home Auditorium 8 Signs of mental retardation in children 5 years old. Mild mental retardation. It's sad, but you can live with it

Signs of mental retardation in children 5 years old. Mild mental retardation. It's sad, but you can live with it

The child is not like his peers - his general development lags behind the norm, he cannot cope with what is easy for other children. It is now customary to talk about such children “ special child" Of course, children with disabilities intellectual development- This is a big test for parents. It is sad and painful to realize that a child may turn out to be an outcast in society. However, quite often mental retardation can be corrected.

Is it lagging behind or developing differently?

Children develop in different ways. The standards according to which the mental development of children is diagnosed are quite arbitrary and are average indicators. If a child develops at a different pace, this is not yet a reason to assume that the baby has gross violations development of intelligence. Cases when early age the person had a discrepancy with the norms of mental and intellectual development, and at an older age he showed outstanding results in the field of cognition - not uncommon. Even a speech delay is not evidence of a child’s retardation - many children do not speak at all until the age of two, but at this time they are developing a passive vocabulary - after two such children immediately begin to speak well and a lot. Therefore, if there are one or two deviations from age norms, do not panic. The alarm should be sounded when a complex of signs of mental retardation is observed.

Let's define what mental retardation is. First of all, the development of children with mental retardation occurs against the background of quite strong deviations in the conditioned reflex activity of the brain. They have an imbalance in the processes of inhibition and excitation, signaling system the brain also works with disturbances. This greatly affects cognitive abilities - children have no or weakly expressed attention, curiosity (craving for knowledge), there is underdevelopment of cognitive interests and will.
It is worth distinguishing between mental retardation itself and mental retardation. Mental retardation implies more severe violations of the intellectual and psycho-emotional sphere. IN severe cases correction of such disorders is practically impossible - we are talking about severe cases of cretinism and mental retardation. But, it must be said that in reality such cases are quite rare. Children with mental retardation are distinguished by a number of characteristics, and correction of their development is not only possible, but also quite successful: in some cases, children can catch up with their peers in their development.

Causes of mental retardation

There is a whole complex of reasons that, together or separately, can lead to developmental delays. Often children with intellectual disabilities suffer from birth defects in hearing, vision, and speech apparatus. With such defects, the child’s intellectual abilities could initially be within normal limits, but they did not develop from the first days of life due to reduced hearing and vision. Accordingly, mental retardation arose. The correction in this case is very successful.

Very often, the causes of mental retardation are a difficult pregnancy, during which there was prolonged oxygen starvation of the fetus; birth injuries, birth asphyxia; some infectious and somatic diseases of a child at an early age, intoxication, genetic damage due to alcoholism or drug addiction of parents.

In a very large percentage of mild cases of mental retardation, education, or rather its complete absence, is to blame. It is known that mental retardation occurs if parents do not engage with the child and do not talk to him; if for some reason the child was isolated from his mother at an early age. Here, too, the correction is successful in most cases.

Development of mentally retarded children

Mentally retarded children need more time to comprehend material. Difficulties in identifying the main thing, in understanding cause-and-effect relationships, and a slow pace of recognizing what is known affect the child’s learning ability, slowing down and complicating the learning process.

But this does not mean that the development of mentally retarded children is impossible or unnecessary. On the contrary, such children must be approached in a special way and developmental activities, which must be more intensive, must be very carefully organized. But a different kind of intensity is required here.

First of all, parents need to be patient and have faith in their child. The most important thing is to never compare your child with other children. Even for healthy child with intellectual development within normal limits, comparison is harmful - catastrophically dangerous for special children! As a result, the child withdraws into himself, begins to consider himself hopeless, falls into neurosis or becomes aggressive.

In order to successfully correct the lag in intellectual development, testing should be carried out regularly. The so-called diagnostics of mental development of children is a set of special tests-standards that a child should normally cope with upon reaching a certain age. Small deviations in one direction or another should not cause concern among parents. If the child clearly does not reach the norm, corrective classes in this area are necessary. Remember that mental development occurs unevenly and there is a chance to develop intelligence and psycho-emotional sphere by adulthood. But overcoming mental retardation, even in a weak form, can take years and you need to be prepared for this.

Of course, the development of mentally retarded children is daily painstaking work which requires a lot of love, patience, self-sacrifice. Parents need to constantly tell their child about the world, the interconnection of things, provide food for the mind, and encourage them to use knowledge in practice. Scientists believe that a child with mental retardation should be surprised as much as possible - this awakens curiosity and a desire to learn. You shouldn’t even think about the fact that the child won’t understand - you need to talk to him about everything, tell him why it happens this way and not otherwise, show him.

Distraction of attention, inability and inability to concentrate on one thing is one of the main causes of mental retardation. By constantly training mindfulness, stimulating it in all ways within physiological periods (when the process of brain formation is underway - up to 3-6 years), you can restore broken connections and bring them back to normal. Cultivating attention is so important that the rule applies here: if a child is busy with something, classes are being conducted with him, he is focused on the game - he cannot be distracted even by eating, sleeping, etc. For children with mental retardation, it is extremely important to protect their developing focus and concentration.

In parallel with developmental activities, it is useful to take medications that strengthen the nervous system and stimulate its development. From this point of view, a decoction of stinging nettle, Eleutherococcus extract, royal jelly, strawberries, blueberries, B vitamins.

Mental retardation in children, the symptoms of which begin to appear around 3.5 years of age, may be caused by for various reasons. The factors causing the pathology of intellectual development are varied, but most often they are:

Organic brain damage during childbirth.
Cerebral palsy.
Genetic metabolic disorders.
Down syndrome (translocation or trisomy 21 pairs of chromosomes).
Neuroinfection resulting in extensive damage to neurons (neurosyphilis, tuberculous meningitis, viral encephalitis).
Intoxication with heavy metals and other foreign substances, especially at an early age.
Hydrocephalus.
Endocrinopathies (dysfunction of the thyroid gland).
Rubivirus infection during pregnancy (rubella).
Comatose states caused by prolonged brain hypoxia.

With microcephaly, a malformation of intrauterine development, the volume of the brain is reduced, and, accordingly, the number of neurons and connections between them is reduced. Hydrocephalus is swelling of the brain accompanied by increased pressure inside cranium. Hydrostatic pressure damages neurons and can also lead to mental retardation. In some cases, past infections of the central nervous system affect the child’s mental abilities.

Signs

Signs of mental retardation in children include a weak ability to learn, as well as the absence or weakening of the child’s reaction to the words of the parents, decreased memory, and logical thinking. The construction of connections between events in life is disrupted.

The perception of information is difficult, which is associated with a violation of the processes of memorization, short-term and long-term memory. Speech, behavioral and hygiene skills are underdeveloped. By school age, it is extremely difficult to master reading, counting, and writing skills.

There is a lag in mental development, the course of which can progress, regress or be stable. Emotional sphere in young patients, as a rule, this is not affected; children are able to experience both negative and positive emotions. The ability to self-care depends on the degree of intellectual disability of the individual child. There are several degrees of mental impairment.

