For example, mild mental retardation in children is a deviation of the psyche, or rather, its underdevelopment, which can be lived with without isolation from society. This diagnosis is not a death sentence. Such children have the opportunity to feel like full-fledged members of society.
Mental disorders have always caused fear and misunderstanding. Let's try to understand the history of this disease and its nuances. Is everything really as terrible as it might seem at first glance?
General characteristics
Mild mental retardation in children or mental retardation is the most common pathological mental disorder among such diseases. This form of underdevelopment is also known in medical circles as debility. But this name has lost its relevance due to social unacceptability. Children who have been diagnosed with this condition, despite the prejudices imposed by the public, have every chance of leading an independent life in the future.
Qualities and skills that are usually inherent in identifying mental retardation:
- perception of basic abilities in a special education program;
- mastering writing, reading and counting skills at a basic level;
- fairly good mechanical memory;
- concrete visual methods of comprehending information;
- acquisition of certain labor skills;
- gradual progress in mental development.
Mental retardation affects the formation of cognitive processes, logical thinking and motivational influence. A mild form of deviation allows over time, although not to reach the level of one’s peers, at least to master the skills necessary for life.
Underdevelopment of the psyche and intellect can be formed due to the following reasons:
- Heredity or genetic predisposition.
- Intrauterine disruption of fetal development due to infection or injury. The effects of toxic drugs taken during pregnancy.
- Trauma sustained during childbirth, pathologies of the central nervous system during premature pregnancy.
- Acquired infections, the action of which is aimed at destroying brain cells. These may be the consequences of meningitis, syphilis, encephalitis.
Retardation can also be observed in the physical development of the child in the form of impaired motor functions, deformation of the skull, or changes in the size of the arms and legs. Although these factors are more consistent with moderate and severe mental retardation in children, in some cases they may also be present in a state of mild debility.
In other words, oligophrenia is a condition of a child’s body in which it is difficult for him to maintain the pace of mastering new skills and abilities that are age-appropriate. The child needs a correctional program, after which he will be able to feel like a full-fledged member of society.
Mental and motor development of children at an early age
If in the first periods of life the lag in the development of the psyche and nervous system in children with mental retardation is from 2 to 3 weeks, then later this indicator literally grows like a snowball. And signs of mental retardation in 4-year-old children already show that they are 1.5 or even 2 years behind the norm.
The main achievement of children at an early age is mastering walking, object activities and speech skills. But this happens in children during normal development of the body. After a year of life, healthy children certainly begin to walk.
Some children with mental retardation are no different from their peers in terms of development of erect posture. However, they start walking quite late. Sometimes this does not happen until 3 years of age. Symptoms of oligophrenia in children (mental retardation) are also expressed in the movements of the children. They may exhibit an awkward gait, instability, slowness, or, on the contrary, impulsiveness.
There is also no genuine familiarization with the objects of the surrounding world in children under 3 years of age. A sign of mental retardation in a child is the so-called “field behavior”. The baby picks up everything that is in his field of vision and immediately throws these things away, without showing any interest in their purpose and properties.
With normal development, the emergence and development of objective activity occurs in children under 2 years of age. Signs of mental retardation in children of this age are its absence. They are not interested in toys (they don't even pick them up).
Signs of mental retardation in 2-year-old children can also be seen when children perform some manipulations with objects. However, when performing certain actions, the baby does not take into account the purpose of things and their properties.
Features of behavior
Since all children differ from each other in temperament, manner of communication and behavior, it is difficult to visually determine the mental retardation of a child, and even more so to do this at an early age. But still, with a more detailed study of children's relationships, one can notice signs of mental underdevelopment. These include:
- lack of interest in animals, new, colorful objects or toys;
- weak contact with peers;
- misunderstanding of the requirements of the game;
- lack of incentives for intellectual development, characteristic of children at an early age;
- increased desire for physical activity, unfocused games;
- expression of emotions only through primitive reactions, instability of mental state;
- problems with mastering self-care skills.
