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Reasons mmd. Minimal brain dysfunction in children, minimal brain dysfunction treatment, treatment of mmd in children

Neurologist's diagnosis of MMD (minimal brain dysfunction) appeared relatively recently, in the mid-twentieth century. This diagnosis is expressed by disorders of the central nervous system. This disruption may cause a change to occur emotional system. The diagnosis of Minimal Brain Dysfunction can be made in either an adult or a child, but most often this diagnosis is made in childhood. It is discovered in most cases during a commission before the child enters first grade. Of course, it also happens in early age diagnose this disorder.

Today, most neurologists are inclined to believe that the term “minimal brain dysfunction” does not exist. It is impossible to give a clear description of this violation. Experts are inclined to believe that diagnosis MMD is a disorder, which is called "Hyperkinetic Behavior Disorders". But so far experts have not come to a consensus that the diagnosis of MMD is correct. Let's figure out what it is?

What kind of diagnosis is this?

Every parent looks at their child with tenderness. Especially if his child is active in games, quick-witted, actively learning the world. Sometimes it happens that you cannot keep track of your baby's actions. It seems like you just took your time for a second gaze from the baby, and he had already climbed into the closet and pulled out all the things from there or tore off a piece of wallpaper.

But even such nimble people have moments when they are inaudible and unseen. During moments of such calm, the child is busy with something very important (drawing, assembling a construction set or puzzle, sculpting something, disassembling a toy for parts, etc.).

But there are children who just physically cannot sit in one place. They are completely unable to concentrate their attention; if such a child begins to do something, he immediately gives it up. It is impossible to interest such a child in anything. It is these children who may be diagnosed with MMD.

Synonyms for the term “Minimal Brain Dysfunction” are:

Attention deficit disorder.
Hyperactivity.
Disadaptation syndrome to school.

How to determine MMD?

Determining minimal brain dysfunction in children is not that difficult. There are some features in the development and behavior of the child that indicate the presence of this diagnosis . Children suffering from MMD, are very irritable and have increased excitability. Such children do not have patience; they may exhibit neurotic reactions, speech and motor skills may be impaired.

If you find 8 of the following signs in your child, then most likely your child has MMD. You should immediately visit a neurologist and undergo an examination.

Signs indicating the presence of minimal brain dysfunction in children:

The child cannot sit in one place for a long time; he constantly moves either his arms or legs or arms and legs together.
Constantly loses things both at home and outside the home.
When addressing a child, it seems that he does not hear the address addressed to him.
Very easily distracted by extraneous noises.
Unable to listen to others for long.
Cannot wait for anything.
Talks constantly.
Does not allow the interlocutor to finish speaking, cannot listen to the end of the question being asked.
Is the initiator of traumatic games or is involved in such games without hesitation.
When solving any tasks, he encounters difficulties that are not related to understanding the essence.
A child cannot play alone, cannot play in silence.
Cannot do one thing for a long time.
Doesn't finish things he started, but starts new ones.

Signs indicating the presence of minimal brain dysfunction in adults:

The person feels "awkward". In other words, motor dysfunction.
A person is unable to learn anything new.
Cannot sit in one place without moving.
Rapid mood changes for no reason.
Behaves impulsively and gets irritated quickly.
Has a deficit of voluntary attention

If the above-described signs are detected, you should contact a neurologist to confirm or refute the diagnosis of “Minimal cerebral dysfunction”.

Causes

If a child has been diagnosed with MMD, then parents should know that this is a disorder in the functioning of the brain. It occurs due to microdamage to individual areas of the cerebral cortex.

To date, it has been determined that the causes of minimal cerebral dysfunction syndrome in children may be due to:

If a woman had some of the above symptoms during pregnancy, it is important to know that the child is at risk.

Diagnostics

In order to diagnose minimal brain dysfunction in a child, most often, specialists resort to Wechsler test and Luria-90; the Gordon system is also often used.

In order to assess the state of the tissues of the Central Nervous System and the state of the cerebral circulation, magnetic resonance imaging is used.

