What is mental retardation? Can a child with mental retardation develop and learn? Read in this article.
Content
Mental retardation
Mental retardation is not a mental illness, but a specific state, when the intellectual development of the child is limited to a certain level of functioning of the central nervous system.
The mentally retarded child can develop and learn, but only within its biological abilities. This truth is quite tragic for parents mentally retarded children, as they want to do everything possible to become their child «as everybody».
Mental retardation is not treated. The doctor may assign stimulating therapy if there are no contraindications, but its effect can be realized within the biological capabilities of the body of a particular child. Thus, the forecast of the development and social adaptation of mentally retarded children to a large extent depends on the system of upbringing and learning.
Depending on the degree of mental retardation, you can achieve large or smaller results. It should be known that children with immibilities and idiocy (the average and severe forms of mental retardation) are disabled childhood, they receive pensions or have a guardian, or can be placed in special social security institutions.
In working with children of this contingent, pathopsychologists, except for diagnostic work, carry out greater advisory and psychotherapeutic work with the families of these children. Not all parents can independently cope with such a grief, in addition, in these families often grow and intellectually full-fledged children. They also need psychological support.
Children with moron
Children with moron (easy mental retardation) have other problems. These problems are associated primarily, with the inability to successfully learn from the mass school program. The translation of the child to auxiliary school is a tragedy for most parents.
In different countries, in different ways are suitable for the question, where and how to teach the mentally retarded children. It is proposed to train them either in the total stream of children, or differentiated in special schools. In Russia, until recently, children with a diagnosis «Deability» studied at auxiliary school. Recently, the decision of the Medical and Pedagogical Commission is often ignored by parents.
The mentally retarded child enters a correctional school (the current name of supporting schools) only with the consent of the parents, but many parents are looking for bypass tracks. Since most of the mass schools currently work correction classes, alignment and t. D., then children with debilitality can be found and there. Some private schools also learn mentally retarded children.
A huge problem is an adequate education of children with a slight degree of mental backwardness, which determines the future social and labor adaptation. The fact is that with good adaptation, matured, they dissolve in life. Work (as a rule, on simple work), the family, children, are full members of society. Pathopsychologists can bring great benefits by carrying out regular counseling mentally retarded children and their parents.
It should be noted that oligophrenia and mental backwardness - in principle the same thing, but it is customary to talk about oligophrenia only when its reason is accurately established. In the same cases, when the reason is exactly unknown, the term is more used «mental retardation»