Children with mild mental retardation develop weakened attention over time and have difficulty concentrating thoughts in a certain direction. Mental performance slows down, and it is difficult for the child to navigate in society. The baby gets tired quickly and doesn’t know what to do next.
The connection of a little person with reality occurs through auditory, visual, visual and other processes. Since their processing is not fully accessible to the brain, the perception of the surrounding world is distorted.
Diagnostics
When diagnosing an intellectual disorder, the degree of intellectual defect, clinical manifestations, the presence of comorbid (interrelated, accompanying) disorders, etiology, and ability to adapt are assessed. The first-priority diagnostic measure is collecting anamnesis (family genealogy indicating hereditary diseases, including mental and endocrinological diseases, facts of use of alcoholic beverages and drugs by relatives).
The doctor collects information about the course of pregnancy and possible pathogenic factors affecting the development of the fetus. Clinical diagnosis includes psychological tests and physical examination for neurological symptoms. In the process of communicating with the patient, the doctor determines his intellectual skills - the ability to understand metaphorical speech, adequately perceive the meaning of plot pictures, the ability to retell the content, the volume and quality of knowledge about the world around him.
When differentially diagnosing dementia, it is important to take into account that the symptoms accompanying intellectual disorders are similar to signs of severe asthenia, depression, and mental disorders. Criteria for diagnosing dementia:
- Memory impairment (short-term, long-term). Impairments are determined during psychiatric testing of the patient.
- Abstract thinking disorder.
- Inability to plan actions and critically evaluate one's behavior.
- The presence of neuropsychological symptoms – apraxia (impaired purposeful movements), aphasia (impaired speech), agnosia (impaired perception, including visual, auditory and tactile).
- Personality change (deviation from generally accepted norms of behavior).
- Signs of social maladjustment.
2 criteria from the list are enough to make a diagnosis of dementia. In case of dementia caused by organic damage to the brain, instrumental diagnostics (mainly CT, MRI, angiography) are indicated to identify structural, morphological, functional changes in the nervous tissue, as well as to determine the state of the vascular system supplying the brain.
Types of diagnostics
Some experts believe that determining a child’s mental retardation as a diagnosis before the age of seven is impossible. Only after this period can we talk about any developmental deviations, since the child’s psyche can be formed in a completely unpredictable way.
Periods of active development are followed by long pauses, and these cycles can be repeated regularly. You should seek help from specialists when violations are noticeable in areas such as:
- memory;
- intelligence;
- thinking;
- emotional sphere;
- cognitive functions;
- volitional manifestations;
- coordination and plasticity of movements;
- ability to fix attention.
The degree of mental retardation is diagnosed according to three criteria:
- Clinical picture indicated by damage to brain centers.
- Persistent psychological disturbance of the desire for cognitive activity.
- Low level of learning ability.
A very important factor when performing diagnostic procedures to determine oligophrenia is an ophthalmological examination and X-ray computed tomography of the brain. An eye examination allows you to recognize at the early stages of development such concomitant diseases as:
- retinal pigment degeneration;
- glaucoma;
- cataract;
- microdisturbances of visual nerve endings;
- intracranial hypertension.
A tomograph helps to determine hidden deviations in the structure of the skull, the presence of intracranial pressure, and brain pathologies.
Dementia
The deterioration of cognitive abilities in dementia occurs in parallel with the impoverishment of emotions, decreased emotional control and motivation, and behavioral disorders. The prevalence of dementia increases with age - 20% of people over 80 years of age suffer from the pathology.
5% of people over 65 years of age are diagnosed with severe dementia, and 10-16% have mild to moderate forms of the disease. The causes of intellectual impairment are polymorphic and are associated with a high risk of organic brain damage in old age. Often the pathology develops against the background of neurodegenerative processes - Alzheimer's disease (about 60% of cases) and Parkinson's disease.
Often the cause of dementia is vascular disease (about 10% of cases), tumors localized in the brain, and infectious lesions of the central nervous system. Cerebral vascular diseases in combination with Alzheimer's disease cause dementia in 20% of cases.
