What test results indicate mental retardation. Mental retardation (oligophrenia)

This test uses the intelligence assessment system of the British psychologist Hans Jurgen Eysenck.

Little Red Riding Hood Collar

When the IQ exceeds 150, then this person is distinguished by creative talents and moves science and knowledge forward. This is a complete genius, developing new theories and creating new inventions. Among famous people, Stephen Hawking and Bill Gates have this indicator.

Less than 3% of the population has an IQ between 130 and 149. This is an extremely rare high IQ. People with this IQ have proven themselves to be good managers or specialists in specific fields, as well as successful scientists and researchers.

Scores between 110 and 129 are considered above average intelligence. People with this IQ easily graduate from universities, and in managerial and creative professions they can achieve outstanding results.

We are talking about above average intelligence. Studying at universities does not pose any difficulties for these people and they complete them without problems. If a person is hardworking, he can get an excellent job in the labor market.

Persons with such indicators pass final exams without problems and work mainly in middle management. People with such indicators have difficulty graduating from universities, but if a person is diligent and hardworking, he can get an excellent job.

People with such IQ indicators are able to finish primary school and get a good job in professions and jobs related to manual labor.

Individuals with an IQ of less than 60 are capable of graduating from special education schools if given enough time and effort. They are able to take care of themselves and cope with everyday hassles.

02/07/2018 at 01:05, time: 22:56

Cool test, I really liked it. Yay

02/06/2018 at 19:56, time: 01:24

THANK YOU FOR SUCH A VERY GOOD TEST I LOVED IT

02/06/2018 at 19:42, time: 02:59

IT WAS VERY INTERESTING I LOVED IT NOAH JUST SCORE 80 POINTS NOAH EACH TIME I'M BECOMING STRONGER AND STRONGER

02/06/2018 at 19:02, time: 11:05

I liked everything but I just have a lot of questions

02/05/2018 at 20:51, time: 20:10

Well, I have no idea, I read the description, everything seems fine for me, but I feel somehow strange.

02/05/2018 at 20:14, time: 04:28

in 1, I'm 11, I scored 70 points, but Mehmed Ali, who is 28, scored 78 points

02/05/2018 at 19:24, time: 29:35

in some places it is difficult, but I liked it 16 years - 125.

02/05/2018 at 17:28, time: 03:05

I really enjoyed this test and we will end up testing our mind again

02/05/2018 at 17:05, time: 23:28

IQ 75 a good site develops the head of thinking logic

02/05/2018 at 16:41, time: 20:58

Good Tests help pump up your brain

02/05/2018 at 16:39, time: 23:09

only people with an IQ above 130 understand what Scryptonite is talking about. I'm afraid I'm not one of them

02/05/2018 at 14:08, time: 12:49

The first time, and I really have low self-esteem.

02/05/2018 at 12:48, time: 29:05

02/05/2018 at 12:01, time: 14:48

It’s normal, of course they don’t show why such a result

02/05/2018 at 11:36, time: 13:33

Cool, exciting, funny, exciting

02/05/2018 at 11:21, time: 17:13

cool cool exciting fun

02/04/2018 at 23:43, time: 26:52

The first time it was a little more than 75, after 15 minutes I repeated it - the result was 90?

02/04/2018 at 23:14, for time: 22:16

70 years old, first attempts to determine my level, I don’t understand the logic of numbers

02/04/2018 at 19:51, time: 26:45

Thank you! I’m glad that my brain is still working, at least at 95, that is, my intelligence is above average. Best regards S.

02/04/2018 at 18:12, time: 05:42

Hello, children and adults cannot leave comments in this situation.

02/04/2018 at 12:47, for time: 24:25

Not bad. There were still 6 minutes left. Perhaps if I wasn't in a hurry, there would be more. In general, an interesting test, although some questions were not answered.

02/04/2018 at 11:55, time: 12:36

it used to be 57 but 2 years have passed and now it’s 100

02/04/2018 at 09:54, time: 08:36

Passed it 2 times, I'm 13, I'm in the 7th grade, passed it in 7 minutes 36 seconds, 1 time it was 80

02/04/2018 at 05:44, time: 17:49

very interesting to solve, I liked it))

02/04/2018 at 00:54, time: 20:20

Well, it's better than nothing. Thank you!

02/03/2018 at 21:09, time: 03:35

02/03/2018 at 21:00, time: 21:11

I'M 8 YEARS OLD IT WAS EASY DADDY ASKED A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS

02/03/2018 at 17:25, time: 01:02

ok very good I’m excited and amazed. thanks for Ayzek

02/03/2018 at 15:47, time: 03:47

I liked it very cool I have 90 points

02/03/2018 at 13:23, time: 22:06

I’ve been wanting to go through this for a long time and I’m happy with the result.