Often when diagnosing minimal brain dysfunction There is a decrease in the cerebral cortex in the parietal and left frontal parts, and a small size of the cerebellum.

When examining a baby greatest attention The focus is on testing reflexes. Symmetry of reflexes. At the age of 6 years and older, psychodiagnostics plays a major role in diagnosing MMD.

How to treat MMD?

If your child has minimal brain dysfunction, then he needs the help of specialists and medical, psychological and pedagogical support. The following specialists are needed for assistance:

A pediatrician who will help you choose the right medication treatment.
A speech pathologist will help with the development of speech and cognitive spheres. Will pick up individual program to correct delays and help with violations.
A neuropsychologist will diagnose memory, thinking, and attention. It will allow you to correctly determine the readiness of a preschooler to attend school. If a child has poor performance at school, he will help you understand the reasons for it and develop an individual program so that your child understands everything and succeeds. Will teach parents correct behavior with a child diagnosed with MMD.
A speech therapist will help correct speech development disorders. Teaches counting, writing and reading skills.
A neurologist will help you choose the right course of treatment, depending on the severity of minimal brain dysfunction.

While treating your baby for MMD, here are some tips to follow:

As medicines When diagnosed with Minimal Brain Dysfunction, the following drugs are used:

Herbal remedies that have a calming effect (St. John's wort, motherwort, valerian, etc.).
Medicines that promote metabolism in brain cells.
Drugs that improve blood circulation.
B vitamins and multivitamins.

Give all medications only as prescribed by a doctor.. The dosage of medications should be strictly observed.

Caring parents will always turn to a specialist for help in a timely manner and provide their child with timely support.

Minimal brain dysfunction is diagnosed in children up to school age in 22% of cases and in 5% of primary school students. Neurological disorder refers to light forms cerebral brain pathology. Minimal brain dysfunction is characterized by the presence of mild neurological symptoms, which manifest themselves in the form of various functional disorders. The syndrome is considered a reversible phenomenon - in 30-50% of cases the child “outgrows” the disorder. However, without timely treatment, the symptoms of MMD become more pronounced over time, worsen and can lead to the development of complications.

Reasons for the development of minimal brain dysfunction in children

Minimal brain dysfunction (MCD) is one of the most common types of neurological mental disorders that develop in childhood. Taking into account the 10th version of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD), this phenomenon is classified as hyperkinetic behavior disorder with code F90.

In modern pediatrics, MMD is considered a consequence of early damage to various parts of the brain, which is manifested by age-related immaturity of certain higher mental functions and their incorrect formation. Depending on the severity of the manifestations, this syndrome is usually classified into subnormal, active, rigid (slow), asthenic and reactive type.

The reasons for the development of MMD in children include the following factors:

What symptoms can be used to suspect a disorder?

This article talks about typical ways to solve your issues, but each case is unique! If you want to find out from me how to solve your particular problem, ask your question. It's fast and free!

The first manifestations of the syndrome can appear both after childbirth and during preschool or school age. In most cases, symptoms of this type of brain dysfunction appear unexpectedly. Often, the clinical picture during the first year of a child’s life is characterized by minimal neurological symptoms.

At the age of 1 to 3 years, children who suffer from MMD experience the following abnormalities:

In children over 3 years of age, MMD manifests itself in the form of clumsiness, fatigue, impulsiveness and aggressiveness in responses. You may also experience intolerance to bright light and loud sounds, problems with vestibular apparatus. It may be difficult for a child to stay in stuffy rooms, and he may not tolerate hot weather well.

Children with MMD often do very poorly at school and have behavior problems. In addition, such children may experience disturbances in speech skills and motor skills, as well as uncharacteristic healthy child neurotic conditions.

Children who suffer from minimal brain dysfunction often switch from one activity to another and are unable to become interested in any activity for a long time.

Such kids have increased irritability, sometimes turning into aggression, are too emotional and easily excitable.

The following general symptoms are characteristic of MMD:

The appearance of one or more of the listed signs does not mean that the baby needs treatment. The diagnosis is made only after a thorough examination of the child and identification of at least 8 of these symptoms.

Diagnosis of MMD: how to treat a child?