Mild mental retardation

Mild mental retardation (ICD-10 code F70). Such children are characterized by preserved learning ability, but reduced memory potential compared to healthy children. A child with mild mental retardation may misjudge other people's actions and feelings, making the illness similar to Asperger's syndrome.

Children experience problems in social skills (communication, playing with other children) and feel inferior; they are dependent on their parents. The right approach teacher in teaching such a child will improve the prognosis of the disease. Mild mental retardation, the symptoms of which do not interfere with self-care learning, can be corrected in type 8 special schools.

As a result, growing children, upon reaching adulthood, are capable of working and mastering the simplest management skills household, letters. They have access to physical labor and monotonous work without the need to make decisions. Upon reaching their 18th birthday, the state provides such patients with housing.

Moderate mental retardation

Moderate mental retardation (F71 according to ICD-10) is characterized by less independence from the help of other people than with mild degree. However, social skills, with appropriate adjustments, are also instilled, although children remain dependent on parents and guardians.

In adulthood, they are capable of work, mainly physical, which does not require complex coordination of actions. Signs of mental retardation in adult patients: some inhibition of thought processes, slowness in movements, lack of critical thinking.

Severe degree of retardation

In severe cases (ICD code: F72), the patient’s speech is limited to a couple of dozen words to express his own needs. There are also motor disturbances, and the gait is uncoordinated. The process of memorizing surrounding objects is difficult and requires repeated repetition. The skills of counting visible objects are instilled. Upon reaching adulthood, people are not able to fully take responsibility for themselves and need care provided by psychoneurological boarding schools.

Profound mental disability (F73) may manifest as severe motor impairment. Patients lag behind physical development, their speech is not formed. Children often suffer from enuresis. In adulthood, the care of such patients is provided by psychoneurological boarding schools.

Diagnostics

Mental retardation, the symptoms of which are similar to those of other psycho-intellectual diseases, requires differential diagnosis with diseases such as:

Asperger's syndrome;
sociopedagogical neglect (Mowgli syndrome) and intense psychotrauma;
hepatic encephalopathy.

How to determine mental retardation in a child? Neuropsychiatric doctors use various methods to test a child’s intellectual abilities: assessment of everyday skills, social adaptation. Anamnesis of pregnancy (maternal rubella), previous neuroinfections, and traumatic brain injuries is studied.

A test for mental retardation (IQ) is performed, which determines the intelligence quotient in points. An assessment is made of the child’s perception of artistic images in pictures, learning ability, incl. to counting and speech, the state of the child’s mental development. The degree of coordination of movements is analyzed.

My eldest daughter has mild mental retardation. This diagnosis was made to us, and three years later it was repeated, in the sixth psychiatric hospital in Moscow (now it has become called something else, like a security center mental health children and adolescents). Before this, there was a pronounced delay in speech development - the child did not actually speak until he was 4 years old. This delay, in turn, was accompanied by delayed psychomotor development. My daughter sat up on her own only when she was 9 months old, started crawling when she was one year old, and walked completely independently only when she was one year and four months old.

Actually, until the age of 3, the child was almost no different from her peers, except that she was somewhat slower. The daughter was not hysterical, did not do anything extra-inappropriate, she simply did not speak. I was stupid and believed when they told me - don’t worry, he’ll talk. I only panicked when I was three years old. A neurologist recommended by friends prescribed Enciphabol and /pharmacy/30155-pantogam. Later - /pharmacy/2477-cortexin. As a result of the treatment, syllables appeared, but there were no words.

At the age of four they began to study with a defectologist, and here the effect was already very noticeable - words appeared in the active reserve, the daughter began to repeat new words and phrases. At the age of five, the daughter lived with her father (my ex-husband) in another city, I went to the garden. There was no speech pathologist there - they worked with a kindergarten speech therapist. There was no effect as such, the year was lost.

From six to seven years old we studied in Moscow at the Green Line. The speech pathologist there was wonderful, but we were unlucky with the speech therapist - there was practically no effect from the classes. That same year, we were sent to a primary medical school, whose specialists, after talking with the child, did not want to give a referral to a speech therapy school. They asked for a psychiatrist's report.

The conclusion of the psychiatrist, or rather the commission of the sixth psychiatric hospital, was - mental mild retardation degree without indications of behavioral disorder due to other specified reasons. As I understand it, this is the reason for OHP. Previously, they wrote to us ONR of some degree (I think 1st), now these are elements of ONR. There is also a history of erased dysarthria and impaired development of written speech.

Like many parents, when I heard the diagnosis of UO, at first I didn’t believe it, and then I got upset. Here, the prospects of getting into a Type 8 school also began to emerge clearly. Frustration again. But one way or another, we went to just such a school.

I’ll say something about the school. Then it seemed to me very good - small class sizes, good equipment, the presence of an extended day group, etc. There was only one thing - in the class there were children with SOOO different diagnoses: Down syndrome, autism, disability varying degrees. As a result, and I realized this much later, educational process was aimed at the weakest children. My child was an excellent student, and this despite the fact that she wrote (and writes)

She has gross errors and cannot solve problems AT ALL. The only thing is that he reads quite well even for a regular school.

But it was in this school that we were incredibly lucky with a speech therapist - in two years she managed to introduce the sounds “k”, “l”, “sh”, “zh” “c”, “ch”, “sch”, partially “r”... Yes, we didn't actually have half the alphabet. During the first school year, my daughter’s vocabulary expanded very, very much, but the speech itself was terribly ungrammatical. The speech therapist even said that, most likely, she would remain agrammatic. But, fortunately, after the summer holidays, my daughter somehow sharply declined words correctly, changed them by gender, number, etc.

In third grade we also had additional training with a speech therapist, but I can’t point out anything significant; we automated all the hissing sounds.

Now we have a new school (we moved to live in the village) and a new speech therapist. From one meeting, it became clear that she was a top-class specialist - she paid attention to something that no previous specialist had properly paid attention to. The child has tight facial muscles, which, as I understand it, is the cause of erased dysarthria. It was a discovery for me that my daughter has practically no facial expressions. No, she, of course, smiles and frowns, but the emotions on her face are not visible as clearly as those of most people. And, for example, my child cannot show surprise with his eyebrows.

Our new speech therapist said that the first thing she will do is eliminate this clamp, and only then refine the sounds. What made me very happy was her confidence that our speech would be in COMPLETE order. With regular practice, the unclear pronunciation will go away!!! Now we do it every day special exercises to relax muscles.

As for studies, at the new school we went not to the fourth, but to the third grade. The focus in the Moscow school on the least strong children had an impact, as well as the fact that our teacher directly stated that “THIS” children are not capable of mastering mathematics. But the program for schools of the 8th type is compiled for such children, which means they can... Grades in the Russian language and mathematics are mainly 3 or 4, in literary reading, oral speech, the living world - mainly 5. Now we are learning the multiplication table by 2 and on 3, for now we just pronounce, and then we will write down, difficult words from the spelling dictionary.

Socially, the daughter is well developed: she knows how to carry on a conversation, including with strangers, she easily uses cell phone, on Skype, finds what she needs in search engines. She doesn’t have conflicts with other children, supports games (rarely offers her own), and strives to invite everyone over. What upsets me is the obstinacy and spirit of contradiction in his relationship with me. Well, this is probably typical for many children her age. As they say, in your own country...