02/03/2018 at 12:59, time: 08:41

Is this accurate or not? Is 75 intelligence good or bad? Where's the explanation?

02/03/2018 at 10:52, time: 20:09

I'm only 13 and my IQ is high, I'm done well

02/02/2018 at 22:15, time: 12:11

16 years old, going to 10th grade. Any chance of living?

02/02/2018 at 19:16, time: 10:27

Super cool thanks.

02/02/2018 at 14:13, time: 29:44

normal 2 years ago it was generally 90 and now it’s 95 I’m 14 and those who write that they are young and have a big IQ are lying

02/02/2018 at 13:33, for time: 12:30

I really liked these tests and how they affect your mood

02/01/2018 at 23:53, time: 28:58

I study at a university, a lot of mathematical guesses were useful when passing the test, I don’t know how creative people can score a lot of points here

02/01/2018 at 21:28, time: 18:19

I have an 80 IQ because I'm an 8 year old child. It was cool. I just pressed all the buttons. Here and there I thought

02/01/2018 at 21:18, time: 10:08

It was a bit hard! After all, I was only 13 years old and I didn’t understand a lot of things, but I still figured it out! I wish everyone good luck

02/01/2018 at 18:46, time: 38:12

I didn’t understand some of the problems, so I guessed four problems.

02/01/2018 at 10:50, time: 11:44

Hmm, I'll go let my friends take this test))))))

01/31/2018 at 20:34, time: 04:18

very good smart test I highly recommend it

01/31/2018 at 18:15, time: 05:27

I am 11 years old and my IQ is 85!)) I am very grateful to this site

01/31/2018 at 16:56, time: 02:19

I liked the class and I found it somewhere and wat iq 170

01/31/2018 at 14:31, time: 07:44

Cool, very happy, I want to go again

01/31/2018 at 12:25, time: 12:59

Thanks for the test, but I honestly didn’t know much.

01/31/2018 at 09:06, time: 26:26

Cool. I had difficulty choosing a letter to match the sequence of other letters. I still don’t understand. where is the logic?

01/29/2018 at 20:21, time: 25:08

I am 14 years old. I was surprised by the result. Because before that I took a test for teenagers, the result was 127 IQ, but here it’s different. Let's say I have a 90 IQ, is that normal for a 14 year old?)))

01/29/2018 at 19:34, time: 29:01

Cool, I'm smart, thanks to your site for the truth in IQ cool site, respect, subscribe!!1!1

01/29/2018 at 19:34, time: 03:05

in general I have an IQ of 100, where I didn’t set it at random

01/28/2018 at 22:24, for time: 22:36

My 125 doesn’t seem bad! I'm happy. I wish everyone good luck!

01/28/2018 at 18:34, time: 11:04

lower than in other tests (but cool

01/28/2018 at 16:22, time: 10:28

I really liked it, it was very interesting

01/28/2018 at 16:19, time: 13:26

The test is not for children. I'm 9. I didn't answer half of it.

01/28/2018 at 14:58, time: 14:20

Thank you, now I know my IQ. In principle, my intellect is not bad, and this makes me happy.

01/28/2018 at 00:25, time: 07:08

Thanks for the test! It was a pleasure to take this test. Interesting problems, puzzles - just great! THANK YOU.

01/27/2018 at 22:12, time: 06:36

interesting test I really liked it

01/27/2018 at 20:40, time: 29:54

I couldn’t find the logic in some questions :-/

01/27/2018 at 14:55, time: 06:32

Cool! a week ago I was 76 and I was 11. Good luck everyone

01/27/2018 at 13:51, time: 01:37

It was a good day at school today, it wasn’t raining outside, I don’t regret anything

01/27/2018 at 13:36, time: 19:19

I think it’s not bad for me! Among my classmates I’m the best.

01/27/2018 at 13:30, time: 11:46

I'm 11 years old and this is normal.

01/26/2018 at 21:49, time: 45:33

I liked it, I’m retired, so at least this is a consolation - IQ 125

01/26/2018 at 21:21, time: 01:00

it's hard but I got through it

01/26/2018 at 19:34, time: 07:05

I'm not stupid. I didn't think about the last 20 questions

01/26/2018 at 18:34, time: 04:08

cool I give it 5 try to pass the class bye

01/26/2018 at 18:31, time: 12:33

Horror! It's a shame, 20 years ago IQ was 20 higher.

