Mental retardation is a feature of development that accompanies the child all his life and with which a small person will have to learn how to live in the world, alas that are not adapted to the needs of people with disabilities. And the task that stands in front of parents to adapt such a child in society.
Content
Term «mental retardation», or «Oligophrenia» (literal translation – «Maloume») applied in psychiatry since 1915. According to the definition adopted in domestic psychiatry, oligophrenia – This is a violation of mental development (primarily intellectual) associated with the damage to the nervous system.
Only not insulation
In our country from Soviet times there was a system of separation «special children» from «Normal» Society. As a result, even children with relatively light impairments quickly turned into disabled people unable to independently. Baby with diagnosis «Oligophrenia» With this approach, they are forced to live in a closed world, they do not see their healthy peers, do not communicate with them, they are alien interests, hobbies of ordinary children. In turn, healthy kids also do not see those who do not match «Standard», and, having met a person with disabilities on the street, do not know how to treat him how to respond to his appearance in «Healthy» world.
Now it can be argued that the tradition of sharing children by the degree of mental retardation and «rebel» those who do not fit into certain frames (putting stigma «ineducable», put in boarding school, special school), outdated and does not lead to a positive result. If a child with such pathology lives at home, then the situation itself stimulates him to master different skills, he seeks to communicate with peers, play, learn. However, in practice it happens so that the baby is diagnosed «Oligophrenia» Refuse to take into an ordinary kindergarten, school, although the right to education has every child, and offer training in a specialized institution or treatment.
Often such a child falls into the hospital. At hospitalization insists the precinct pediatrician, and the administration of children's institutions requires the conclusion of a medical commission.
For any specialist dealing with such a baby, is characterized by the desire to help him, using all available methods for this. Therefore, if the doctor works with the child, then the main, familiar and affordable way to help him – Hospitalization for examination and treatment of concomitant diseases (including the nervous system), which, as a rule, are found in children with oligophrenia. But at the same time, the child falls into the closed world of the hospital, where he is surrounded by the same kids who are not able to independently master the necessary skills. Depends on the severity of the violation, it will be the ability to fully communicate with peers and master the school curriculum or the child will not be able to learn to eat a spoon from the plate, dress. The main thing is that the child offers a medical institution, this treatment. Qualified pedagogical care, he does not get timely learning. And if it receives, then in the minimum volume. In the family, the baby can watch older brother or sister, for neighboring children and seeks to learn how to play, talk, read just like they. In the hospital, the child does not have such an example, and he is satisfied with other children with primitive games and communication with gestures.
Of course, if the baby got into the hospital for a certain time (for a course of treatment or diagnostics), then on returning home he will have the opportunity to some extent to fill the lack of communication, care and proper training. But there are children who live in such a closed system constantly – these are those from which parents refused to find out that the child was born «Patient» «not like that».
Family and school
Existing insulation system «special children» led to the fact that even kids with relatively light disorders quickly turned into disabled people unable to independently. If a child lives at home, this situation itself stimulates him to master different skills, he seeks to communicate with peers, play, learn.
Recently, there has been a tendency to educate children with different violations of the development of the house, in the family. If earlier (20--30 years ago) Mom back in the maternity hospital «defective» Child, pass it to the Establishment of Sobes, now more and more Oligophrenic children are under guardianship of loving parents, ready to fight for their development and adaptation in society. With the help of loved ones, such a child has the ability to qualify for education, treatment (in case it is necessary), communication with peers.
Practice shows that even the most «Heavy» Children under the condition of proper handling of them seek communication and activity. Kids who do not know how to speak, poorly understanding the speech of others, look with interest on children and adults around, begin to be interested in toys in which their peers play. Through simple, the games available to them begins to interact with the teacher, and then – Teaching a child to those skills that will subsequently be necessary for him (there is a spoon, drink from the cup, dress).
Of course, it is impossible to expect that the kid with severe intellectual impairment will be able to overcome this problem completely. The work of various specialists (teacher, psychologist, doctor and others) is aimed at giving a child a chance to develop the abilities that may be. Wonderful if a child with a shallow impaired intellect will be able to enter a mass school near the house, where the attentive teacher with understanding will react to his problems and will help you to master the part of the program affordable to him, to stay in the team of classmates, not turning into the burden and «Cool fool». Well, if the baby who has not told up to seven years, will learn how to use a speech to communicate, can explain mom, which he wants. Not bad, if a child, for a long time, not paying attention to the people around him and items, will begin to look and accessible to him to respond to what is happening – then mom will be able to understand that she needs her baby, that he loves or why he suddenly ripened.
Professional adaptation
According to existing legislation, all citizens have the right to work. Disabled – not an exception. Indeed, they have the right to receive a workplace, perform the work that are capable of, and receive salary for it.
In practice, it is very difficult to implement. Indeed, in order for a person with disabilities to work, special conditions are needed. The fact that ordinary people perform easily, with minimal time and strength, the disabled will do much longer, perhaps will make more mistakes, he will need to relax more often. Naturally, employers prefer to take on vacant places of healthy people. So, in addition to the right of persons with disabilities, the mechanism for the implementation of this right. For example, jobs that will be willing to take people with disabilities.
There is a point of view that the disabled person does not need to work – He is not like that, it is difficult for him to perform the simplest action, so society must provide him with no work, but content, benefits and exemption from various duties. This approach can only discriminate a person with disabilities. All children, from early age, they strive to grow and become someone, they dream of cosmonaut's career, teachers and T.D. Then the aspirations of children change, and at a certain point they choose their own profession. Society, which gives a disabled only benefits, seeks to deprive him of this dream, and with it the possibilities of personal growth, respect for themselves. He is doomed forever to remain a child, a consumer who receives housing, food, clothes and nothing in return.
This situation needs to be changed, and it is necessary to start with the relationship of society to «Other» People. Conclusion of the Medical Commission «disabled» does not mean that the disabled person has no right to work. No, it rather indicates that it is not able to work at a common workplace, and he needs special conditions for work.
It is important that for each child – «Normal», Gifted, with disabilities – I was pre-determined by the milestones that it will pass in life. Parents must be sure that for their baby there is a kindergarten in which he will play and learn to communicate with children, the school where he will receive the knowledge you need, the work that he will be fulfilled with pleasure and with the feeling that he needs society. And the separation of people on the so-called «Normal», «Gifted» and «disabled» must not be a criterion «rejection» Some and promotion of others, and the way to choose their life path.