Determining the exact causes of dementia is necessary to prescribe adequate treatment. Correct treatment slows down the progression of the pathological process. Often after a course of therapy there is an improvement in intellectual activity.
Determining the level of development
Children diagnosed with retardation are able to adapt quite quickly to those around them. It is possible for them to attend kindergarten or primary school on general terms, without a special program. Of course, they are not able to achieve any special success, but mastering the necessary minimum of knowledge is quite possible.
However, psychiatrists still recommend training children with mild retardation in specialized educational institutions. Now they are called schools of the eighth type, and their program fully corresponds to this intellectual level.
A child with a slight mental retardation commits actions that lack any purpose or motivation. His behavior is dominated by:
- the desire to imitate, copy actions;
- lack of independence, naivety and suggestibility;
- depending on the situation or circumstances.
Many parents are afraid to send a child with such disabilities to a special school, explaining that the child will be better off in a calm family environment. By expressing such judgments, they reassure themselves, while depriving the child of a chance for a full existence in society.
Work with mentally retarded children should be carried out by specialists together with parents and be aimed at activating the main lines of intellectual development. To do this, parents need to thoroughly study the baby’s behavior in various situations, his habits and characteristics. Based on these observations, the level of development is established.
Support for people with disabilities
This disease develops in different ways, but it is very important to diagnose it as early as possible. In this case, specialists will begin to work closely with such a patient at an early age, which significantly improves his condition and quality of life.
Such assistance is necessarily personalized, that is, it is planned taking into account the individual characteristics of the patient, his needs and desires. People with this diagnosis are not the same, therefore, help for each of these individuals in the sphere of life and certain activities should have its own type and intensity.
In many countries of the world, including ours, special programs have been developed whose goal is to improve the quality of life of people with mental retardation. They are integrated, “dissolved” in society. Children with mild degrees of the disease go to auxiliary schools and kindergartens, inclusive classes in regular educational institutions. There are even groups in vocational schools where you can get an education and then work in your specialty.
General condition of the child
Unexpressed mental retardation may have virtually no effect on physical development. Children with intellectual pathologies are able to achieve success in many sports disciplines. By directing their efforts in the right direction and not focusing on shortcomings, they will be able to take their place in society.
The emotional background in mental retardation is very unstable; it is difficult for a child to control his feelings, or rather, the transitions from one state to another. According to his age, he experiences different sensations:
- joy;
- delight;
- sadness;
- irritation;
- anger, etc.
Such children lack a sense of compassion and spiritual understanding of the emotions of others. They cannot think about events or their consequences in the future. The life of a child with mild mental retardation happens here and now. He doesn't worry about what will happen tomorrow.
Such a child has weak manifestations of volitional efforts. In other words, it is as if he agreed to some action, but cannot bring himself to do it, while he himself cannot explain the reason for his behavior.
Intellectual disability: highlights
Mental retardation is not such a rare phenomenon in the modern world. It is detected in 3-24 people per 1000. Eco-pathogenic factors can increase the prevalence to 7%. Men are more likely to suffer from a mild degree than women (1.5 times).
For primary diagnosis, the Wechsler technique is used, which allows one to determine the level of intelligence. The main forms of mental retardation according to IQ indicators and characteristics of mental retardation of a particular type:
1. Mild mental retardation - IQ in the region of 50-69 points (in the adaptive version of the test there is a different range of points - 60-79). In ICD-10 – F70. The development of children with a mild degree is somewhat behind their peers; they are weaker intellectually. They usually have a good mechanical memory, which allows them to acquire a significant store of knowledge and skills.
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Independence and initiative are low or absent, there are problems with self-control, impulsiveness, suggestibility, and a tendency to imitate behavior. Psychological and pedagogical correction allows patients to master professions that do not require high qualifications. People with intellectual disabilities are learnable and often live independently if they do not have aggravating illnesses. Examination at an early age does not reveal a mild degree. Diagnosed at 5-6 years of age.