01/26/2018 at 12:35, time: 29:04

good test, versatile. Usually I solve tests with numbers easily, but here it’s the opposite

01/26/2018 at 12:27, time: 10:07

hahaha I'm 12 years old. Not expected.

01/26/2018 at 12:14, time: 06:38

I don't know what I wrote mostly on boom. It’s a pity he doesn’t test age so much more. here the lowest IQ the highest is 115, it turned out to be a bad combination

01/25/2018 at 23:23, time: 01:00

In my opinion, he’s a little dull, in the sense that I’m not a test, although maybe I’m just lazy.

01/25/2018 at 20:13, time: 20:26

01/25/2018 at 19:57, time: 11:07

It's just class. But of course I answered some questions without thinking.

01/25/2018 at 18:57, time: 05:48

Of course, I didn’t know half of it since we didn’t go through this at school, so that’s why (

01/25/2018 at 00:56, time: 39:37

interesting test, I liked it, I will recommend it to my colleagues

01/24/2018 at 22:12, time: 26:49

Not all questions were clear to me personally. I chose at random.

01/24/2018 at 21:11, time: 11:19

I'm sorry, but I'm not that smart.

01/24/2018 at 15:42, time: 08:09

cool I think you'll like it very very cool test

01/24/2018 at 15:27, time: 14:29

I passed the iq test, and I have 80 points, I advise everyone to take it for 10 years!

01/24/2018 at 04:34, time: 01:22

I really liked the test, I scored 70 out of 100

01/23/2018 at 23:30, time: 08:07

yeah, I did it just for fun

01/23/2018 at 21:20, time: 14:01

I think this result is pretty good for my age 90

01/23/2018 at 20:05, time: 06:19

cool, I didn’t know she was so smart, great site

01/23/2018 at 17:02, time: 32:35

The combination of numbers is not clear. you can practice.

01/23/2018 at 16:47, time: 04:33

My IQ is high enough for kids my age, but IQ can't determine intelligence. IQ is a test for solving logical puzzles from the author. That is, you need to think the same way as the author of the test.

01/23/2018 at 16:02, time: 05:42

Cool, to be honest, I’m 10 years old, I recommend this test to everyone

01/23/2018 at 00:19, time: 21:07

I didn't expect that I have such a high IQ level

01/22/2018 at 23:00, time: 23:22

The test seemed interesting. I had a great time.

01/22/2018 at 20:15, time: 27:39

I’m 10 years old and I have 90 percent, I advise everyone, it’s very interesting

01/22/2018 at 19:48, time: 10:18

it was very difficult but I managed and always believe in yourself and always be attentive.

01/22/2018 at 16:54, time: 30:48

I think it’s not bad for 15 years old, in another iQ test it was 109.

01/22/2018 at 16:45, time: 07:56

I liked the test, I’ll say that my friends would also take it

01/21/2018 at 19:50, time: 23:14

well, probably cool for a 15 year old. I’ll try harder

01/21/2018 at 19:40, time: 03:51

I answered all the questions incorrectly, on purpose, how can I have an IQ 75, don’t turn it into a scam

01/21/2018 at 19:34, time: 07:35

cool I'm 11 years old and IQ 80 cool I recommend it to everyone

01/21/2018 at 18:42, time: 03:58

answered incorrectly by a specialist answered in a relaxed manner

01/21/2018 at 04:33, time: 22:29

I really liked it, I have 100, I’m not entirely satisfied, but that’s just my fault), I need to work more on myself.

01/20/2018 at 23:27, time: 33:45

Thanks for the test. Quite interesting, though I would like to know the correct answers)

01/20/2018 at 20:35, time: 30:22

class is a good test to understand who you are

01/20/2018 at 19:55, time: 30:39

The test is difficult, but interesting! I advise everyone. My test score is 5+

Intelligence quotient is a rather interesting concept that characterizes the qualitative and quantitative mental ability of an individual, also based on age groups when assessing the coefficient (IQ). Thus, a child from one age group may be more intellectually developed in relation to another age group. This imposes some difficulties on the direct quantitative assessment of the intellectual abilities of intelligence. Different layers of society and different age groups do not make it possible to accurately give an idea of the intelligence of a person from a particular group. Most IQ tests are based on erudition and certain knowledge in the field of mathematics, which does not give the correct result when assessing intelligence. It cannot be said that a Tumba-Yumba Indian is less intellectually capable than a person from the civilized world just because he has not studied mathematics or does not know any concepts.

Many psychologists have tried to create a model for assessing a person’s intellectual abilities (IQ), which could give an assessment without relying on a person’s specific knowledge or erudition. One of these scientists was Hans Jurgen Eysenck, who proposed calculating the level of IQ using special tests. In his opinion, these tests should be intuitive and at the same time test the ability of test takers to find dependencies in different situations presented in graphical, text or digital form.