Mental problems. Mental retardation in children. Approximately 3% of children do not have age-appropriate normal cognitive abilities. They are usually called "mentally retarded" or "children with developmental delays." This definition applies to all children whose standard intelligence index (IQ) score is less than 70 (a score of 80 to 130 defines normal intelligence, and 100 is average).

Mental retardation in children is defined as “a marked decrease in the level of all mental functions”, accompanied by a “deficit of adaptive behavior”. In other words, mental retardation is the inability of a child to learn, exercise independence and social competence in the appropriate age group.

The development of mentally retarded children is much slower than that of their peers in many areas, especially with regard to interest in the world around them and the ability to respond to external events. Such children later develop the ability to smile, stretch out their hands towards what they see or hear, grab toys and play with them; all types of reactions in general develop with a lag.

A large number of mentally retarded children suffer from a variety of problems - congenital heart diseases, epileptic seizures, hearing impairment. Their life expectancy rarely exceeds average age, partly because they do not receive medical treatment.

Although every child develops at a different rate, they always go through the stages listed below. If the child’s development indicators do not reach average values this stage development, then this is a signal that the child has difficulties.

0 – 4 months

Shows interest in the environment and special attention to those caring for him and those who care for him.

Responsive to light and sound, especially when communicating with others.

Smiles when addressed, or reacts to a certain facial expression, hums.

Receives pleasure when he is gently and affectionately soothed and stroked.

Follows with his eyes a moving object or person, turns his head towards the source of sound.

Can grasp and hold small objects.

Can hold head when sitting on knees.

Sleeps more than 4 hours at night.

5 – 8 months

Begins to learn how certain things function; responds to requests.

Communicates with the person caring for him: smiles, holds out his hands.

Reacts to simple games, such as peek-a-boo.

He stretches out his hands to toys and other objects of interest to him.

Shows cautious interest when appearing strangers.

Able to concentrate attention on toys and strangers for quite a long time.

Begins to explore and interact with his own environment.

Able to pick up and hold a small object.

Can drink from a cup or glass held by adults.

Pronounces certain sounds and repeats them.

Able to sit without support and play in this position.

Can crawl or climb.

Able to climb up by holding onto the bars of the crib.

9 – 12 months

He begins to interact with the world around him in a complex way: he hands out toys to his parents, begins to walk with support, roll a ball, and use gestures to be understood.

Uses a certain pattern of behavior to approach parents and climb onto their laps.

Reacts to the intonation of parents' speech.

Concentrates on the game for quite a long time.

Knows how to imitate simple gestures - waving a hand when saying goodbye, indicating a “yes” or “no” sign with a nod.

Uses vision and hands to explore new objects.

Can toss or throw a ball.

Considers with outside help simple pictures in books.

Able to put a small piece of food into his mouth.

Able to walk while holding onto furniture.

Understands simple words and directions.

Applies specific sounds to specific objects.

13 – 18 months

Shows conscious intentions and ways of exploring situations during interactions and games.

Explains his desires and feelings using gestures and words.

Uses one to two word sentences and understands simple phrases.

Balances the need for independence and intimacy (for example, going to the opposite end of the room to play and returning back to one of the loved ones to cuddle).

Makes attempts to insist on his own; knows how to express dissatisfaction with his voice without crying, biting or hitting with his hands.

Uses performances and roles in games (“cooks in a saucepan”, “rides in a toy car”); plays independently.

Recognizes familiar objects in pictures, can make a simple mosaic, and draw a circle.

Can run, jump, stand on one leg.

19 months – up to 3 – 3.5 years

Plays complex games of imagination, connecting the motives of intimacy, nutrition or care with the need for self-affirmation, exploration and aggression.

Knows what is real and what is not.

Follows the rules.

Understands the relationship between behavior, thoughts, feelings and their consequences.

Interacts with adults and playmates in a socially appropriate manner.

He can draw quite complex drawings, for example, depicting a woman with certain facial features.

Able to climb and descend stairs.

Knows how to purposefully throw a large ball and catch it.

Makes up complex sentences containing words that are logically related to each other.

Begins to ask “why?”, although this is not necessarily accompanied by an interest in the answers.

Classification of mental retardation

Mental retardation in children is a nonspecific disease that is either present or absent in the child and represents a multi-level psychosis pathological condition, manifested in significant changes in behavior and abilities. A large number of classification systems are used to determine the degree of mental retardation. This kind of classification serves as a necessary tool for the selection of special educational and medical institutions. Parents, teachers and physicians must ensure that no classification system interferes with the fullest development of the child's residual potential.

In most cases, four categories of mental retardation are used, ranging from mild to severe. About 85% of children with mental retardation are mildly retarded, with an intellectual index (IQ) of 50 to 70. Although these children require special training, they are capable even if classes begin at a young age. adolescence, learn reading and counting. With appropriate support and assistance, they can eventually achieve a significant degree of independence and lead independent lives. Children with an average (moderate) degree of mental retardation (intellectual index from 35 to 49) are able to learn to take care of themselves and, to a certain extent, work in protected and facilitated conditions. Children with severe mental retardation (IQ from 20 to 34) are able to master basic hygiene skills through training. However, they experience great difficulties in the motor and speech areas and, as a rule, cannot acquire any professional skills. Children with profound mental retardation (IQ below 20) cannot express their condition and situation in words and cannot use the toilet. They require care and maintenance throughout their lives.

Other classification systems are based on children's ability to achieve a certain educational level. “Learningly able” children are those whose IQ typically ranges from 50 to 75. Their school achievements reach the 3rd to 6th grade level. The learning ability of a child with an IQ between 30 and 50 reaches the 2nd grade level and is usually limited to these results.

Recognizing mental retardation

Developmental delays in most cases are detected immediately after birth or somewhat later. Certain congenital forms of mental retardation, including so-called Down syndrome, are diagnosed during prenatal testing. Children with Down syndrome and some other forms of mental retardation differ from the norm in their appearance and exhibit obvious birth defects, which makes it easier early diagnosis.

Even if a completely normal child develops slowly, many doctors have questions that require diagnostic efforts to exclude mild mental retardation. In the second or third year of life and until school age mental retardation is established using psychological and physiological tests. Sometimes the examination reveals other causes of delayed development, such as hearing loss, which makes communication and learning more difficult.

It is important to mention that the cutoff for mental retardation below 70 IQ is arbitrary. There are children with IQs below 70 who are able to lead productive and independent lives. In fact, some studies show that children from poor backgrounds or other cultural backgrounds whose test scores show IQ levels below 70 actually show significantly higher intellectual scores after equalization or improvement of environmental conditions. Conversely, there are children whose intellectual index is above 70, however, their school achievements do not correspond to their age level. Therefore, when diagnosing mental retardation, one should take into account not only behavioral and academic indicators, but also cultural environment and socio-economic data.