2. Moderate mental retardation - IQ in the range of 35-49, in the adapted version of the method 45-59. In the classification of diseases, it corresponds to section F71. This degree of mental retardation in children has the following characteristic symptoms: mechanical memory is developed, the vocabulary is small, difficulties in the perception of speech and in its generation.
They are self-centered and have difficulty coping with intellectual stress. Training helps to master basic skills and abilities, but the volume of assimilation is small. If motor development is in order, they can perform simple work, although only mechanically.
3. Severe mental retardation corresponds to an intelligence index of 20-34 points, in the adapted version 30-44. Described in section F72 of ICD-10. They have difficulty communicating with society. Motor skills are poorly developed. The psychological characteristics of people with a severe degree practically eliminate the likelihood of acquiring the necessary everyday skills and abilities.
4. Profound mental retardation is diagnosed in people with a coefficient of less than 20 points; if an adapted version is used, then less than 30. Presented in ICD-10 under the number F73. Children with a severe degree almost do not react to external stimuli, or their reactions are characterized by inadequacy and inability to concentrate. Meaning is rarely accessible to them, but they perceive the intonation component of speech.
They are distinguished by primitive emotional responses. For example, if they are full and the environment is not aggressive, then they come to a calm and complacent mood; in response to hunger and unpleasant sensations, screaming and crying arise. Along with a large lag in intelligence, children with severe mental retardation show signs of impaired physical development.
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In accordance with ICD-10, F78 includes cases where it is impossible to establish with certainty the specific type of mental retardation. For children with hearing problems, vision problems, etc. most often the diagnosis will be “other mental retardation.” Before the transition to ICD-10, three types of intellectual underdevelopment were distinguished:
- Mild debility.
- Imbecility is the equivalent of moderate and severe.
- Idiocy, which was defined in the same way as a deep degree of mental retardation.
Formation of the speech apparatus
It is by speech disorders that the degree of mental retardation in children can be determined. The easy form assumes a fairly large vocabulary, although it is used with a violation of the semantic load. The conversation consists of short, monosyllabic phrases that the child hears most often in his environment. It is possible to use individual words and expressions only out of habit, at random.
Memorizing new words and definitions must be accompanied by visual or tactile confirmation. But still, this happens slowly and not fully.
Speech development directly depends on the degree of mental retardation of the child. The mild form is characterized by incorrect pronunciation of some letters of the alphabet. The presence of speech defects such as:
- dysarthria;
- stuttering;
- tongue-tied.
With such problems, classes with a speech therapist have a positive dynamic, but the recovery process is very difficult and lengthy.
Infancy
It is simply impossible to identify signs of mental retardation in children under one year of age, if they are mild. After all, such children do not yet have speech skills and it is impossible to determine the degree of development of thinking, memory, etc. A baby is a helpless creature and is unable to satisfy any of its needs, even basic ones. His life completely depends on an adult who feeds him, moves him in space and even turns him from side to side.
However, there are some external signs of mental retardation in children that can be detected immediately after their birth. They occur in severe cases of impairment. Among them:
- abnormal structure of the body, face and head;
- the presence of pathologies of internal organs;
- symptoms of phenylketonuria, which are pale skin of the baby, sour smell of urine and body, lethargy, unnatural color of light blue eyes, muscle weakness, cramps, and the absence of the most basic reactions.
If the above external signs of mental retardation are not observed in children, doctors determine the pathology by the mental and emotional development of the child, by his reaction to people and surrounding objects.
What are the signs of mental retardation in children under one year of age? Many young patients experience a delay in the development of erect standing. Such babies begin to hold their heads up, sit, stand on their legs and walk much later than their peers. Such a delay is sometimes quite significant and lasts up to 2 years.
Symptoms of oligophrenia (mental retardation) in infants are also expressed in general pathological inertia, indifference, and decreased interest in the world around them. At the same time, loudness and irritability are not excluded.
Children under one year of age suffering from mental retardation later acquire the need for emotional communication with adults. They have no interest in toys hanging over the crib or those that an adult shows them. These children also lack a gestural form of communication.