This combined test, presented on the site, is an exaggerated version of Eysenck’s intelligence assessment, however, with the help of this test, you can obtain an average, but fairly accurate IQ value of the person being tested. The test is designed for the absence of preparation for such tests, otherwise such knowledge is not intellectual ability, but merely erudition or “savvy” in these matters.

Take an IQ test

from BrainApps and find out your abilities

IQ is the generally accepted standard by which intelligence is measured. If you want to find out how smart you are and also take an IQ test, then sit back and get going!

As soon as you give answers to 15 questions, our system will process them and display the result with an accuracy of 1 point.

Interestingly, only 3% of people have an IQ level above 130 points. Among them, for example, Bill Gates and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Perhaps you are among them? Check it out quickly, because the test will not take up too much of your time!

Intelligence test: intellectual abilities according to generic concepts

You are invited to take an online intelligence test - determination of intellectual abilities - analysis of generic concepts.

Intelligence test, intellectual abilities

Choose a word from those proposed in each version of the intelligence test that does not belong in generic terms to the others:

The online intelligence test takes 3 minutes.

Intellectual abilities to analyze generic concepts

You will find a lot of useful information in the CONTENTS:

Psychological assistance, online consultation with a psychologist: psychoanalysis, psychotherapy

Methodology for testing for mental retardation

Standardized tests are used to assess intelligence in medical psychology. They make it possible to obtain accurate quantitative indicators of the level of intelligence of the subject with a relatively small error.

In accordance with the standards of medical and psychiatric care accepted in Russia, the adapted Wechsler test is used as a test for mental retardation. Compared to European and American standards, we have adopted higher standard values. The test was adapted taking into account the compliance of its results with the Russian criteria for mental retardation.

In the domestic tradition, the diagnosis of mental retardation is made taking into account a set of clinical and psychiatric indicators, and intelligence quotient (IQ) is only one of them. The final diagnosis is made only after a thorough psychiatric examination and a comprehensive study of mental activity.

General characteristics of the test

The Wechsler IQ test was developed in 1939 by David Wechsler.

David Wechsler is a leading American psychologist of Romanian origin. His most famous works were adult and children's tests for diagnosing intelligence. He changed the system for assessing intelligence, dividing it into general, verbal and non-verbal. His test is the most used in the world and is updated every 10 years by a group of psychologists.

The Wechsler questionnaire includes 11 groups of questions. They are divided into 5 tests for non-verbal intelligence and 6 for verbal intelligence. A separate test set contains from 10 to 30 questions or tasks of increasing difficulty levels.

The nonverbal group of tests includes the following tasks:

searching for the missing part of the picture,
addition of figures,
encryption,
indication of the sequence of drawings.

Verbal tests include:

tests that reveal the general level of understanding, awareness, abilities,
search for common features,
memorizing series of numbers.

When assessing results, each subtest is assessed separately, with subsequent unification of the results. The final diagnosis is influenced by both the general level of intelligence and the ratio of its verbal and nonverbal parts, as well as the results of each test.

Based on the test results, one can judge which areas of the test taker’s intelligence are better developed and which are worse. Violations in each subtest are specific and indicate problems in different areas of intellectual activity.

The qualitative side of the test performed is also analyzed, which may indicate certain violations.

Types of Wechsler test

Wexler proposed a child and adult version (WAIS) of his questionnaire. The second has not been sufficiently studied in Russia and therefore is used to a limited extent for medical diagnostics.

The children's test is divided into WPPSI - a test for children 4-6 years old and WISC - for older children (up to 16 years old).

The nonverbal block of the test includes the following tasks:

The verbal part of the test consists of the following subtests:

Completing the test tasks requires the child to take about an hour. The tasks are given with increasing difficulty. There are average age indicators by which test results are assessed. Speed and correctness of answers are also taken into account.

The mental retardation test for adults is similar in structure to the children's version - it includes 11 subtests, of which 5 are related to the nonverbal scale and 6 to the verbal scale.

Characteristics of the verbal scale

It includes 6 subtests. The results of tasks on this scale clearly depend on the general level of education and culture of the respondent. Knowledge of the language in which the test is written greatly influences the results. The results of most tasks do not change with age.