Causes of the disease

There are hundreds of known causes and risk factors for mental retardation. These may be chromosomal abnormalities (such as Down syndrome), genetic diseases, birth trauma, low birth weight and extreme fetal immaturity, hormonal disorders, prenatal infection (eg, measles in the first third of pregnancy), prenatal malnutrition, and maternal drug or alcohol use. After birth, mental retardation may be caused by mental and physical isolation of the child, severe malnutrition, brain damage due to an accident (such as falling or near-drowning), lead poisoning, and infection (meningitis). In most cases, the true causes of mental retardation remain unknown.

Down syndrome

A common form of mental retardation is Down syndrome, a chromosomal disorder that affects approximately one in 700 births. In most cases, mental development in these children proceeds normally until 6 months, and then stops or even regresses. Along with a decrease in mental indicators, most children have severe dysplasticity of the face and body, which includes weakness muscle tone, a small flat skull, wide cheeks, a protruding tongue and Asian-shaped eyes (which in the past gave rise to the designation of this type of mental retardation as Mongoloidism). In total, there are about a hundred mental disabilities associated with Down syndrome, some of which are rare and difficult to distinguish from others.

Stages of early childhood development

You have learned that your child is mentally retarded. What to prepare for?

Keep in mind that your child, despite his mental retardation, is an individual with his own hopes, dreams, rights and dignity.

If your friends try to avoid meeting you or seem unsure or embarrassed, know that most people simply do not know how to react to the news of your child's illness or how to help you. You must understand that some people find it difficult to express their empathy and compassion towards others.

Establish contact with self-help and patient assistance organizations. Try to meet other parents of mentally retarded children, find out how they assess the situation and exchange your experiences with them.

Admit to yourself your feelings of guilt, anger, sadness and disappointment. These feelings are natural. Do not feel ashamed of yourself and your child; in order to help him, you must comprehend and process your disappointment.

Even though your child has different demands and needs from the norm and requires individual approach, do not ignore the vital interests of your spouse and other family members. This will make it difficult for them to participate in resolving your problems.

You must anticipate that your inner circle may not only be willing to understand your feelings and problems, but also resist them. Overcoming this life situation is a difficult problem.

Causes

The cause of this disease may be chromosomal aberrations. Individuals with trisomy 21 have 47 chromosomes in each cell instead of the normal 46 chromosomes. They are born with an extra 21 chromosome. This form of Down syndrome occurs most often (about 95% of all cases) and is not genetically transmitted. Some children with this syndrome may have an extra 21 chromosome, but this is melted down by other chromosomes, so that despite this, 46 chromosomes remain. This is defined as a congenital translocation in a certain form of Down syndrome. Parents of some children with this form of the syndrome can, with a special study, determine which of them is a carrier of the gene for this disease, which can provide information about possible consequences if they want to have another child. Children whose condition is caused by mosaicism (about 1% of cases) have various cells, some of which are normal and some with an extra 21 chromosome. They usually have less severe pathology and are more viable. As for other genetic causes, it has not yet been studied what role they play in chromosomal abnormalities. Some studies show that late maternal age is important for this syndrome (about 2/3 of all children with Down syndrome were born to mothers over 35 years old), as well as the fact that she was exposed to increased X-ray exposure or lived in an area contaminated with toxic substances.

Development rate

As with other forms of mental retardation, children with Down syndrome develop long delay compared to the age norm. In the first few months of their lives, children with this disorder are calmer and less excitable than their healthy peers. The reason for this is a decrease in muscle tone and underdeveloped coordination. Most children with Down syndrome begin to respond to their environment only in the second year of life. They smile at their caregivers, babble, and learn to sit without support without being able to crawl or climb. In subsequent years, muscle coordination, speech and other abilities develop, however, the pace of development remains much slower than in other children. By the time they reach two years of age, many children with Down syndrome are able to say only one or two words. The problem of muscle coordination also affects speech abilities: children with Down syndrome often have great difficulty moving their tongues and coordinating the movements of the lips and jaw necessary for speech. By age five, they are usually able to name a few objects and produce short sentences with many articulatory and grammatical errors. Parents can help speech development, if they talk to their children regularly and actively help their children develop their articulatory abilities by practicing them in certain social situations.

Treatment

Although mentally retarded children rarely reach the developmental level of their peers, efforts should be made to ensure that they maximize their potential. The earlier the diagnosis is made, the sooner relatives and children can begin a program of stimulating development. At the same time, parents and educators should not express negative feelings. Being kind to your child will speed up his development.

The treatment is predominantly encouraging in nature and its goal is to help children achieve their maximum possible activity and independence. In the USA, such children are grouped into groups where they study surrounded by people close to them and familiar to them. Such institutions combine the tasks of education and upbringing.

Doctors must make some difficult predictions about how much progress a particular child might make. Although mentally retarded children can improve their IQ with appropriate intervention, they can never reach the IQ level of normal children. Yet they are able to make progress academically, and in some cases show clear improvement.

Parents are offered many training and support programs for children. Methods of necessary therapeutic intervention depend on a qualified expert assessment of their developmental disorder and the needs of each individual child. Teaching speech, neatness skills, the ability to dress and eat independently is necessary in all cases. Parents must be consulted. It is also necessary to coordinate the work of doctors who treat somatic difficulties and disorders, and psychotherapists who are competent in solving mental and behavioral problems.

Stages of early childhood development

Love me!

An elementary and essential first step in helping children with developmental delays is the need to give them love and attention. People with mental and somatic retardations are subject to social discrimination, which hinders their development opportunities. Their backwardness does not protect them from the painful realization that they are different from others, and then they experience unpleasant feelings. Knowing that they are loved and wanted helps accelerate children's development and gives them the positive internal self-image they need to cope with the difficult demands that life places on them.

Help with mental problems and behavioral difficulties

There is not a single mental or behavioral problem that is unique to children with mental retardation. At the same time, each child with mental retardation has his own personal difficulties and problems. For example, he has behavioral problems, mentally retarded children often become restless and restless due to the inability to concentrate for a long time, their behavior is disrupted, which is especially reflected during classes at home or in educational institution.

Such children have low resistance to stress factors, which is often combined with a lack of control over their impulses and desires. It is known that a sick child requires significantly more time to calm down after excitement and excitement than a child with normal cognitive abilities.

Changes in routine, comments regarding the rules of eating or handling objects in the absence of inhibitory moments in the psyche can easily cause a reaction of irritation up to destructive actions or self-harm. Coping with this kind of behavior even in normal children is quite difficult. Communicating with moderately retarded people is especially difficult due to the fact that they require especially much effort to control their behavior. The box on page 338 shows ways to provide parenting support. Psychotherapists use techniques for this behavioral psychotherapy, with the help of which children can learn new patterns of behavior and control their condition. This is especially important for children with mental retardation.

Already at a very young age, mentally retarded children often suffer from self-esteem. Children with mild developmental disorders often know that they are different from others. They learn this by comparing themselves to their siblings or by the judgments and comments of those around them—family members, neighborhood children, teachers, and other authority figures. The consequence of this is that mentally retarded children feel unhappy and suffer from depression. It can also lead to social regression or aggressive behavior. Such disorders, even if they are severe, require psychotherapeutic assistance using play techniques, which are also used in the treatment of children with normal development.