Treatment of MMD is prescribed exclusively after diagnosis accurate diagnosis. Diagnostics includes the following activities:

taking anamnesis;
testing reflex abilities and fine motor skills;
positron emission and magnetic resonance imaging;
rheoencephalography (REG);
ultrasonography;
electroencephalography (EEG);
echoencephalography (EchoEG);
neurosonography.

The doctor begins to develop a treatment plan only after making a diagnosis. Elimination of signs of MMD is possible only with an integrated approach.

Along with drug therapy A course of physiotherapeutic procedures is required.

Drug treatment

Medicines are prescribed in a course, the duration of use depends on the individual medical indications. Most often for symptomatic treatment The following medications are prescribed for MMD:

medications with sedative properties - Diazepam tablets, solution for intravenous or intramuscular injection"Seduxen" and "Relium";
sleeping pills in tablets - “Nitrazepam”, “Eunoctin”, “Truxal”;
psychostimulants - Methylphenidate is mainly used;
antidepressants or tranquilizers - used in in rare cases, mainly drugs with a mild effect, for example, Thioridazine and Amitriptyline.

Together with drug therapy, various vitamin complexes, necessarily containing the following vitamins:

The doctor should prescribe vitamin complexes taking into account the health and age of the small patient. It is strictly forbidden to independently decide on the best way to treat a child - incorrectly selected medications and dosages can seriously aggravate the problem.

Physiotherapy course

Quite often you can get rid of the signs of a disorder without using medications. However, in none of the cases is recovery possible without the use of physiotherapeutic procedures. The duration and methods of physical therapy depend on each individual case. A course of physiotherapy may include the following procedures:

According to the famous pediatrician E.O. Komarovsky, the child’s parents must participate in the treatment of MMD. This will help him cope with neuropsychic disorders faster. Adult family members are required to follow certain recommendations:

monitoring the child’s intake of prescribed medications;
adherence to daily routine;
organization of day rest;
warm atmosphere in the family;
constant communication with the child;
exclusion of the child (complete or partial) from leisure time at the computer or TV;
daily physical activity with the child;
working with a child on fine motor skills;
prohibition on sorting out relationships in the family in front of the child.

Preventive measures

In order to prevent this neuropsychic disorder, parents need to follow the following rules:

at the stage of bearing a child future mom should eat right and avoid stressful situations;
the expectant mother needs to refuse bad habits- smoking, alcohol, etc.;
a favorable environment must be ensured in the family;
You must not quarrel or have conflicts in the presence of a child;
to develop the abilities of children, you need to regularly study with your son or daughter;
timely visit to the pediatrician for a preventive examination.

In childhood, all children have mobility, lively facial expressions, often changing moods, impressionability and excessive attention to everything new. If in your child these qualities and properties of the nervous system are excessively sharpened and increased, then you can give him a diagnosis of “minimal brain dysfunction” in absentia. This term became widespread in the 1960s. At that time, it was used in relation to children experiencing learning difficulties, as well as those suffering from pronounced behavioral disorders.

Table of contents:

MMD - what is it?

Minimal brain dysfunction is one of the types of neuropsychiatric disorders in childhood. This disorder occurs in 5% of preschool children and 20% of schoolchildren.

Main symptoms of MMD– disinhibition of attention, increased excitability and mobility. The child cannot sit still for more than five minutes. He constantly needs to run somewhere, strive. Why? The attention of such a child is very quickly depleted, which causes fatigue, which he relieves with physical activity. This baby is attracted to bright objects. But because increased fatigue The baby's attention is satiated, which makes it difficult to organize voluntary activities. Therefore, after playing with the machine for three minutes, the child immediately throws it and grabs onto it. new toy. Children with MMD are very restless, restless, and noisy. By having children around them, they often become the cause of fights and buffoonery.