Arithmetic. Contains 14 tasks designed for primary school level and solved orally. Not only the correctness, but also the speed of the solution is assessed. In addition to the ability to calculate, the ability to concentrate is assessed. Its results are significantly influenced by professional characteristics and education; age has a weak effect.
Lexicon. The test taker is asked to explain the meaning of words. The first 10 are used in everyday speech, then 20 concepts of medium complexity, the last 12 are abstract terms. The results of this subtest are most resistant to the influence of external factors and the test taker’s ability to guess the answer. It is often used as a guide when assessing the results of other scales.
Memorizing numbers. The subtest consists of two parts - in one of them you need to remember and reproduce a series containing from 3 to 9 digits. In the second part, the subject is read from 2 to 8 numbers, which he must reproduce in reverse order. This test evaluates short-term memory and active attention. It is weakly related to the level of intelligence, but has great diagnostic value - the inability to reproduce 4 numbers in direct order indicates dementia. With age, the ability to reproduce rows in reverse order deteriorates.
Search for similarities. The test taker is offered 13 pairs of objects for which he must find and indicate common features. Conceptual thinking ability is assessed. This test is indicative of the ability to abstract, generalize, and logical thinking. Its results deteriorate markedly with aging.
Understanding. The test taker is offered 14 phrases that he must explain. Reasoning ability is assessed.
Awareness. Contains 29 questions that assess the level of simple, everyday knowledge. No special knowledge required.

Characteristics of the nonverbal scale

This scale includes 5 subtests. They diagnose both the knowledge and the ability of the subject to interact with the outside world, his motor development. The test results of this scale depend on the experience of the activity.

Search for missing parts. Consists of 21 pictures with a missing element. The results indicate the ability to find important signs and attentiveness. 20 seconds are allocated to solve one picture.
Rows of pictures. Consists of 8 rows of pictures connected by a common plot. They are presented to the subject in an illogical sequence, and his task is to restore the order of the plot. The correctness and speed of the solution is assessed. The results characterize the ability to extrapolate, the ability to understand the situation, to assemble a whole from parts.
Encryption. The subject is given a key that contains the symbols corresponding to the main 9 digits. Next, he must write down the corresponding symbolic code under each of the 100 numbers given to him. Visual-motor coordination, coordination, attention and perception are assessed. The results of this test deteriorate rapidly with age.
Koss cubes. The subject is provided with 40 cards with red and white patterns and a set of red and white cubes. It is necessary to assemble the diagrams shown from the cubes.
Search for details. The subject is given 4 sets of cards with images of familiar objects (hand, elephant, person, person’s profile). He must assemble a complete picture from its parts. The results characterize the ability to synthesize.

The order of testing is not strictly defined. The initial subtest items and the Koss cubes test are intended for individuals with suspected mental retardation. The rest of the subjects are immediately given more complex tasks. If the test taker cannot cope with these tasks, they move on to the initial tasks of the subtests.

differences) - (video)

mental retardation)

Treatment and correction of mental retardation ( how to treat oligophrenia?)

Rehabilitation and socialization of children with mental retardation - ( video)

The site provides reference information for informational purposes only. Diagnosis and treatment of diseases must be carried out under the supervision of a specialist. All drugs have contraindications. Consultation with a specialist is required!

Features of a child and adolescent with mental retardation ( manifestations, symptoms, signs)

For children with mental retardation ( oligophrenia) characterized by similar manifestations and signs ( disorders of attention, memory, thinking, behavior, etc.). At the same time, the severity of these disorders directly depends on the degree of mental retardation.

For mentally retarded children it is typical:

thinking disorder;
impaired concentration;
cognitive impairment;

speech disorders;
communication problems;
visual impairment;
hearing impairment;
sensory development disorders;
memory impairment;
movement disorders ( motor disorders);
mental disorders;
behavioral disorders;
disturbances of the emotional-volitional sphere.

Disorders of mental development and thinking, intellectual impairments ( main violation)

Impaired mental development is the main symptom of mental retardation. This manifests itself in the inability to think normally, make the right decisions, draw conclusions from the information received, and so on.

Impairments of mental development and thinking in oligophrenia are characterized by:

Impaired perception of information. In mild cases of illness, perception of information ( visual, written or verbal) occurs much more slowly than normal. Also, the child needs more time to “comprehend” the data received. With moderate oligophrenia, this phenomenon is even more pronounced. Even if a child can perceive any information, he cannot analyze it, as a result of which his ability to act independently is limited. In severe mental retardation, damage to sensory organs is often observed ( eye, ear). Such children cannot perceive certain information at all. If these sense organs work, the data perceived by the child is not analyzed by him. He may not distinguish colors, not recognize objects by their outlines, not distinguish between the voices of loved ones and strangers, and so on.
Inability to generalize. Children cannot identify connections between similar objects, cannot draw conclusions from the data received, or highlight small details in any general flow of information. With a mild form of the disease, this is only slightly expressed, while with moderate mental retardation, children have difficulty learning to arrange clothes into groups, identify animals among a set of pictures, and so on. In severe forms of the disease, the ability to somehow connect objects or associate them with each other may be completely absent.
Violation of abstract thinking. Children understand everything they hear or see literally. They do not have a sense of humor and cannot understand the meaning of popular expressions, proverbs or sarcasm.
Violation of the sequence of thinking. This is most pronounced when trying to complete any task consisting of several stages ( for example, take a cup out of the cupboard, place it on the table and pour water from a jug into it). For a child with severe mental retardation, this task will be impossible ( he can take a cup, put it in its place, approach the jug several times and pick it up, but he will not be able to connect these objects). However, in moderate to mild forms of the disease, intensive and regular training sessions can promote the development of sequential thinking, which will allow children to perform simple and even more complex tasks.
Slow thinking. To answer the simplest question ( for example, how old is he), a child with a mild form of the disease may think about the answer for several tens of seconds, but ultimately usually gives the correct answer. With moderate mental retardation, the child will also think about the question for a very long time, but the answer may be meaningless and unrelated to the question. In severe cases of the disease, you may not receive a response from the child at all.
Inability to think critically. Children are not aware of their actions and cannot assess the importance of their actions and their possible consequences.

Cognitive disorders

Children with mild mental retardation are characterized by a decrease in interest in the objects, things and events around them. They do not strive to learn something new, and when learning they quickly forget what they have received ( read, heard) information. At the same time, properly conducted classes and special training programs allow them to learn simple professions. With moderate and severe mental retardation, children can solve simple problems, but they remember new information extremely difficult and only if they are taught for a long time. They themselves do not show any initiative to learn something new.

Impaired concentration

All children with mental retardation experience a decrease in the ability to concentrate, which is caused by impaired brain activity.

With a mild degree of mental retardation, it is difficult for a child to sit still and do the same thing for a long time ( for example, they cannot read a book for several minutes at a time, and after reading they cannot retell what the book was about). At the same time, an absolutely opposite phenomenon may be observed - when studying any subject ( situations) the child excessively concentrates attention on its smallest details, without appreciating the subject ( situation) generally.

With moderate mental retardation, it is extremely difficult to attract the child’s attention. If this can be done, after a few seconds the child is distracted again, switching to another activity. In severe forms of the disease, it is not possible to attract the patient’s attention at all ( Only in exceptional cases can a child react to any bright objects or loud, unusual sounds).

Speech impairment/underdevelopment and communication problems

Speech disorders may be associated with functional underdevelopment of the brain ( which is typical for a mild form of the disease). At the same time, with moderate and profound oligophrenia, organic damage to the speech apparatus may be observed, which will also create certain problems in communication.

Speech impairment in children with mental retardation is characterized by:

Mute. In mild forms of the disease, complete muteness is relatively rare, usually in the absence of the necessary correctional programs and activities. With imbecility ( moderately severe oligophrenia) muteness may be associated with damage to the speech apparatus or hearing impairment ( if a child is deaf, he will also not be able to learn words and pronounce them). With severe mental retardation, children usually cannot speak. Instead of words, they utter incomprehensible sounds. Even if they manage to learn a few words, they are not able to use them correctly.
Dyslalia. It is characterized by a speech disorder consisting of incorrect pronunciation of sounds. At the same time, children may not pronounce some sounds at all.
Stuttering. Characteristic of oligophrenia of mild to moderate severity.
Lack of expressive speech. In mild forms of the disease, this deficiency can be eliminated through exercise, while in more severe forms this cannot be done.
Impaired speech volume control. This can occur with hearing impairment. Normally, when a person speaks and hears his speech, he automatically controls its volume. If an oligophrenic does not hear the words he speaks, his speech will be too loud.
Difficulties in constructing long phrases. Having started to say one thing, a child can immediately switch to another phenomenon or object, as a result of which his speech will be meaningless and incomprehensible to others.

Visual impairment

In mild and moderate forms of the disease, the visual analyzer is usually developed normally. At the same time, due to impaired thought processes, the child may not distinguish between certain colors ( for example, if he is asked to choose yellow pictures among pictures of other colors, he will distinguish yellow from the rest, but it will be difficult for him to complete the task).

Severe visual impairments can be observed with deep mental retardation, which is often combined with defects in the development of the visual analyzer. In this case, the child may not distinguish colors, see objects distorted, or be completely blind.

It is also worth noting that visual impairment ( strabismus, blindness and so on) may be associated with an underlying disease that causes mental retardation ( for example, with hereditary Bardet-Biedl syndrome, in which children may be born blind).