Family problems

Those who help children with mental retardation can achieve success and great satisfaction, but it requires a lot of patience and cooperation from all family members. Parents often react to their child being sick with guilt, sadness and anger. Some of them find it difficult to feel connected to their child. Other siblings may feel shame, guilt, irritation, or frustration because the mentally retarded child requires special attention and is different from other children. A family with a mentally retarded child may benefit from the advice or support of another family in the same situation.

Psychotherapy for families with mentally retarded children contains a number of explanatory components. Parents are taught how to assess the developmental status of their children and, based on this knowledge, help their children develop and learn.

differences) - (video)

mental retardation)

Treatment and correction of mental retardation ( how to treat oligophrenia?)

Rehabilitation and socialization of children with mental retardation - ( video)

Features of a child and adolescent with mental retardation ( manifestations, symptoms, signs)

For children with mental retardation ( oligophrenia) characterized by similar manifestations and signs ( disorders of attention, memory, thinking, behavior, etc.). At the same time, the severity of these disorders directly depends on the degree of mental retardation.

For mentally retarded children it is typical:

thinking disorder;
impaired concentration;
cognitive impairment;

speech disorders;
communication problems;
visual impairment;
hearing impairment;
sensory development disorders;
memory impairment;
movement disorders ( motor disorders);
mental disorders;
behavioral disorders;
disturbances of the emotional-volitional sphere.

Disorders of mental development and thinking, intellectual impairments ( main violation)

Impaired mental development is the main symptom of mental retardation. This manifests itself in the inability to think normally, make the right decisions, draw conclusions from the information received, and so on.

Impairments of mental development and thinking in oligophrenia are characterized by:

Cognitive disorders

Children with mild mental retardation are characterized by a decrease in interest in the objects, things and events around them. They do not strive to learn something new, and when learning they quickly forget what they have received ( read, heard) information. At the same time, properly conducted classes and special training programs allow them to learn simple professions. With moderate and severe mental retardation, children can solve simple problems, but they remember new information extremely difficult and only if they are taught for a long time. They themselves do not show any initiative to learn something new.

Impaired concentration

All children with mental retardation experience a decrease in the ability to concentrate, which is caused by impaired brain activity.

With a mild degree of mental retardation, it is difficult for a child to sit still and do the same thing for a long time ( for example, they cannot read a book for several minutes at a time, and after reading they cannot retell what the book was about). At the same time, an absolutely opposite phenomenon may be observed - when studying any subject ( situations) the child excessively concentrates attention on its smallest details, without appreciating the subject ( situation) generally.

With moderate mental retardation, it is extremely difficult to attract the child’s attention. If this can be done, after a few seconds the child is distracted again, switching to another activity. In severe forms of the disease, it is not possible to attract the patient’s attention at all ( Only in exceptional cases can a child react to any bright objects or loud, unusual sounds).

Speech impairment/underdevelopment and communication problems

Speech disorders may be associated with functional underdevelopment of the brain ( which is typical for a mild form of the disease). At the same time, with moderate and profound oligophrenia, organic damage to the speech apparatus may be observed, which will also create certain problems in communication.

Speech impairment in children with mental retardation is characterized by:

Mute. In mild forms of the disease, complete muteness is relatively rare, usually in the absence of the necessary correctional programs and activities. With imbecility ( moderately severe oligophrenia) muteness may be associated with damage to the speech apparatus or hearing impairment ( if a child is deaf, he will also not be able to learn words and pronounce them). With severe mental retardation, children usually cannot speak. Instead of words, they utter incomprehensible sounds. Even if they manage to learn a few words, they are not able to use them correctly.
Dyslalia. It is characterized by a speech disorder consisting of incorrect pronunciation of sounds. At the same time, children may not pronounce some sounds at all.
Stuttering. Characteristic of mild and moderate degree expressiveness.
Lack of expressive speech. In mild forms of the disease, this deficiency can be eliminated through exercise, while in more severe forms this cannot be done.
Impaired speech volume control. This can occur with hearing impairment. Normally, when a person speaks and hears his speech, he automatically controls its volume. If an oligophrenic does not hear the words he speaks, his speech will be too loud.
Difficulties in constructing long phrases. Having started to say one thing, a child can immediately switch to another phenomenon or object, as a result of which his speech will be meaningless and incomprehensible to others.

Visual impairment

In mild and moderate forms of the disease, the visual analyzer is usually developed normally. At the same time, due to impaired thought processes, the child may not distinguish between certain colors ( for example, if he is asked to choose yellow pictures among pictures of other colors, he will distinguish yellow from the rest, but it will be difficult for him to complete the task).

Severe visual impairments can be observed in cases of deep mental retardation, which is often combined with defects in the development of the visual analyzer. In this case, the child may not distinguish colors, see objects distorted, or be completely blind.

It is also worth noting that visual impairment ( strabismus, blindness and so on) may be associated with an underlying disease that causes mental retardation ( for example, when hereditary syndrome Bardet-Biedl, in which children can be born blind).

Are there hallucinations in mental retardation?

Hallucinations are non-existent images, images, sounds or sensations that the patient sees, hears or feels. To him they seem realistic and believable, although in reality they are not.

The development of hallucinations is not typical for the classic course of mental retardation. At the same time, when oligophrenia is combined with schizophrenia, signs characteristic of the latter disease may appear, including hallucinations. Also this symptom can be observed during psychosis, with severe mental or physical fatigue and with the use of any toxic substances ( alcoholic drinks, drugs) even in minimal quantities. The latter phenomenon is due to the inadequate development of the central nervous system and the brain in particular, as a result of which even an insignificant amount of alcohol can cause visual hallucinations and other mental disorders in the patient.

Hearing impairment ( deaf children with mental retardation)

Hearing disorders can be observed with any degree of mental retardation. This may be due to organic lesions. hearing aid (for example, with congenital developmental anomalies, which is typical for children with severe mental retardation). Also damage auditory analyzer can be observed in hemolytic disease of the newborn, in some genetic syndromes, and so on.

The development and learning of a deaf, mentally retarded child proceeds even more slowly, since he cannot perceive the speech of the people around him. With complete deafness, children, as a rule, cannot speak ( without hearing speech, they cannot repeat it), as a result of which, even with a mild form of the disease, they express their emotions and feelings only with a kind of mooing and screaming. With partial deafness or deafness in one ear, children can learn to speak, but during a conversation they may pronounce words incorrectly or speak too loudly, which is also associated with the inferiority of the auditory analyzer.

Sensory developmental disorders

Sensory development is the child’s ability to perceive the world around him using various senses ( primarily sight and touch). It has been scientifically proven that the majority of mentally retarded children are characterized by impairments of these functions of varying degrees of severity.

Sensory developmental disorders may manifest themselves as:

Slow visual perception. To evaluate an object seen ( understand what it is, why it is needed, and so on), a mentally retarded child needs several times more time than a normal person.
Narrowness of visual perception. Normally, older children can simultaneously perceive ( notice) up to 12 items. At the same time, patients with oligophrenia can perceive no more than 4–6 objects at the same time.
Violation of color perception. Children may not be able to distinguish between colors or shades of the same color.
Impaired sense of touch. If you close your child's eyes and give him a familiar object ( for example, his personal cup), he can easily recognize her. At the same time, if you give the same cup, but made of wood or other material, the child will not always be able to accurately answer what he has in his hands.