Causes of MMD

MMD occurs due to disturbances in the structure of the child's brain. The appearance of such disorders is influenced by many reasons, which can be divided into prenatal (before childbirth), natal (during childbirth) and postnatal (after childbirth). In the first three months, when the fetus’s nervous system begins to develop, any harm can cause pathology. Such hazards include not only infections suffered by the mother during pregnancy (measles, scarlet fever, influenza, etc.), but also the use of alcohol, drugs, antibiotics from the “cin” group, as well as smoking. Bruises and falls that injured the abdominal area, Rh factor incompatibility, threats of miscarriage, metabolic disorders and cardiovascular diseases mothers will also have a negative impact on the child. In addition, poor ecology, increased radiation, chemical poisoning negatively affect not so much the woman as the baby in the belly. These factors pose a danger to the fetus throughout the entire period of pregnancy, but they are especially harmful in the first three to four months, when organs and functional systems are formed.

Causes of MMD that occur during childbirth include: labor that is too fast or too long, an overdose of anesthesia during cesarean section, unsuccessful application of forceps, asphyxia and spinal trauma in the newborn. If a disorder that occurs in a child is associated with the natal period, then to some extent this is due to the unprofessionalism of doctors.

Reasons that negatively affect brain function after birth include infectious diseases, operations accompanied by prolonged and strong anesthesia, concussions, bruises and head injuries, cardiovascular and respiratory system, metabolic disorders, somatic weakness of the baby. These are the main causes of disturbances in brain function.

The impact of MMD on child development

Since with MMD all brain systems are delayed in their development, this negatively affects everyone cognitive processes child: on thinking, attention, perception, speech. General and also suffers. The baby is awkward, clumsy, he constantly fidgets in place and spins around. Problems also arise in the emotional-volitional sphere: children with MMD are irritable, do not adapt well to changing situations, and do not understand what distance should be when communicating with an adult.
Despite increased talkativeness, a child suffering from minimal brain dysfunction exhibits speech impairment. Harm leading to
changes in the structure of the brain, negatively affect Broca's center and Wernicke's center, which are responsible for the reproduction and perception of speech. The first words and phrases appear 5-10 months later than normal. With adequate training, children's active and passive vocabulary is enriched, and by the age of 6-7, their everyday speech returns to normal. However, a narrowed vocabulary manifests itself in conditions of monologue speech (retelling what has been read, a story on a certain topic, a story based on a picture). In such situations, the use of words turns out to be inaccurate, speech usually consists of verbs and nouns, and it is difficult for a child to form a new word from a familiar one (for example, instead of “sea,” a child may say “morenka”). The child's speech is slurred and unclear. The sentence is constructed in an extremely primitive way, the words are rearranged, instead of telling a story based on a picture, the child simply lists the objects drawn. The child has difficulty understanding constructions in the creative and genitive cases(for example, “take the pasta with a fork,” “father’s son”), phrases reflecting temporal and spatial characteristics, sentences with unusual word order (“Masha caught up with Petya. Who is the fastest?”), as well as comparative constructions (“Seryozha older than Vanya, but younger than Petya. Who is the oldest?”).

All of the above leads to children having difficulties learning to read. Children find it difficult to combine letters into a word; they rearrange letters and confuse them appearance, the reading pace is slow. As a result, the child simply loses interest in reading, replacing it with looking at illustrated books. Sometimes, along with these symptoms, the child may have bradyllalia, tachylalia, OHP in varying degrees and stuttering. A frequent companion to MMD is tongue-tiedness, reaching the point of Hottentotism (when speech is absolutely incomprehensible). In children with MMD, not only oral but also written speech is impaired. Children write from left to right, the writing contains mirroring, substitutions, omissions, rearrangements of letters and syllables, there is a continuous spelling of words, incorrect transfer of syllables, children confuse lowercase and capital letters. Due to impaired attention, the child simply does not see these mistakes and therefore does not correct them.

If at school age difficulties in behavior and learning come to the fore in a child with MMD, then in early and preschool age MMD is a neurological problem. The sooner the correction of MMD is started, the easier it will be for the child in the future. It is important for every parent to understand that the child’s behavior is not intentional, but is caused by a severe neuropsychic disorder. Therefore, a calm, peaceful environment should reign in the house without shouting, excessive noise and quarrels. This will help smooth out the tension that periodically reigns around the baby. The child will benefit from daily walks and physical exercise. In education you need to adhere to midline: no punishment, but a minimum of permissiveness. You should give your child instructions (but not more than one), so he will develop responsibility for his actions and the skill of regulating behavior. A clear daily routine is important: the child should go to bed and get up at the same time. It is important for a baby with MMD to get enough sleep: this will reduce his already excessive excitability.