Are there hallucinations in mental retardation?

Hallucinations are non-existent images, images, sounds or sensations that the patient sees, hears or feels. To him they seem realistic and believable, although in reality they are not.

The development of hallucinations is not typical for the classic course of mental retardation. At the same time, when oligophrenia is combined with schizophrenia, signs characteristic of the latter disease may appear, including hallucinations. Also, this symptom can be observed during psychosis, with severe mental or physical fatigue and with the use of any toxic substances ( alcoholic drinks, drugs) even in minimal quantities. The latter phenomenon is due to the inadequate development of the central nervous system and the brain in particular, as a result of which even an insignificant amount of alcohol can cause visual hallucinations and other mental disorders in the patient.

Hearing impairment ( deaf children with mental retardation)

Hearing disorders can be observed with any degree of mental retardation. The reason for this may be organic damage to the hearing aid ( for example, with congenital developmental anomalies, which is typical for children with severe mental retardation). Also, damage to the auditory analyzer can be observed with hemolytic disease of the newborn, with some genetic syndromes, and so on.

The development and learning of a deaf, mentally retarded child proceeds even more slowly, since he cannot perceive the speech of the people around him. With complete deafness, children, as a rule, cannot speak ( without hearing speech, they cannot repeat it), as a result of which, even with a mild form of the disease, they express their emotions and feelings only with a kind of mooing and screaming. With partial deafness or deafness in one ear, children can learn to speak, but during a conversation they may pronounce words incorrectly or speak too loudly, which is also associated with the inferiority of the auditory analyzer.

Sensory developmental disorders

Sensory development is the child’s ability to perceive the world around him using various senses ( primarily sight and touch). It has been scientifically proven that the majority of mentally retarded children are characterized by impairments of these functions of varying degrees of severity.

Sensory developmental disorders may manifest themselves as:

Slow visual perception. To evaluate an object seen ( understand what it is, why it is needed, and so on), a mentally retarded child needs several times more time than a normal person.
Narrowness of visual perception. Normally, older children can simultaneously perceive ( notice) up to 12 items. At the same time, patients with oligophrenia can perceive no more than 4–6 objects at the same time.
Violation of color perception. Children may not be able to distinguish between colors or shades of the same color.
Impaired sense of touch. If you close your child's eyes and give him a familiar object ( for example, his personal cup), he can easily recognize her. At the same time, if you give the same cup, but made of wood or other material, the child will not always be able to accurately answer what he has in his hands.

Memory disorders

In a healthy person, after several repetitions of the same material, certain connections are formed between the nerve cells of the brain ( synapses), which allows him to remember the information received for a long time. With mild mental retardation, the rate of formation of these synapses is impaired ( slows down), as a result of which the child must repeat certain information much longer ( more times) to remember it. At the same time, when you stop studying, the memorized data is quickly forgotten or may be distorted ( the child incorrectly retells information read or heard).

With moderate oligophrenia, the listed disorders are more pronounced. The child has difficulty remembering the information received, and when reproducing it, he may become confused about dates and other data. At the same time, with deep oligophrenia, the patient’s memory is extremely poorly developed. He can recognize the faces of those closest to him, can respond to his name or ( rarely) learn a few words, although he does not understand their meaning.

Movement disorders ( motor disorders)

Impairments in motor skills and voluntary movements are observed in almost 100% of children with mental retardation. At the same time, the severity of movement disorders also depends on the degree of the disease.

Motor disorders in mentally retarded children can manifest themselves:

Slow and clumsy movements. When trying to take an object from the table, the child may move his hand towards it very slowly, awkwardly. Such children also move very slowly, they can often stumble, their legs can get tangled, and so on.
Motor restlessness. This is another type of movement disorder in which the child does not sit still, constantly moves around, and performs simple movements with his arms and legs. At the same time, his movements are uncoordinated and senseless, abrupt and sweeping. During a conversation, such children may accompany their speech with excessively expressed gestures and facial expressions.
Impaired coordination of movements. Children with mild and moderate forms of the disease take a long time to learn to walk, pick up objects, and maintain balance in a standing position ( For some of them, these skills may not appear until adolescence.).
Inability to perform complex movements. Children with mental retardation experience significant difficulty if they need to perform two consecutive but different movements ( for example, throw a ball up and hit it with your hand). The transition from one movement to another is slower for them, as a result of which the ball thrown up will fall, and the child will not “have time” to hit it.
Impaired fine motor skills. Precise movements that require increased concentration of attention are extremely difficult for oligophrenics. For a child with a moderate form of the disease, tying his shoelaces can be a difficult and sometimes even impossible task ( he will take hold of the laces, twirl them in his hands, try to do something with them, but the final goal will never be achieved).