Memory disorders

In a healthy person, after several repetitions of the same material, certain connections are formed between the nerve cells of the brain ( synapses), which allows him to remember the information received on long time. With mild mental retardation, the rate of formation of these synapses is impaired ( slows down), as a result of which the child must repeat certain information much longer ( more times ) to remember it. At the same time, when you stop studying, the memorized data is quickly forgotten or may be distorted ( the child incorrectly retells information read or heard).

With moderate oligophrenia, the listed disorders are more pronounced. The child has difficulty remembering the information received, and when reproducing it, he may become confused about dates and other data. At the same time, with deep oligophrenia, the patient’s memory is extremely poorly developed. He can recognize the faces of those closest to him, can respond to his name or ( rarely) learn a few words, although he does not understand their meaning.

Movement disorders ( motor disorders)

Impairments in motor skills and voluntary movements are observed in almost 100% of children with mental retardation. At the same time, the severity of movement disorders also depends on the degree of the disease.

Motor disorders in mentally retarded children can manifest themselves:

Slow and clumsy movements. When trying to take an object from the table, the child may move his hand towards it very slowly, awkwardly. Such children also move very slowly, they can often stumble, their legs can get tangled, and so on.
Motor restlessness. This is another type of movement disorder in which the child does not sit still, constantly moves around, and performs simple movements with his arms and legs. At the same time, his movements are uncoordinated and senseless, abrupt and sweeping. During a conversation, such children may accompany their speech with excessively expressed gestures and facial expressions.
Impaired coordination of movements. Children with mild and moderate forms of the disease take a long time to learn to walk, pick up objects, and maintain balance in a standing position ( For some of them, these skills may not appear until adolescence.).
Inability to perform complex movements. Children with mental retardation experience significant difficulty if they need to perform two consecutive but different movements ( for example, throw a ball up and hit it with your hand). The transition from one movement to another is slower for them, as a result of which the ball thrown up will fall, and the child will not “have time” to hit it.
Impaired fine motor skills. Precise movements that require increased concentration of attention are extremely difficult for oligophrenics. For a child with a moderate form of the disease, tying his shoelaces can be a difficult and sometimes even impossible task ( he will take hold of the laces, twirl them in his hands, try to do something with them, but the final goal will never be achieved).

With deep mental retardation, movements develop very slowly and weakly ( Children can begin to walk only by the age of 10–15 years.). In extremely severe cases, movement in the limbs may be completely absent.

Disorders of mental functions and behavior

Mental disorders can manifest themselves in children with any degree of illness, which is caused by impaired functioning of the cerebral cortex and a disturbed, incorrect perception of themselves and the world around them.

Children with mental retardation may experience:

Psychomotor agitation. In this case, the child is active and can pronounce various incomprehensible sounds and words ( if he knows them), move from side to side, and so on. Moreover, all his movements and actions are devoid of any meaning, disordered, chaotic.
Impulsive actions. Being in a state of relative rest ( for example, lying on the sofa), the child may suddenly stand up, go to the window, walk around the room, or perform some similar aimless action, and then return to the previous activity ( lie back on the sofa).
Stereotypical movements. During training, the child learns certain movements ( for example, waving your hand in greeting), after which he repeats them constantly, even without obvious need ( for example, when he is indoors, when he sees an animal, bird or any inanimate object).
Repeating the actions of others. At an older age, children with mild mental retardation may begin to repeat movements and actions they have just seen ( provided that they are trained in these actions). So, for example, seeing a person pouring water into a cup, the patient can immediately take the cup and also start pouring water for himself. At the same time, due to the inferiority of thinking, he can simply imitate these movements ( at the same time, without having a jug of water in his hands) or even take a jug and start pouring water on the floor.
Repeating the words of others. If a child has a certain vocabulary, when he hears a word he knows, he can immediately repeat it. At the same time, children do not repeat unfamiliar or too long words ( instead they may utter incoherent sounds).
Complete immobility. Sometimes a child may lie absolutely motionless for several hours, after which he may also suddenly begin to perform any actions.

Violations of the emotional-volitional sphere

All children with mental retardation are characterized by a violation of motivation of varying degrees of severity, as well as a disturbance of the psycho-emotional state. This makes it much more difficult for them to stay in society, and in cases of moderate, severe and profound mental retardation, it makes it impossible for them to be independent ( without the supervision of another person) accommodation.

Children with mental retardation may experience:

Weakening motivation. The child does not show initiative for any actions, does not strive to learn new things, to get to know the world around him and himself. They do not have any “own” goals or aspirations. Everything they do is done only according to what their loved ones or people around them tell them. At the same time, they can do absolutely everything that is told to them, since they are not aware of their actions ( cannot evaluate them critically).
Easy suggestibility. Absolutely all people with mental retardation are easily influenced by others ( because they cannot distinguish between lies, jokes or sarcasm). If such a child goes to school, classmates may bully him, forcing him to do abnormal things. This can significantly traumatize the child’s psyche, leading to the development of deeper mental disorders.
Slow development of the emotional sphere. Children begin to feel something only by the age of 3–4 years or even later.
Limited feelings and emotions. Children with severe illness may experience only primitive feelings ( fear, sadness, joy), while in a deep form of oligophrenia they may also be absent. At the same time, patients with mild or moderate mental retardation may experience many more feelings and emotions ( can empathize, feel sorry for someone, and so on).
Chaotic emergence of emotions. Feelings and emotions of oligophrenics can arise and change suddenly, without any apparent reason (The child just laughed, 10 seconds later he is already crying or behaving aggressively, and a minute later he is laughing again).
"Superficial" feelings. Some children very quickly experience any of life's joys, burdens and hardships, forgetting about them within a few hours or days.
"Intense" feelings. The other extreme in mentally retarded children is excessive distress over even the most minor problems ( for example, if a mug drops on the floor, a child may cry for several hours or even days because of this).

Is aggression characteristic of mental retardation?

Aggression and inappropriate, hostile behavior are most often observed in patients with severe mental retardation. Most of the time they can behave aggressively towards others, as well as towards themselves ( may beat themselves, scratch, bite, and even cause severe bodily harm to themselves). In this regard, their separate residence ( without constant supervision) impossible.

Children with severe illness also often have angry outbursts. They can be aggressive towards others, but they rarely injure themselves. Often their aggressive attitude can change to the completely opposite ( they become calm, quiet, friendly), however, any word, sound or image can again provoke an outbreak of aggression or even rage in them.

With moderate mental retardation, children can also be aggressive towards others. A child may shout at the “offender,” cry, or gesticulate threateningly with his hands, but this aggression extremely rarely turns into open form (when a child seeks to cause physical harm to someone). Outbursts of anger can be replaced by other emotions within a few minutes or hours, but in some cases the child may remain in bad mood During a long time ( several days, weeks or even months).

With a mild form of oligophrenia aggressive behavior is extremely rare and is usually associated with some negative emotions, experiences or events. Wherein close person can quickly calm a child down ( To do this, you can distract him with something fun, interesting), causing his anger to change to joy or another feeling.