Children with mental retardation cannot differentiate between “us” and “stranger” until they are one year old. They do not have an active grasping reflex. The formation of visual-motor coordination does not occur in such patients. In addition, there is underdevelopment of hearing and articulation apparatus. All this leads to the fact that mentally retarded babies do not start babbling and babbling in a timely manner.
Intelligence level
The intellectual development quotient, as a rule, ranges from 69 to 50 points. This is quite high, whereas mild mental retardation in children allows them to have an IQ of 49 to 35.
Having a sense of humor is a big problem. Such children perceive everything concretely and literally. Metaphors and aphorisms used by the interlocutor in a conversation are just words without meaning for them.
The main sign of a child with mental retardation is the absence of abstract logical thinking. How is this expressed?
- inability to highlight the main thing and cut off the unnecessary;
- the impossibility of classification and generalization;
- primitiveness of thinking.
Quite simple questions drive the child into a dead end; there is practically no logic in the reasoning. By repeating actions many times, he can grasp the pattern and, by analogy, continue the thought. However, the slightest deviation from the pattern causes difficulties.
Perception and sensation
Primary school students suffering from mental retardation take much longer to look at and recognize a familiar object than their peers. This is due to their slow visual perception. This feature has a direct impact on the spatial orientation of children with disabilities and on their learning to read.
The perception of such patients is undifferentiated. When looking at a certain object, children see only general features in it and do not notice specific features. It is especially difficult for them to actively adapt their perceptions to changing conditions. They cannot recognize inverted images of objects, mistaking them for others.
Signs of a mild stage of mental retardation in children are expressed in difficulty in orientation and narrowing of the scope of visual perception. Moderate development of MR is characterized by a lag in the tactile, auditory and visual analyzers with simultaneous anomalies of hearing and vision. Such a child cannot independently navigate the current situation.
In the case of severe MR, superficial perception and satisfactory identification of surrounding objects are characteristic. In the presence of a deep degree of MR, the development of the child’s psyche is noted at the lowest level. It is difficult for such children to navigate, and they do not distinguish edible foods from inedible objects.
Attention and memory disorder
All healthy children have semantic and mechanical memory. In a state of mental retardation, a child simply does not have a semantic memory, while the mechanical one is well developed. Without semantic memory it is impossible to perform the following actions:
- remembering the essence;
- summarizing the information received;
- retelling the text in your own words.
At the same time, the formed mechanical memory allows you to remember large amounts of information, but since this is done unconsciously, the child cannot use it.
In order to somehow develop the semantic perception of information, you need to be patient and explain to your child several times what he cannot understand. Noticeable progress in memorization can be achieved by clearly showing the cause-and-effect relationships of objects and actions. It is much easier for a child with mild mental retardation to remember simple and understandable things than those whose meaning and purpose are unknown to him.
Obvious signs of mental retardation in children
- A learning program that is easily accepted by most of his peers will be too difficult for the child.
- His understanding process is too slow. Ordinary children do not think about the conditions of the task as such. “Petya has three apples. Vasya gave him five apples. How many apples does Petya have? Children immediately begin to add, and a child with mental retardation tries to comprehend the very fact that Petya and Vasya need to add apples.
- The same difficulty can cause the assimilation of the material being explained. An effect occurs that is popularly called “it went into one ear and out of the other.” MR is associated with serious problems with working memory and concentration.
- In the ICD, there is a division into diagnoses that end with the words “behavioral disorder requiring care and treatment.” Deviations in behavior will simply be impossible not to notice.
This should be given special attention. Treatment of mental retardation as such is impossible. But this does not mean that the person himself does not need treatment. Imagine that a normal child or adult came up with some harmful idea and developed a persistent and undesirable pattern of behavior. This situation may require the efforts of psychologists. However, normal physical and mental development in itself creates the basis for understanding to arise. You can convince, correct behavior, inform in a normal way.