You should protect your child from crowded places and do not rush to send him to kindergarten or gymnasium. Some children are prescribed drug therapy: specially selected medicines improve attention, relieve excessive motor activity. To correct your child’s speech disorders, you must consult a speech therapist. He will draw up an individual correction program and give his recommendations.

Video: Neurology in healthy children - Dr. Komarovsky

At home, to improve speech, parents need to communicate with their child more often; their speech should be clear, calm, and expressive. It is useful to read books to your child. When talking about what you read, instill interest in the reading process. There should also be exercises for the development of gross and fine motor skills (fastening and unfastening buttons, lacing, sorting out beads, etc.), as well as learning how to hold a pencil correctly. This will prepare your baby's hand for writing.
No matter how complex the disorder, it is important to remember that the love and care of loved ones play a decisive role in the correction process.

Minimal brain dysfunction in children is a set of mild disorders of the central and autonomic nervous system, which is accompanied by maladjustment of the child in society and reversible disorders in the emotional, volitional, intellectual and behavioral spheres. For of this syndrome Symptoms are typically smoothed out as the child grows older or disappear completely when favorable conditions external environment.

MMD in children is often associated with birth trauma, which led to hypoxia and, accordingly, to the formation of some neurological and mental disorders of a transient nature.

Brain dysfunction in this disorder is not a contraindication to studying in a regular school, gymnasium, or university, since, often, children with MMD cope well with many physical and mental stress. The main condition is a gentle regime - moderate mental stress, allowing the child to take regular breaks to restore psycho-emotional balance. Typically, brain dysfunction normalizes by 7-8 years, but there are cases of its occurrence at an older age (14-16 years), which indicates heavy stress on the child, due to which chronic stress develops.

Minimal brain dysfunction may be due to the following reasons:

Genetic predisposition;
Chronic stress;
Poor nutrition of the mother during pregnancy;
Avitaminosis;
Bad habits;
Weak labor;
Rapid labor;
Fetal hypoxia;
Injuries during childbirth;
Heavy accompanying illnesses child (heart disease, bronchial asthma);
Intrauterine infections;
Rh conflict between mother and fetus during pregnancy (for example, the fetus had a blood type of “+”, and the mother had a “-”).

From the above reasons, we can conclude that brain immaturity in children is closely related to intrauterine pathology. Therefore, if you suspect minimal dysfunction A thorough discussion with both the child and parents is necessary to make a diagnosis of MMD.

Clinical picture in children

Symptoms of minimal brain dysfunction may not be present until school age, making it difficult to timely diagnosis due to late visit to the doctor.

The clinical picture is varied and manifests itself in the form of:

Poor assimilation of information;
Absent-mindedness;
Fatigue;
Attention deficit disorder (the child starts several things at once, but gives up everything, often loses things, cannot concentrate on objects that require intense memorization);
Restlessness;
Decreased concentration;
Speech development delays;
Inability to construct long sentences or remember text heard and/or read;
Awkward movements;
Deterioration in memory;
Impaired fine motor skills (it is difficult for a child to sew, tie shoelaces, fasten buttons, etc.);
Emotional lability (mood changes from depressive to euphoric due to minor things);
Deterioration in spatial orientation (such children often confuse where “left” is and where “right”);
Often - infantilism, hysterical manifestations, avoidance of responsibility and fulfillment of duties.

Autonomic disorders are also common:

Increased heart rate, palpitations;
Increased respiratory rate;
Sweating;
Gastrointestinal upset: diarrhea, heartburn, nausea, sometimes vomiting;
Sometimes – muscle twitching, cramps;
Sleep problems, difficulty falling asleep, insomnia.

