Mental retardation is ... Degrees and forms of mental retardation. Children with mental retardation

What do you think about when you hear such a phrase as "mental retardation"? This, for sure, is accompanied by not the most pleasant associations. The knowledge of many people about this condition is mainly based on telecasts and films, where real facts are often distorted for entertainment. Mild mental retardation, for example, is not the pathology in which a person should be isolated from society. Consequently, we often meet such people, but it is not easy to draw a line between the healthy person and the mentally retarded simple inhabitant.

Introduction

As doctors say, mental retardation is an ailment whose main feature is either acquired (toddler up to 3 years old) or an inborn decline in intelligence. At the same time, there is practically no ability to think abstractly. But the emotional sphere does not suffer in this disease: patients can feel dislike and sympathy, merriment and sorrow, grief and joy. However, people with mental retardation experience not such multifaceted and complex feelings and emotions as healthy people. It should also be noted that this ailment is not capable of progressing. Mental retardation is a stable level of underdeveloped intelligence. Although there have been even cases of its increase over time due to the impact of training, socium, upbringing.

Causes of mental retardation

Human intellect is determined by both environmental and genetic factors. Those children whose parents are diagnosed with mental retardation are already at risk. They are more susceptible to the development of mental disorders, although it is the genetic transmission itself that is extremely rare. Despite the emergence of genetics and certain successes in this field, the causes of 70-80% of cases of diseases have not been established. Most often they are detected in especially severe cases. But still we offer to understand the most common factors that provoke the emergence of such a state.

Prenatal causes

The cause of this condition is often chromosomal abnormalities, genetic, nervous diseases. Mental retardation is also caused by congenital ailments caused by cytomegalovirus, rubella virus, and HIV. The use of drugs by parents, alcohol, exposure to the fetus of toxins leads to the birth of children with mental retardation. The effects of radiation, methylmercury, lead, chemotherapeutic agents also sometimes lead to such consequences.

Intratinal reasons

Complications that are associated with immaturity, prematurity, as well as hemorrhages in the central nervous system, delivery with forceps, breech presentation, multiple pregnancy, intranatal asphyxia increase the risk of mental retardation. But here a lot will depend on the care of the baby in the first months after his birth.

Postnatal causes

The lack of emotional, physical, cognitive support that is necessary for development, growth, social adaptation, and poor nutrition in the first years of life are the most common causes of mental retardation throughout the world. The ailment can be a consequence of bacterial, viral encephalitis, meningitis, hypotrophy, poisoning, head trauma and so on.

Degrees of mental retardation

This ailment, like any other, has different criteria, due to which it is divided into degrees, forms, etc. Classification of this disease is due to the forms of its manifestation and the degree of flow. There are the following degrees of mental retardation:

• Easy, when the level of IQ varies between 50-69 points;
• Average, when the indicators range from 20 to 49 points;
• Heavy, at which IQ is less than 20 points.

How is this indicator determined? The patient is offered to undergo a test task, according to the results of which one can judge whether there is a certain degree of ailment. Although, we must admit that this division is very conditional. Classification should take into account not only the degree of reduction of intellectual abilities, but also the level of care, assistance that is required by man. We should not discount the limitation of the ability to communicate, self-service, self-reliance, the use of public resources, etc.

What does statistics say?

Very interesting is the fact that more than 3% of the world's population lives with an IQ of less than 70, but only 1% have severe mental retardation. This suggests that in the diagnosis of taking into account a lot of additional factors. Deep mental retardation is noted in children, regardless of their family's belonging to a particular social stratum, from the education of parents and relatives. And here is another interesting fact. So, oddly enough, moderate mental retardation, in which the patient requires some kind of unstable help, is more often observed in children from families with low socioeconomic status.

Symptoms of ailment

As already mentioned above, the main sign of the disease is a decrease in intelligence. However, all symptoms should be considered depending on the degree of ailment. Consider them.