Is physical development impaired in children with mental retardation?

Mental retardation itself especially mild form) does not lead to retardation in physical development. The child may be relatively tall, his muscles may be quite developed, and his musculoskeletal system may be no less strong than that of normal children ( however, only with regular physical activity and training). At the same time, in case of severe and profound oligophrenia, force the child to perform physical exercise quite difficult, and therefore such children may lag behind their peers not only in mental, but also in physical development ( even if they were born physically healthy). Also, physical underdevelopment can be observed in cases where the cause of mental retardation affected the child after his birth ( for example, severe head trauma within the first 3 years of life).

At the same time, it is worth noting that physical underdevelopment and developmental anomalies may be associated with the cause of mental retardation itself. So, for example, with oligophrenia caused by alcoholism or drug addiction of the mother, the child may be born with various congenital anomalies, physical deformities, underdevelopment of individual parts of the body, and so on. The same is typical for oligophrenia caused by various intoxications, some genetic syndromes, injuries and exposure of the fetus to radiation in the early stages of intrauterine development, maternal diabetes, and so on.

As a result of long-term observations, it was noticed that the more severe the degree of oligophrenia, the higher the likelihood that the child will have certain physical anomalies in the development of the skull, chest, spine, oral cavity, external genitalia, and so on.

Signs of mental retardation in newborns

Identifying mental retardation in a newborn can be extremely difficult. The fact is that this disease is characterized by delayed mental development of the child ( compared to other children). However, this development begins only a certain time after birth, as a result of which the child must live at least several months to be diagnosed. When during scheduled inspections the doctor will identify any developmental delays, then it will be possible to talk about one or another degree of mental retardation.

At the same time, it is worth noting that the identification of certain predisposing factors and symptoms may lead the doctor to think about the child’s possible mental retardation at the very first examination ( immediately after birth).

On increased likelihood The presence of oligophrenia may be indicated by:

Predisposing factors in the mother– alcoholism, drug use, the presence of chromosomal syndromes in close relatives ( for example, in other children), diabetes mellitus and so on.
Presence of signs of mental retardation in the mother or father– people with a mild form of the disease can start families and have children, but they are at risk of having ( their children) mental retardation is increased.
Newborn skull deformities– with microcephaly ( reduction in skull size) or with congenital hydrocephalus ( an increase in the size of the skull as a result of the accumulation of large amounts of fluid in it) the probability of a child having mental retardation is close to 100%.
Congenital malformations– defects of the limbs, face, mouth, chest or other parts of the body can also accompany severe or profound forms of mental retardation.

Diagnosis of mental retardation

Diagnosis of mental retardation, determination of its degree and clinical form is a complex and lengthy process that requires a comprehensive examination of the child and various diagnostic tests.

Which doctor diagnoses and treats mental retardation?

Since mental retardation is characterized by a predominant disturbance of the mental processes and psycho-emotional state of the patient, the diagnosis of this pathology and treatment of children with mental retardation should be addressed psychiatrist ( sign up) . It is he who can assess the extent of the disease, prescribe treatment and monitor its effectiveness, as well as determine whether a person poses a danger to others, select optimal correction programs, and so on.

At the same time, it is worth noting that in almost 100% of cases, oligophrenics have not only mental, but also other disorders ( neurological, sensory organ damage, etc.). In this regard, a psychiatrist never treats a sick child on his own, but constantly refers him to consultations with specialists from other fields of medicine, who help him choose the most suitable adequate treatment, suitable for each specific case.

When diagnosing and treating a mentally retarded child, a psychiatrist may prescribe a consultation:

neurologist ( sign up) ;
speech pathologist ( sign up) ;
psychologist ( sign up) ;
psychotherapist ( sign up) ;
ophthalmologist ( ophthalmologist) (sign up) ;
otorhinolaryngologist ( ENT doctor) (sign up) ;
dermatologist ( sign up) ;
pediatric surgeon ( sign up) ;
neurosurgeon ( sign up) ;
endocrinologist ( sign up) ;
infectious disease specialist ( sign up) ;
chiropractor ( sign up) and other specialists.

Methods for examining a child with mental retardation

Anamnesis data is used to make a diagnosis ( the doctor asks the child’s parents about everything that may be related to the existing disease). After this, he examines the patient, trying to identify certain disorders characteristic of mentally retarded people.

When interviewing parents, the doctor may ask:

Were there any mentally retarded children in the family? If there were oligophrenics among your immediate relatives, the risk of having of this disease the child is elevated.
Did any of your immediate family suffer from chromosomal diseases? (Down syndrome, Bardet-Biedl, Klinefelter and so on)?
Did the mother ingest any toxins while carrying the baby? If the mother smoked, drank alcohol, or took psychotropic/narcotic drugs, she has an increased risk of having a child with mental retardation.
Was the mother exposed to radiation during pregnancy? This could also contribute to the development of mental retardation in the child.
Does the child's memory suffer? The doctor may ask the baby what he ate for breakfast, what book he was read at night, or something like that. Normal child ( able to speak) will easily answer these questions, while for an oligophrenic it will be difficult.
Does your child have aggressive outbursts? Aggressive, impulsive behavior ( during which the child can hit people around him, including parents) is typical for severe or profound mental retardation.
Is it typical for a child to have frequent and causeless mood swings? This may also indicate the presence of oligophrenia, although it is also observed in a number of other mental disorders.
Does the child have congenital malformations? If yes, which ones and how many of them?

After the interview, the doctor begins to examine the patient, which allows him to assess general development and identify any deviations characteristic of mental retardation.

The child's examination includes:

If during the examination the doctor suspects that the child is mentally retarded, he can conduct a number of diagnostic tests to confirm the diagnosis.

What tests may be needed to diagnose mental retardation?

As mentioned earlier, to make a diagnosis it is not enough to simply identify mental retardation in a child, but you also need to determine its degree. For this, various diagnostic tests are used, as well as instrumental studies.

For mental retardation, the doctor may prescribe:

tests to determine the level of intelligence ( for example, Wechsler test);
tests to determine psychological age;
EEG ( electroencephalogram) (sign up);
MRI ( magnetic resonance imaging) (sign up).

Tests to determine iq and psychological age for mental retardation ( Wechsler test)

IQ ( intelligence quotient) is an indicator that allows you to numerically assess a person’s mental abilities. When diagnosing mental retardation, it is iq that is used to determine the degree of the disease.

Degree of mental retardation depending on iq

It is worth noting that healthy people iq must be at least 70 ( ideally more than 90).

To determine the level of iq, many methods have been proposed, the best of which is considered to be the test ( scale) Wechsler. The essence of this test is that the test taker is asked to solve several tasks ( build a series of numbers or letters, count something, find an extra or missing number/letter, perform certain actions with images, and so on). The more tasks the patient completes correctly, the higher his iq level will be.

In addition to determining iq, the doctor can also determine the psychological age of the patient ( There are also many different tests for this). Psychological age does not always correspond to biological age ( that is, the number of years that have passed since the birth of a person) and allows you to assess the degree of development of the child. The fact is that a person’s psychological maturation occurs as he learns, is introduced into society, and so on. If the child does not learn basic skills, concepts and rules of behavior in society ( what is typical for mentally retarded children), his psychological age will be below normal.