Clinical picture in adults

If MMD was not diagnosed on time or treatment was carried out, but under the influence of environmental factors the person again fell into stressful state, the clinical picture will be a full-blown neurotic disorder:

Memory impairment;
Difficulty in assimilation of information;
Restlessness;
Excessive irritability;
Mood lability;
Impulsivity of behavior;
Aggressiveness;
Fatigue;
Clumsiness of movements;
Absent-mindedness.

In adults, PNMK (transient disorder) may occur cerebral circulation), which represents a transient ischemic attack. It is often a consequence of concomitant systemic diseases (diabetes, atherosclerosis), the presence of a head injury or spinal injury (which may be due to pathology labor activity). The attack lasts from several seconds to several hours and is accompanied by blurred vision, headache, dizziness, and numbness. Neurological examination reveals pathological reflexes of Babinsky and Rossolimo.

It is necessary to distinguish PMNC from ONMC ( acute disorder cerebral blood supply). With stroke, the symptoms are persistent and do not go away within 24 hours; there will be characteristic changes in the MRI and CT images.

Stem structures and cerebral cortex are targets for MMD

Immaturity of the cerebral cortex often leads to the child becoming lethargic and lethargic. In addition to physical inactivity, emotional poverty, muscle weakness, impaired memory and attention will be observed. This is due to dysfunction of the brain stem structures, which do not properly influence the cortex cerebral hemispheres, causing hypodynamic syndrome in the child. Dysfunction of the cerebral cortex leads to delayed speech development (SDD), weakness of thinking and development seizures. ZRR, in turn, manifests itself in small vocabulary, difficulties with reproducing and constructing long phrases.

The main thing when teaching such a child is patience and breaking the topic into logical parts, between which you can take a break for rest.

Diagnosis of MMD

This disease is dealt with by a neurologist who must determine the nature of the disease. cerebral disorders. He collects a thorough history and checks reflexes. At the same time, the child is observed by a pediatrician who evaluates him mental condition, excludes the presence inflammatory diseases. Laboratory methods studies do not reveal deviations from normal values. The neurologist prescribes instrumental methods:

EEG. Electroencephalography can detect disturbances in the transmission of nerve impulses;
Rheoencephalography. Allows you to assess cerebral blood flow;
Echoencephalography. Assess the condition of brain structures;
CT and MRI. It also allows you to visualize brain structures and exclude their pathology.

MMD criteria:

Three components are assessed:

1) Attention deficit (4 out of 7):

1) often asks again; 2) easily distracted; 3) does not concentrate well; 4) often gets confused; 5) takes on several tasks at once, but does not complete them; 6) doesn’t want to hear; 7) works relatively well in a quiet environment.

2) Impulsivity (3 out of 5):

1) interferes with the teacher and students in class; 2) emotionally labile; 3) does not tolerate queues well; 4) talkative; 5) hurts other children.

3) Hyperactivity (3 out of 5):

1) likes to climb on elevated objects; 2) does not sit still; 3) fussy; 4) publishes loud noise when performing any activity; 5) is always on the move.

If the symptoms last more than six months, and their peak occurs at 5-7 years, then we can talk about the diagnosis of “MMD”.

Differential diagnosis

Considering that MMD is temporary disorder functions of central and autonomic system, it is necessary to differentiate it from more serious pathological conditions, in particular:

Neuroinfections;
Mental illnesses – bipolar disorder personality, schizophrenia, other psychoses;
Poisoning;
Oncology.

Treatment and correction

Treatment for MMD is complex and includes psychotherapy, medication and physical therapy. TO medicines are rarely resorted to, since MMD can be dealt with with the help of a psychologist and the creation of an appropriate environment in the family. The child needs to be provided with an “output” of his energy in the form of walking. sports section. If he is inactive and lethargic, then they are also prescribed physical exercise, but in moderation to maintain vitality. A conversation should be held with parents about how to properly treat their child. You shouldn’t indulge him too much, but you shouldn’t use brute force either. It is necessary to help him develop correct mode day, limit time spent on the computer and phone, spend more time with the child and play educational games with him. If he has problems with speech, he needs to contact a speech therapist. Moreover, the sooner the parents turned to a specialist, the faster they will recover. speech development. Unfortunately, MMD is rarely diagnosed, although it occurs quite often. The consequences of untreated dysfunction result in neurotic disorders, psychosis, depression. And even with such advanced MMD, mood stabilizers, sedatives, antidepressants, tranquilizers and antipsychotics are used, depending on the clinical picture diseases. The prognosis is usually favorable.