If the same applies to a mentally retarded person, then everything will be much more complicated. Violation of behavior in this case should be interpreted most broadly. These are any behavioral complexes that include a primitive and vivid expression of irritability, anger, aggressiveness or apathy and autism. The main difficulty here is that all the criteria for prescribing any drugs in any way related to psychiatry change, because disorders of behavior, desire, mood and psyche in general manifest themselves differently. The very approach to the norm is changing. Therefore, psychotherapy and psychiatry, if necessary, for such patients is extremely difficult. Sometimes general diagnostic criteria are not applicable.
Typically, mild to moderate mental retardation retains the basic emotional reactions - pleasure, displeasure, the occurrence of pleasant and unpleasant feelings. However, their very expression may differ significantly from those of other people. Sometimes it can be very difficult to distinguish between the form of expression of internal experiences and the occurrence of psychosis. Meanwhile, mild reactive psychoses and mentally retarded people are quite common. As for other disorders, the frequency of their occurrence is 3-4 times higher than that found in the entire population.
Psychosis with mental retardation aggravates the child’s mental state
At the same time, the result of psychosis is often unfavorable and is accompanied by the emergence of a stable mental defect, which is superimposed on the one that occurred earlier, caused by the physical condition of the patients. Opinions about what kind of psychosis occurs more often in such patients differ. Some authors believe that these are disorders associated with the emotional sphere, while others identify schizophrenia. The latter has the property of flowing in a depleted form. Paranoid or paranoid delusions contain the most specific plots, not colored with fantastic elements.
Specifics of education
It is very important to find the right approach to a child with such a disease. Usually this is not difficult to do, since such children are simple-minded and kind. The main task of parents is to correctly set priorities in raising a special child. The amount of acquired knowledge here fades into the background, and preference should be given to completely different values:
- creating a comfortable, favorable, calm environment in the family;
- the desire for love and understanding;
- devoting a large amount of time to communicating with the child;
- the formation of a socially adapted personality, ready for independent life outside the home.
In suitable conditions, such children successfully master the basics of reading, writing and counting, and learn basic work skills. They are happy to carry out simple tasks, help with household chores, and do handicrafts.
With mild retardation, good results are achieved by friendly conversations with the child, educational games, and reading books. Constant communication and systematic intellectual activities protect the brain from degradation and stimulate the development of intellectual activity. The baby enjoys such activities and over time takes the initiative.
The correct behavior of the mother plays a huge role in raising a child. Having discovered any abnormalities in their own child, any normal parent will be horrified and begin to panic. This, as you know, does not give any results, so the best solution would be to contact a specialist. Correcting the moral and psychological state of the mother is the key to a happy future child.
If parents are interested in the maximum development of their mentally retarded child, then they must make every effort to find the necessary methods and techniques for interacting with his psyche. In any case, you will need the help of specialists: both for training and for establishing contacts with others.
Recommendations for parents of children with mental disabilities
Unfortunately, the development of mental retardation, as well as other forms of developmental delay in a child, is always a big problem, both emotional and social for parents. Most newborns with obvious signs of hereditary syndromes or developmental anomalies are abandoned by their mothers in maternity hospitals and are raised further in boarding schools. Mild degrees of mental disability are most often detected in the preschool period, so a very large number of parents may encounter them, and at the same time they need to know how to act correctly.
There is no clear answer to the question of how to treat mental retardation. The problem is that in most cases, the reasons that led to such a condition in a child are either irreversible or are inherent in the genotype of the organism itself, which does not allow modern medicine to influence this. Therefore, the main medical recommendations for parents of children with mental retardation are as follows:
- Seek medical help promptly and diagnose the cause and degree of progression of mental disability.
- Regularly conduct educational and developmental activities with such a child. Correction of behavioral deviations can be carried out with a special child psychologist.
- Try not to isolate such children from their peers and adults, despite all the troubles and fears.
- Social adaptation of children with mental retardation should become the basis of training and education. Only achieving independence in everyday life, the basics of speech and writing, as well as mastering simple professions will allow one to be a full-fledged member of society in adult life and not require outside help.
