A child with developmental disabilities: how to determine the pathology?

The appearance in the family of a child is always a joy. For each parent, their baby seems special. But some developmental features may alert. In such cases, you must not hesitate and rush to the doctor. Unfortunately, at present, the number of children with developmental disabilities has increased significantly. Such babies require special attention and care. It is very important to determine the pathology at the initial stage, so as not to miss the chance to correct or alleviate the current situation. How to determine the pathology? What does “a child with developmental disabilities” mean?

Necessary standards for development

Before talking about the deviations of the child, we highlight the conditions necessary for the full development:

1. The development and functionality of the brain should be normal.
2. The work of the nervous system and physical parameters are age-appropriate and provide all the processes for life.
3. The senses can provide a natural connection with the outside world.
4. The child properly, systematically and sequentially goes through all the stages of education, starting with the family and ending with the educational institution.

What is considered the norm in the development of a child:

• Development corresponds to peers surrounding it.
• Behavior meets accepted social standards.
• The development of the body coincides with the established norms, while it is able to combat negative environmental factors and resists diseases.

There are more and more children with deviations, since some of the developmental conditions is not fulfilled due to various reasons.

Reasons for deviations

The main reasons for the development of deviations in children are divided into:

• hereditary;
• external (environmental impact).

To hereditary include:

• Genetic factor.
• Somatic.
• Brain damage.

Depending on when pathogenic factors could have influenced, the following time intervals are distinguished:

• Before the onset of labor.
• During the period of labor.
• Postpartum period up to 3 years.

The greatest influence on the development of mental functions has a harmful effect at the time of intensive cellular development of the brain, during the development of the embryo.

Biological impact

We can distinguish biological factors that affect the development of children:

• Genetic mutations.
• The mother suffered an infectious or viral disease during pregnancy: rubella, flu.
• Parents are not compatible with the Rh factor.
• Mother has diabetes.
• Parents have sexually transmitted diseases.
• Taking drugs, especially by the mother.

• Biochemical effect. Factories, chemical fertilizers, uncontrolled intake of medicines. These factors have an effect both during pregnancy and in the early stages of a baby’s development.
• Lack of oxygen for the fetus.
• Severe toxicosis in the second half of pregnancy.
• Poor maternal health. Poor nutrition, tumor processes, lack of vitamins.
• Chronic diseases in a child that started at an early age: asthma, diabetes, blood pathologies.
• Early brain injuries and severe infectious diseases.
• Injuries during pathological birth.

All these negative factors can lead to a child with developmental disabilities.

Social impact

Let us single out the social factors affecting the development of the child:

• Strong experiences of the expectant mother, accompanied by a significant release of hormones in the amniotic fluid.

• Negative events and moods against the future baby.
• Stressful situations, often recurring.
• The state of the psyche of the mother during labor.
• Poor attitude to the child, separation from the mother, rough treatment, lack of warm relations.

All these factors require more professional advice from psychologists and teachers, as they can cause deviations in the mental development of the child, while biological ones require the attention of doctors.

What deviations are possible

There are several groups of deviations:

• Children with physical disabilities. This includes impaired functioning of the musculoskeletal system, vision, and hearing.
• Deviations in the mental development of the child. This is a violation of speech, mental retardation, also a delay in mental development and deviations in the development of the emotional-volitional sphere.
• Pedagogical deviations. Children who have not received secondary education.
• Children with social disabilities who are not educated to enter the social environment. In this case, preventive work is important.

It is also worth highlighting periods in which you can notice vivid deviations from development:

• Preschool.
• School Junior.
• Teenage

For each period, the child must have certain skills, abilities, knowledge. Adults at this time should be especially careful and give the child time for classes and communication.

Features of deviations in the development of children

Consider the features of deviations in children with a temporary developmental delay. The following symptoms are characteristic:

• Noticeable deviations become at school.
• The child behaves as if he is in kindergarten.
• Does not do homework.
• It is difficult to learn, read and write.

• It gets tired quickly.
• Complains of headaches.
• Inadequate physical development.
• Delay in thinking is possible.

A child with psychophysical infantilism has this feature:

• Understands the plot of the image.
• Can understand the meaning.

Children with developmental disorders with signs of asthenia have the following manifestations:

• Nervous exhaustion.
• Fast fatiguability.
• Frequent headaches.
• Bad memory.
• Inattention.
• Excessive excitability.
• Excessive mobility, impulsiveness.
• Tearfulness.
• Shyness and lethargy.
• Inhibition.
• Slowness.
• Sleep disorder.
• Rudeness.
• Instability of behavior.

Each child has deviations in different ways.

Impaired mental development

The categories of mentally retarded children include:

• Morons. With proper development and training, there can be a high level of mental development. They have a profession, bear civil liability.
• Imbeciles. Deeply retarded children. Do not learn the general rules, concepts. Can with great difficulty learn to write, read. They require constant care.
• Idiots. Such children have impaired coordination, speech is not developed, they cannot serve themselves. Need special care.