Prevention

Preventive measures are aimed at improving the quality of life of the expectant mother. She needs to ensure peace, sufficient consumption of foods with high content microelements and vitamins. During pregnancy, it is recommended to give up bad habits, as they negatively affect the fetus, causing it hypoxia. When the child was born and first encountered severe stress(for many children, going to kindergarten or school is tantamount to a worldwide catastrophe), you need to have a conversation with him, talk with the teacher about the characteristics of your child.

1.What is minimal brain dysfunction (MMD)?

First, MMD is associated with the consequences of early brain damage in children. Of course, some of the parents are probably quite aware of what it is, but there are probably mothers among readers who know little about minimal brain dysfunction and have not yet thought about what it leads to.

It sounds quite serious, I agree, but it’s true that they say that “he who is armed is protected,” in this context, it is the parent who knows what kind of help his child needs if the neurologist diagnoses minimal brain dysfunction. Let's try to start understanding this topic deeper.

In the 60s the term became widespread "minimal brain dysfunction" MMD. Minimal brain dysfunction is expressed in age-related immaturity of higher mental functions (attention, memory, thinking). MMD is associated with difficulties in learning, social adaptation, emotional disturbances, and behavioral disorders not associated with severe impairments of intellectual development. MMD in children manifests itself in the form of disorders of psychological development, these include: the formation of writing skills (dysgraphia), reading (dyslexia), counting (dyscalculia), speech development disorders, motor function development disorders (dyspraxia); behavioral and emotional disorders include: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, behavioral disorders. MMD are the most common form of neuropsychiatric disorders in childhood, which, according to statistics, unfortunately, occur in every third of our children.

2. How MMD manifests itself at different ages.

Neurologists usually make a diagnosis of MMD already in the first months of a child’s life; during this period, parents should pay attention to the presence of increased excitability in the child, sleep disturbances, unmotivated causeless crying, excessive motor activity, increased muscle tone, tremors of various parts of the body, redness or marbling skin, increased sweating, feeding difficulties and gastrointestinal disorders.

Aged from 1 year to 3 years Children with MMD often experience increased excitability, motor restlessness, sleep and appetite disturbances, poor weight gain, and some delay in psycho-speech and motor development.

By 3 years of age, attention is drawn to increased fatigue, motor clumsiness, distractibility, motor hyperactivity, impulsiveness, stubbornness and negativism. There is often a delay in the formation of neatness skills (enuresis, encopresis). Symptoms of MMD increase towards the start of kindergarten (at the age of 3 years) or school (6-7 years). This pattern may be associated with the inability of the central nervous system (CNS) to cope with the new demands placed on the child under conditions of increased mental and physical stress.

The maximum severity of MMD manifestations often coincides with critical periods of psychospeech development in children. The first period includes the age of 1-2 years, when intensive development of cortical speech zones and active formation of speech skills occur. The second period occurs at the age of 3 years. At this stage, the child’s stock of words increases, phrasal speech improves, and attention and memory actively develop. At this time, children with MMD exhibit delayed speech development and impaired articulation. The third critical period refers to the age of 6-7 years and coincides with the beginning of the development of skills writing(writing, reading). Children with MMD at this age are characterized by the formation school maladjustment and behavior problems.