- Don't set the bar too high for these children. Often, character traits and an increased sense of inferiority and the experience of failure nullify all the results achieved. On the other hand, there is no need to indulge the child’s laziness or stop at the supposedly acceptable result achieved. This often manifests itself when learning to communicate - parents understand the child’s wishes by sounds or perverted words, but this is not enough for social adaptation and communication with other people.
Symptoms
With mild mental retardation, the child's IQ does not exceed 69 units. There are practically no external differences from peers. In most cases, the problem makes itself felt during training or communication. A feature of this degree of retardation is a fairly good memory, as well as awareness of one’s condition. Almost everyone who suffers from mild stroke tries to hide their problem.
The symptoms are always the same. The differences between different clinical cases are minimal. This allows you to quickly determine if there is a problem. Symptoms of mental retardation in young children are as follows:
- Development occurs with a noticeable delay, which is manifested in longer learning to hold the head, crawl, walk and other motor skills;
- A delay in the development of the emotional component is diagnosed, which manifests itself in the fact that the baby experiences very few emotions that appear very briefly, and he also begins to smile much later;
- There is no understanding of exactly how to play with certain toys; often the child uses them in a specific way;
- Such children begin to speak only after 3 years, while they have a very limited vocabulary and their speech is slurred;
- The child does not distinguish himself from others, and also cannot clearly formulate his thoughts.
Older children with mental retardation stand out more than others. Their behavior corresponds to younger ages, which makes it possible to quickly recognize the presence of CVD. As these children grow older, new symptoms appear:
- Difficulty participating in team games;
- Apathy, irritability, aggression manifests itself;
- Lack of understanding of role-playing games, difficulty simulating unrealistic situations in life;
- Poor concentration, absent-mindedness. Such children prefer to perform monotonous actions that do not require active brain activity;
- Low creativity, lack of imagination and sense of humor, children cannot see the hidden meaning in proverbs and fairy tales;
- Problems with accurately remembering long phrases, because... they suffer from memory limitations;
- Simple interests, including watching TV, reading fairy tales, playing video games;
- They are easily influenced by others and like to imitate other people.
In most cases, the symptoms are the same; only some of them may be absent. With mild UO, which persists in an adult since childhood, all symptoms remain.
A patient with UO will not be drafted into the army, will not be given a driver's license, and will not be allowed to enter the civil service.
general characteristics
The category “mental disability” includes a whole range of mental and cognitive development disorders, such as:
- epilepsy, schizophrenia, autism;
- mental retardation, dementia;
- speech defects, clinical depression;
- organic disorders of the central nervous system;
- genetic diseases and other pathologies.
Such diseases are often accompanied by dysfunction of the musculoskeletal system, as well as loss of vision or hearing, which further reduces a person’s quality of life several times. But social stigmatization (psychological discrimination) and problems with employment force these people to refuse to register for disability for the above diseases as long as possible.
It is quite difficult to create a generalized portrait of a person belonging to the “mental disability” group - these are people of different ages and illnesses, living in families with different financial levels. Moreover, almost all of them have communicative, behavioral, intellectual and emotional deviations, which is why they differ from ordinary people.
Employment and assisted employment
Creating comfortable conditions for a disabled person and ensuring his speedy adaptation to a new workplace will enable a person to reach a new level of social life. In addition, he will have a chance to improve his financial situation, and to some extent free the guardian from constant forced employment, because many of them are almost constantly near their wards.
For example, when the Moscow Center for Curative Pedagogy developed and launched the “Working Afternoon” program for disabled children, it became clear that such provision would be perfect for adults. The essence of the program is to relieve parents and guardians for several hours or days while the children are in the care of the center’s staff.
For many parents, this is almost the only opportunity to leave their child in another team for the first time, and for him to experience new sensations. Due to illness, not all children are able to study even in a specialized boarding school or college, and simplified group or individual classes will help them learn new skills and improve their lives, as well as ease the family’s burden.
The action of such programs involves not only providing assistance to the disabled person himself, but also to close people caring for him. After all, such a family also becomes disabled - it finds itself in a disadvantaged state, since relatives cannot simply go on vacation or go somewhere. Accordingly, the state must think through and provide services to such segments of the population.