1. Easy degree (or debility). In this case, in appearance, a simple philistine can never distinguish a person from the backwardness of mental development from a healthy one. As a rule, it is hard for such people to learn because their ability to concentrate attention is greatly reduced. But their memory is very good. Often patients with this degree of ailment have behavioral abnormalities. For example, children with mental retardation depend on educators and parents, they are greatly frightened by the changing situation. Such patients either become isolated in themselves (hence the difficulty in communicating), or, on the contrary, they try to draw attention to their person by all sorts of vivid actions, as a rule, ridiculous, even antisocial. It is very easy for them to inspire anything. Because such patients attract representatives of the criminal world, they themselves often become victims of scammers. A characteristic sign of an easy degree of backwardness is that patients are well aware of their ailment, but in every way hide it from other people.
2. The average degree (imbecility). Such people are able to distinguish between punishment and praise, experience joy, empathy, they are easily trained in self-service skills, sometimes even writing, reading, elementary account, but they can not live independently. They need constant care and control.
3. Heavy degree (idiocy). Such people do not have speech, they are uneducable, their movements are not purposeful and clumsy. Emotions are limited to elementary manifestations of displeasure or joy. Patients with idiots need constant supervision, therefore they should be kept in appropriate institutions.

A little more about the symptoms

The first manifestations of the ailment include immature behavior, a delay in intellectual development, and insufficient self-service skills. The development of children with mental retardation sometimes goes as it should be right up to the school years. Symptoms are not recognized if there is an easy degree of ailment. And here two other degrees diagnose, as a rule, very early, especially if they are combined with malformations, physical anomalies. In this case, the ailment will simply be diagnosed as early as preschool age.

However, some children incidentally noted the presence of cerebral palsy, motor disorders, hearing loss, speech development delay and other developmental abnormalities. Over time, the characteristics of mental retardation "overgrown" with new symptoms. Children become prone to anxiety, depression, especially if they are rejected or regarded as defective.

If in kindergartens for children with this ailment there is a difficulty with adaptation, difficulties with observing the regime of the day, and elementary tasks seem to them impracticable, then schoolchildren with mental retardation should alert their parents with an extremely high degree of restlessness and inattention. Additional reasons for concern for dads and moms should be fast fatigue, poor behavior and extremely low scores of their children.

Forms of mental retardation

Here we are with another classification. In accordance with the international classification of ailments, it is customary to distinguish the following forms of mental retardation:

• Oligophrenia is uncomplicated. In this form, the basic nerve processes of the child are characterized by equanimity. Violations in cognitive activity are not accompanied by especially gross deviations. The emotional sphere is preserved, the child can act purposefully, however, only if everything is clear to him. When the situation or situation is not new for him, everything will be fine, you will not see any deviations.
• Oligophrenia with neurodynamic disorders. This form is characterized by the volatility of the willed, emotional sphere according to the type of inhibition or excitability. Infringements inherent in the child, clearly manifested in the decline in efficiency, in behavior changes.
• Mental retardation with deviations in the function of analyzers. In oligophrenic patients with this form of disease, the diffuse lesion of the cortex is combined with more severe disorders of this or that brain system. Children also notice local defects in speech, sight, hearing, and locomotor apparatus.
• Oligophrenia with psychopathic behavior. This is mental retardation, the development of which lags behind due to violations in the emotional-volitional sphere. First of all, these patients are noted to decrease the criticality in relation to themselves, the underdevelopment of many personality components, the disinhibition of drives. The child has a tendency to unjustified affects.
• Oligophrenia with pronounced frontal insufficiency. With this form of mental retardation, children are ineffective, sluggish, helpless. Their speech is verbose, imitative, but it has absolutely no content. Children are not able to mentally strain, adequately assess the current situation.

Examination of a disease

As we have already said, in most cases, mental retardation manifests itself at an early age. And if the disease is caused by genetic causes, for example, Down's disease, then the deviation can be diagnosed even during pregnancy. For these purposes, in women's consultations today, all the ladies are offered to undergo a screening examination at the earliest stages of pregnancy, so that in the presence of such a pathology it is possible to make the right decision - to have an abortion or to save the child. Also, this procedure is indispensable in cases where the parents of the future baby or relatives have diseases or conditions capable of provoking the emergence of mental retardation.

Some of the forms of oligophrenia arise from the fact that a certain enzyme system in a baby is underdeveloped. The most common ailment of this group is phenylketonuria. Immediately after birth, babies with this diagnosis do not differ in any way from healthy ones, but already during the first months of their life they become lethargic, they have frequent vomiting, there are rashes on the skin, sweating is increased, and it has a specific odor. If you start treatment immediately, until the baby is 2-3 months old, you can keep the intellect. That's why never ignore early examinations of children from pediatricians.

