heredity.
  2. Somatogenic ZPR   acquired as a result of a disease that affected the brain functions of the child: allergies, chronic infections, dystrophy, dysentery, persistent asthenia, etc.
  3. Psychogenic ZPR determined by the socio-psychological factor: such children are brought up in adverse conditions: a uniform environment, a narrow circle of friends, a lack of maternal love, poverty of emotional relationships, deprivation.
  4. Cerebral-organic ZPR   observed in 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 in this classification differs not only in the causes of the disease, but also in the symptoms and the course of treatment.

Symptoms of ZPR

It is possible to diagnose ZPR with confidence only on the threshold of the school, when there are obvious difficulties in preparing for the educational process. However, with careful monitoring of the child, the symptoms of the disease can be noticed earlier. These may include:

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

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

Differences from mental retardation

If, by the end of the younger (4th grade) school age, signs of ZPR remain, the doctors begin to talk either about mental retardation (MA) or about constitutional infantilism. These diseases differ:

  • in case of MA, the mental and intellectual underdevelopment is irreversible; in case of ZPR, everything is correctable with a proper approach;
  • children with ZPR differ from the mentally retarded by the ability to use the help that they receive, to independently transfer it to new tasks;
  • a child with ZPR tries to understand what has been read, while with MA there is no such desire.

When making a diagnosis, you do not need to 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 a regular comprehensive school, rather than a special correctional one. Adults (teachers and parents) should 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, fairly serious reasons that must be jointly and successfully overcome. Such children should be provided with comprehensive assistance from parents, psychologists, and teachers.

It includes:

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

It is difficult for many parents 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 defectologist, a psychotherapist) will help him to provide targeted education, create favorable conditions for learning.