Children who stand out from the crowd of their peers with high development are also considered children with developmental disabilities. We will consider the features of such children further.

Highly developed kids

They differ from their peers in that:

• They can do several things at once.
• Very curious.
• Easily track cause and effect relationships.
• Abstract thinking is developed.
• Focus on a high level.
• They strive to achieve perfection in what they do.
• Well-developed training skills.

We can distinguish the psychological characteristics of such children:

• Well-developed imagination.
• There is a sense of justice from an early age.
• They set themselves high standards in the business they are involved in.
• Have a good sense of humor.
• Poorly cope with their failures.
• Children's fears are greatly exaggerated.
• They may have psychic abilities.
• There are problems with peers due to developed egocentrism.
• They sleep a little.

You should be careful about the child in order to notice in a timely manner the features of the change in the psyche as it grows older.

Features of deviations in mental development

Deviations in the mental development of the child are evaluated according to the following criteria:

• How memory is developed.
• Thinking.
• Speech development.
• Perception of the world.

What types of mental retardation are there:

• Psychogenic. It is the result of a lack of education in the family. As a rule, these are children from dysfunctional families.
• Somatogenic. Delay as a result of a disease. The child is very tired, weakened. Or too excited.
• Cerebro-asthenic. Organic brain damage. The child is overly excited, aggressive. The mood often changes dramatically.

• Constitutional. Against the background of underdevelopment of the frontal lobes of the brain. The level of development is several years behind. So the 6-year-old behaves and feels the needs, like a 2-year-old.

When diagnosing, caution is required, since some of the listed signs may be manifestations of the character of the child.

Diagnosis of deviations in a child

To confirm or refute that a child with developmental disabilities, it is necessary to conduct a medical and psychological examination.

At the medical examination is carried out:

• Visual inspection of the child. The structure of the skull, especially the skeleton, limbs, the development of sensory functions.
• Collection of information, available complaints from the words of the mother.
• Neurological and mental state.

It is necessary to pay attention to:

• On emotionality.
• The development of intelligence.
• Speech development.
• Motor skills.
• The state of the psyche, nervous system.

The following examinations are also possible:

• X-ray of the skull.
• CT scan.
• Encephalogram.

Some diseases can be established by external signs. This is especially true of congenital pathologies.

Mental examination requires analysis:

• Attention baby.
• Of memory.
• Intelligence.
• Perceptions of the outside world.
• How a child thinks.
• How expresses emotions.

As a rule, this is easily determined in a playful way. For this, visual material is used, as well as work methods and techniques tailored to the child’s defect. Gestures are required for the deaf, simple tasks are necessary for those who are retarded in mental development. The complexity and the main task for the diagnostician is to interest the child in the game, he should not refuse. This is a prerequisite for proper diagnosis. After that, you can assign a correction of deviations in the development of children.

Teaching and raising children with disabilities

Correction includes the work of teachers, doctors and parents.

There are several principles for teaching children with developmental disabilities:

• Stimulating conscious activity.
• The development of activity.
• Use of visual material.
• Systematic classes.
• Availability of material.
• The correspondence between the material and the capabilities of the child.
• Strong material fixing.
• Differential approach.

Particular attention is paid to the development of memory and logical thinking. Education aims not to adapt to a child’s defect, but to correct and overcome it. Education of children with developmental disabilities has two directions:

• Differential education.
• Inclusive education.

Corrective education should form the child’s mental functions and develop experience in overcoming existing disorders, whether it is a violation of speech, hearing, motor skills or behavior. Training and education should also be a method of preventing the occurrence of secondary abnormalities. This is possible due to the unavailability of a child with developmental disabilities to exist in society.

For such children, exposure is required:

• Health-improving.
• Psychological.
• Pedagogical.
• Psychotherapeutic treatment should be carried out directly and indirectly.
• Classes are group and individual.

A child with developmental disabilities in the family is not always correctly assessed by parents. Too much care or inattention to a child can aggravate a mental state. Insulation also has a negative effect. Therefore, the joint work of teachers and parents is very important. It is necessary to provide qualified assistance to parents so that they can support children in obtaining knowledge and skills in certain disorders.

Conditions for the integration of children

Currently, assistance is provided to children with developmental disabilities, as well as their parents.

Namely:

• Early diagnosis of developmental disorders is carried out.
• Organized early corrective and educational impact from the first months of life.
• The selection of children is carried out taking into account the defect of deviations, the level of development and the child's ability to learn.
• Children who need special conditions are identified in specialized institutions.

• Variants of curricula, manuals for the upbringing and education of children with developmental disabilities are compiled.
• It is necessary to constantly monitor and watch the dynamics of the development of such babies.

Parenting children with developmental disabilities has many problems:

• Parents do not know how to work together with a child.
• They cannot emotionally support the baby.
• Some experience inappropriate reactions to it.
• Inadequate methods of education.
• Not enough communication with the child.

Only the joint work of a specialist, teacher and parent can give tangible positive results in educating a child with a disability.