3. How to recognize MMD yourself?

We can say that the causes of MMD are varied, these are:

pathology of pregnancy and childbirth (severe pregnancy);

toxicosis first half of pregnancy, (especially the first trimester);

risk of miscarriage;

This harmful effects on the body of a pregnant woman chemical substances, radiation, vibration, infectious diseases, some microbes and viruses;

this is a violation of the timing of pregnancy (the child is born premature or post-term), protracted labor with stimulation of labor, accelerated, quick birth, lack of oxygen (hypoxia) due to compression of the umbilical cord, asphyxia, entanglement of the umbilical cord around the neck, C-section, birth injuries;

infectious, cardiovascular and endocrine diseases mothers;

incompatibility of the blood of the fetus and mother according to the Rh factor;

mental trauma of the mother during pregnancy, stress, physical activity;

a child under one year old has suffered an infectious disease, accompanied by various kinds of complications, has been injured or has undergone surgery.

This all means that, unfortunately, your child is at risk!!!

4. Ways to help a child with MMD.

If you recognize a child with MMD, then you understand that he, like no one else, needs the attention of specialists and early medical, psychological and pedagogical support.

What kind of specialists does a child need most of all?

neurologist;

neuropsychologist;
speech pathologist;
teacher speech therapist
Doctors, a neurologist and a pediatrician will help you choose an adequate course of drug treatment for your child.

A speech pathologist-defectologist will help develop your child’s cognitive and speech spheres, select an individual program for correcting delays in psycho-speech and mental development, and help children with intellectual development disorders.

A neuropsychologist will conduct an express diagnosis of a preschooler’s readiness for school, a diagnosis of the development of higher mental functions (attention, memory, thinking) and the emotional and personal sphere. She will help to understand the reasons for the child’s school failure and conduct correctional classes, develop an individual program for correction of the child’s cognitive sphere (development of attention, memory, thinking), help to understand the reasons for the child’s bad behavior and select an individual or group form of correction of behavior and emotional-personal sphere. It will teach you new ways to respond to and communicate with your child. This will give you the opportunity to better understand your child, be closer to him and be more effective as a parent, and will give your child the opportunity to become successful in society, mature and developed.

A speech therapist teacher will select an individual program for the correction of speech development disorders, help you understand what the problem of a child’s speech disorder is, and develop writing, reading and counting skills.

ENT will detect diseases of the ENT organs (ear, nose, throat).

What distinguishes a child who has functional disorders in the brain or (MMD, SPR) from normally developing children:

Delay and disturbance of speech development.

Problems of learning at school.

Rapid mental fatigue and decrease mental performance(in this case, general physical fatigue may be completely absent).

Sharply reduced possibilities of self-government and voluntary regulation in any type of activity.

Behavioral disturbances from lethargy, drowsiness when alone, to motor disinhibition, chaotic behavior, disorganization of activities in a crowded, noisy environment.

Difficulties in the formation of voluntary attention (instability, distractibility, difficulties in concentrating, distributing and switching attention).

Decreased RAM capacity, attention, and thinking (the child can retain and operate with a limited amount of information in his mind).

Lack of orientation in time and space.

Increased physical activity.

Emotional-volitional instability (irritability, hot temper, impulsiveness, inability to control one’s behavior in play and communication).

Dear parents, if your child is at risk and has an unfavorable neurological status, he needs early help, support and prevention of developmental disorders, combining psychological, pedagogical and drug treatment. Your child will be helped by specialists such as a neurologist, speech pathologist and psychologist.

Nowadays, all these problems can be overcome if parents contact specialists in a timely manner and provide joint comprehensive assistance to your child. There are now enough ways to provide assistance to help your child grow harmoniously and develop their potential.

There are various psychological programs for individual and group assistance to children with MMD, which are aimed at:

decrease in motor activity in children during the educational process;

increasing the child’s communicative competence in the family, in kindergarten and school.

development of attention distribution skills, motor control;

training in self-regulation skills (the ability to control oneself and constructively express one’s emotions);

developing skills of constructive communication with peers;

developing the ability to control the impulsiveness of one’s actions;

recognizing your strengths and using them more effectively.

Forming in parents an idea of the characteristics of children with manifestations of hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder.

Every caring parent, deep down, knows for sure that early contact for qualified help will prevent and avoid many problems in the development of the child and prevent the difficulties that the child will encounter while studying at school.

I know that loving and sensitive parents, who are the majority, always think about the future of their children and provide them with timely support, without postponing the resolution of important issues until later.