Disturbance of mental development

Disturbance of mental development represents a mental state which is characterized by slow rates of formation of the personality and mental functions, and also disturbances in mental and cognitive capacity.

Symptoms and reasons of disturbances of mental development

Disturbances of mental development are shown most often at infantile and children's age. These psychological disturbances are connected with various factors, injuries and pathologies.

Are the main reasons for disturbances of mental development:

• hereditary pathologies of a brain;
• chromosomal diseases;
• defects of a brain;
• epileptic syndrome;
• defeats and pathologies of the central nervous system;
• brain tumors;
• hydrocephaly;
• serious illness of a nervous system and neuroskin syndromes;
• hereditary endocrine diseases;
• somatic pathologies;
• disturbances and diseases of sense bodys;
• lack of education and pedagogical neglect.

Disturbances of mental development in children are shown in the form of an underdevelopment, damages of personal development and lack of self-determination, impossibility of intellectual development and problems with knowledge, a psychopathy and distortions (autism).

Hereditary, biological, social and psychogenic factors are the most serious reasons of disturbances of mental development.

Disturbances of mental development in children are expressed in considerable lag in development from peers, delay of mental formation, discrepancy in behavior and perception with age norms. These disturbances begin to be shown with early age, and they are often connected with brain dysfunction.

When determining the reasons of disturbances of mental development it is necessary to consider temperament of the child, existence of somatic and cerebral pathologies, an emotional state and a deprivation.

Pathologies during pregnancy, prematurity, birth and puerperal trauma, somatopathies and brain injuries belong to the biological reasons of disturbances.

Disturbances of mental development can be caused by social factors, including a lack of attention and a separation from mother, social isolation, deficit of education, training and development, unfavorable conditions in a family and society.

Types of disturbances of mental development

Disturbances of mental development are classified on several types.

It is possible to carry to the main types of disturbances of mental development:

• дизонтогенез, including the damaged, slowed down and distorted development;
• irreversible mental underdevelopment;
• disharmonious mental development;
• the degenerative mental development connected with epilepsy and other diseases;
• the pathological mental development caused by mental and somatic pathologies.

Also allocate types of disturbances of mental development in schizophrenic process: asinkhroniya, retardation and mental retardation.

Clinical forms of disturbances, including acceleration, infantility, autism and somatopatiya are in certain cases shown.

Separately in medicine allocate the disturbances of mental development connected with a type of an oligophrenia – an uncomplicated, neurodynamic, analizatorny and psychopathic form.

Prevention of disturbances of mental development

Special value in preventing to development of mental disturbances is carried out by complex system of preventive measures. Prevention of mental disturbances needs to begin to be carried out from regular survey and consultations at the pediatrician, and also check of psychomotor reactions at the child.

The logopedist, the children's psychologist, the pediatrician and the speech pathologist have to define a condition of mental development. The exact diagnosis of the child and type of disturbances of mental development can be defined by diagnostic inspection.

Prevention of disturbances of mental development is based on use of special medical, pedagogical, psychological and social methods of check of the child. For creation of the correct environment for mental development the favorable correctional space in which the child develops cognitive function, logical thinking is used and gains educational skills.

Important factor of prevention is respect for safety, and also carrying out medical and pedagogical consultations from first months of pregnancy.

After the birth of the child and within the first year of his life it is possible to reveal the first signs of mental disturbances. Lack of reactions to a sound and light can the first signs of such disturbances.

At children of preschool age of disturbance of mental development are often shown in the form of problems with the speech and the letter, lag in motor development and weak memory.

For performing effective prevention of disturbances of mental development it is necessary to exclude the conflicts in a family, to avoid physical and psychological injuries during pregnancy, and also it is necessary to create a favorable environment for development of the child.

Treatment of disturbances of mental development

Pediatricians, psychologists, neurologists, logopedists, psychiatrists and speech pathologists are engaged in treatment of disturbances of mental development. Therapy has to be directed to harmonious interaction of these specialists and their methods.

For purpose of an exact type of treatment it is necessary to establish the reasons of disturbances and their type. The main objective of treatment is long correction of development of the child.

The following drugs have to be a part of medicamentous therapy: nootropa, vascular and anticonvulsant, antiinflammatory and immunostimulating. As addition appoint vitamin therapy.

At disturbances of mental development appoint certain types of rehabilitation. It is possible to carry to them:

• the correction of psychological character including occupations with the speech pathologist and the psychologist, directed to recovery of cognitive function, the speech and memory, emotional perception, communication and social adaptation;
• the correction of logopedic type including the occupations with the logopedist directed to formation of the correct speech and sound education, elimination of defects of a pronunciation, production of skills and abilities for the informative speech;
• touch exercises with the psychologist for recovery of sensitivity, improvement of perception and psychological unloading;
• the hardware occupations with biological feedback directed to a training of attention and storing, regulation by the child of own perception;
• relaxation exercises;
• physiotherapy exercises and gymnastics for stimulation of physical and mental development;
• the physical therapy including thermal, water and electroprocedures.

Important stage of treatment of disturbances of psychological development is the individual educational and developing program for the child. This program has to be developed by teachers and psychologists, and special intellectual exercises, art tasks, musical and choreographic occupations have to be its part.