If the doctor has any doubts, he will appoint a consultation of a neurologist, urine and blood tests, an encephalogram. When examining older children, a consultation of a psychologist or psychiatrist is mandatory.

If treatment is started in a timely manner, then, as a rule, it is possible to achieve that the child easily adapts to an independent life. But in the case when parents and other relatives of the baby decide that they can easily do without doctors, practice self-treatment, the sad consequences are inevitable. Also, do not forget that under the guise of oligophrenia, other ailments may also be hidden - epilepsy, numerous mental illnesses, hypothyroidism.

Children with oligophrenia - what to do?

In no case should parents panic. Remember that mental retardation is not a mental illness, but a peculiar state when intellectual development is limited for some reason or other.

The education of children with mental retardation is possible, as well as their development, but just as much as they are allowed to do so by biological means. This condition is never completely cured. Of course, the doctor will prescribe appropriate therapy, but its effect will not be astounding. Although, depending on the degree of oligophrenia, it is possible to achieve certain results through education and training. It should be understood that kids with idiocy and imbecile are invalids of childhood, they even get pensions. The peculiarities of children with mental retardation of these forms are such that they need either a caring guardian or the help of specialists from the relevant medical institution, where they can be identified. There they are conducted therapeutic, correctional, psychological work. Children with mild degrees of oligophrenia are not so difficult. Even though they do not manage to study according to the standard program, a transfer to a secondary school is necessary. However, in the education of such children there are many difficulties, because an adequate correction determines future labor and social adaptation. With the right approach, they, after growing up, simply "dissolve" in life - they work, bring in families, feel great in society.

Treatment of oligophrenia

Today, there is a huge amount of funds intended for the treatment of this condition, however, only the doctor should select them taking into account all the features of the disease. Depending on the cause that caused the disease, it can be hormones or iodine preparations (if oligophrenia is a consequence of thyroid dysfunction). With phenylketonuria, there will be enough special diet, which the doctor will appoint.

To correct mental retardation, doctors often appoint nootropics ("Piracetam", "Encephabol", "Aminalon" and others). They are used to improve metabolic processes directly in the brain tissue. For the same purpose, amino acids, B vitamins are prescribed. Of course, they can be purchased without a prescription, but only the doctor can determine the expediency of use.

If the patients with the described diagnosis have behavioral disorders, the psychiatrist selects drugs from the group of tranquilizers or neuroleptics. The pledge of successful correction is a complex approach, that is, the use of medical products should be combined with studies with speech therapists, psychologists, and the personal approach to upbringing.

In folk medicine, medicinal plants are popular, which have an activating effect on the nervous system. These include Schisandra Chinese, ginseng, aloe. However, remember that some stimulants for this disease can provoke behavioral disorders, psychoses. Therefore, before using them, a doctor's consultation is necessary.

We can not discount social rehabilitation. Such programs are primarily aimed at providing work for people with mild degrees of oligophrenia. For this, there are special educational institutions with a certain adapted program, where patients can master simple occupations.

Prevention

Prevention of mental retardation is, first of all, a careful and attentive attitude not only to one's health, but also to the health of future generations.

As soon as the couple decides to have a child, they both need to be thoroughly examined, to pass tests, to visit genetics. This will identify and cure existing ailments or conditions, learn about the problems that can provoke oligophrenia in a future child.

When a woman has become pregnant, she must remember the responsibility that lies with her for an even unborn child. So, she needs to adhere to the right way of life, eat well, follow all the recommendations of doctors, avoid exposure to harmful factors, attend a women's consultation strictly on schedule.

When a child is already born, one should strictly follow the pediatrician and follow all his instructions. And if suddenly the doctor suspects something amiss and sends it for additional examinations or consultations, do not try, as they say, to get away from the problem. After all, in this case, you can lose precious time, which later will only have to be regretted.

Especially the medicine does not stand still. For example, vaccines against the rubella virus helped to give birth to a healthy baby to many couples, and in fact before it was almost the most important reason for congenital mental retardation. Today, scientists are developing similar remedies against cytomegalovirus to give peace and health to parents and their children. The incidence of cases is also reduced due to the development and growth of neonatal, obstetric care, the use of immunoglobulin, blood transfusion and many other things that you could only dream about only recently. The main thing is not to panic, not to give up and try your best, because this is your close person, whom only you can make happy and return to a full life as much as it is possible today. Listen to doctors, in time contact for specialized care and follow all recommendations.