Psychological age of the patient depending on the degree of oligophrenia

Consequently, the thinking and behavior of a patient with severe mental retardation corresponds to those of a three-year-old child.

Basic diagnostic criteria for mental retardation

In order to confirm the diagnosis of mental retardation, you need to undergo a series of examinations from various specialists and pass a number of tests. At the same time, there are certain diagnostic criteria, the presence of which can be said with a high degree of probability that the child suffers from oligophrenia.

Diagnostic criteria for oligophrenia include:

Delayed psycho-emotional development and thought processes.
Decrease in iq level.
Biological age discrepancy psychological age (the latter is significantly below normal).
Violation of the patient's adjustment in society.
Behavioral disorders.
The presence of a cause that led to the development of mental retardation ( not necessary).

The degree of expression of each of these criteria directly depends on the degree of mental retardation. It is also worth noting that it is not always possible to identify the cause of oligophrenia, as a result of which its absence is not a reason to doubt the diagnosis if all previous criteria are positive.

Does EEG show mental retardation?

EEG ( electroencephalography) is a special study that allows you to evaluate the activity of various parts of the patient’s brain. In some cases, this makes it possible to assess the severity of disturbances in thought processes in mental retardation.

The essence of the method is as follows. The patient comes to the doctor's office and, after a short conversation, lies down on the couch. Special electrodes are attached to his head, which will record electrical impulses emitted by brain cells. After installing the sensors, the doctor starts the recording device and leaves the room, leaving the patient alone. In this case, the patient is prohibited from standing up or speaking throughout the procedure ( unless the doctor asks for it).

During the study, the doctor can contact the patient via radio communication and ask him to perform certain actions ( raise your arm or leg, touch your finger to the tip of your nose, and so on). Also, in the room in which the patient is located, the lights may periodically turn on and off, or certain sounds and melodies may be heard. This is necessary in order to assess the reaction of individual areas of the cerebral cortex to external stimuli.

The entire procedure usually lasts no more than an hour, after which the doctor removes the electrodes and the patient can go home. Received data ( written on special paper) the doctor carefully examines, trying to identify any abnormalities characteristic of mentally retarded children.

Can MRI detect mental retardation?

MRI ( Magnetic resonance imaging) of the head does not allow one to determine mental retardation or assess the degree of its severity. In the same time, this study can be used to identify the cause of mental retardation.

The study is carried out using a special apparatus ( magnetic resonance imaging scanner). The essence of the procedure is as follows. At the appointed time, the patient comes to the clinic where the study will be carried out. First, he lies down on a special sliding table of the tomograph so that his head is located in a strictly defined place. Next, the table moves to a special compartment of the device, where the research will be carried out. During the entire procedure ( which can last up to half an hour) the patient must lie absolutely still ( do not move your head, do not cough, do not sneeze). Any movement can distort the quality of the data obtained. After the procedure is completed, the patient can immediately go home.

The essence of the MRI method is that while the patient is in a special compartment of the machine, a strong electromagnetic field is created around his head. As a result, the tissues of various organs begin to emit a certain energy, which is recorded by special sensors. After processing the received data, the information is presented on the doctor’s monitor in the form of a detailed layer-by-layer image of the brain and all its structures, skull bones, blood vessels, and so on. Having examined the data obtained, the doctor can identify certain disorders that could cause mental retardation ( for example, lesions of the brain after injury, reduction in brain mass, reduction in the size of certain lobes of the brain, and so on).

Despite its safety, MRI has a number of contraindications. The main one is the presence of any metal objects in the patient’s body ( splinters, dentures, dental crowns and so on). The fact is that a magnetic resonance imaging scanner is a strong electromagnet. If a patient with metal objects in his body is placed in it, this can lead to very disastrous consequences ( up to damage internal organs and patient tissues).

Differential diagnosis ( differences) mental retardation and autism, dementia, mental retardation ( mental retardation, borderline mental retardation in preschool children)

Signs of mental retardation may be similar to those of a number of other mental illnesses. In order to correctly diagnose and prescribe adequate treatment, the doctor needs to know how these pathologies differ from each other.

Mental retardation should be differentiated ( differ):

Mental retardation in children with cerebral palsy

In 10–50% of children with cerebral palsy ( cerebral palsy) signs of mental retardation may be observed, and the incidence of mental retardation depends on the specific form of cerebral palsy.

The essence of cerebral palsy is a violation of the patient’s motor functions associated with damage to his brain in the prenatal period, during childbirth or immediately after birth. There can also be many reasons for the development of cerebral palsy ( injuries, intoxication, oxygen deprivation of the fetus, radiation, and so on), but all contribute to developmental impairment or damage ( destruction) certain areas of the brain.

It is worth noting that the same causal factors can also lead to the development of oligophrenia. That is why identifying signs of mental retardation in patients with cerebral palsy is one of the primary tasks of a doctor.

When these two pathologies are combined, disturbances in the child’s mental, cognitive and psycho-emotional functions are more pronounced than with isolated mental retardation. Severe or profound mental retardation is most common, but even with moderate and mild degrees of the disease, patients cannot care for themselves ( due to motor dysfunction). This is why any child with cerebral palsy and mental retardation needs constant care from the moment of birth and throughout life. Such children are extremely difficult to teach, and the information they receive is quickly forgotten. Their emotions may be weakly expressed, however, with severe forms of mental retardation, unreasonable aggression towards others may occur.

Differential diagnosis of alalia and mental retardation ( mental retardation)

Alalia is a pathological condition in which a child has a speech disorder ( pronunciation of sounds, words, sentences). The cause of the disease is usually a lesion ( at birth trauma, as a result of intoxication, oxygen starvation, and so on) brain structure responsible for speech formation.

IN medical practice It is customary to distinguish two forms of alalia - motor ( when a person understands the speech of others, but cannot reproduce it) and sensory ( when a person does not understand the speech he heard). Important feature is the fact that with alalia the child’s hearing organ is not damaged ( that is, he normally hears the speech of others) and there are no mental disabilities ( that is, he is not mentally retarded). At the same time, speech impairment in mental retardation is associated with underdevelopment of the hearing organ ( deafness) or with the child’s inability to learn and reproduce the sounds and words he has heard.

Difference between mental retardation and schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is mental illness, characterized by impaired thinking and severe psycho-emotional disorders. If the disease manifests itself in childhood, it is referred to as childhood schizophrenia.

Childhood schizophrenia is characterized by a severe course, accompanied by delusions ( the child says incoherent words or sentences) and hallucinations ( the child sees or hears something that is not really there, due to which he may panic, scream in fear, or be in unreasonably good mood ). The child may also have problems communicating with peers ( Children with schizophrenia are withdrawn and have poor contact with others), problems with sleep, concentration, and so on.

Many of these symptoms also occur in children with mental retardation ( especially in the atonic form of the disease), which makes it much more difficult differential diagnosis. In this case, schizophrenia may be indicated by such signs as delusions, hallucinations, perversion, or complete absence emotions.