With deep mental retardation, movements develop very slowly and weakly ( Children can begin to walk only by the age of 10–15 years.). In extremely severe cases, movement in the limbs may be completely absent.

Disorders of mental functions and behavior

Mental disorders can manifest themselves in children with any degree of illness, which is caused by impaired functioning of the cerebral cortex and a disturbed, incorrect perception of themselves and the world around them.

Children with mental retardation may experience:

Psychomotor agitation. In this case, the child is active and can pronounce various incomprehensible sounds and words ( if he knows them), move from side to side, and so on. Moreover, all his movements and actions are devoid of any meaning, disordered, chaotic.
Impulsive actions. Being in a state of relative rest ( for example, lying on the sofa), the child may suddenly stand up, go to the window, walk around the room, or perform some similar aimless action, and then return to the previous activity ( lie back on the sofa).
Stereotypical movements. During training, the child learns certain movements ( for example, waving your hand in greeting), after which he repeats them constantly, even without obvious need ( for example, when he is indoors, when he sees an animal, bird or any inanimate object).
Repeating the actions of others. At an older age, children with mild mental retardation may begin to repeat movements and actions they have just seen ( provided that they are trained in these actions). So, for example, seeing a person pouring water into a cup, the patient can immediately take the cup and also start pouring water for himself. At the same time, due to the inferiority of thinking, he can simply imitate these movements ( at the same time, without having a jug of water in his hands) or even take a jug and start pouring water on the floor.
Repeating the words of others. If a child has a certain vocabulary, when he hears a word he knows, he can immediately repeat it. At the same time, children do not repeat unfamiliar or too long words ( instead they may utter incoherent sounds).
Complete immobility. Sometimes a child may lie absolutely motionless for several hours, after which he may also suddenly begin to perform any actions.

Violations of the emotional-volitional sphere

All children with mental retardation are characterized by a violation of motivation of varying degrees of severity, as well as a disturbance of the psycho-emotional state. This makes it much more difficult for them to stay in society, and in cases of moderate, severe and profound mental retardation, it makes it impossible for them to be independent ( without the supervision of another person) accommodation.

Children with mental retardation may experience:

Weakening motivation. The child does not show initiative for any actions, does not strive to learn new things, to get to know the world around him and himself. They do not have any “own” goals or aspirations. Everything they do is done only according to what their loved ones or people around them tell them. At the same time, they can do absolutely everything that is told to them, since they are not aware of their actions ( cannot evaluate them critically).
Easy suggestibility. Absolutely all people with mental retardation are easily influenced by others ( because they cannot distinguish between lies, jokes or sarcasm). If such a child goes to school, classmates may bully him, forcing him to do abnormal things. This can significantly traumatize the child’s psyche, leading to the development of deeper mental disorders.
Slow development of the emotional sphere. Children begin to feel something only by the age of 3–4 years or even later.
Limited feelings and emotions. Children with severe illness may experience only primitive feelings ( fear, sadness, joy), while in a deep form of oligophrenia they may also be absent. At the same time, patients with mild or moderate mental retardation may experience many more feelings and emotions ( can empathize, feel sorry for someone, and so on).
Chaotic emergence of emotions. Feelings and emotions of oligophrenics can arise and change suddenly, without any apparent reason ( The child just laughed, 10 seconds later he is already crying or behaving aggressively, and a minute later he is laughing again).
"Superficial" feelings. Some children very quickly experience any of life's joys, burdens and hardships, forgetting about them within a few hours or days.
"Intense" feelings. The other extreme in mentally retarded children is excessive distress over even the most minor problems ( for example, if a mug drops on the floor, a child may cry for several hours or even days because of this).

Is aggression characteristic of mental retardation?

Aggression and inappropriate, hostile behavior are most often observed in patients with severe mental retardation. Most of the time they can behave aggressively towards others, as well as towards themselves ( may beat themselves, scratch, bite, and even cause severe bodily harm to themselves). In this regard, their separate residence ( without constant supervision) impossible.

Children with severe illness also often have angry outbursts. They can be aggressive towards others, but they rarely injure themselves. Often their aggressive attitude can change to the completely opposite ( they become calm, quiet, friendly), however, any word, sound or image can again provoke an outbreak of aggression or even rage in them.

With moderate mental retardation, children can also be aggressive towards others. A child may shout at the “offender,” cry, or gesticulate threateningly with his hands, but this aggression extremely rarely turns into an open form ( when a child seeks to cause physical harm to someone). Outbursts of anger can be replaced by other emotions within a few minutes or hours, but in some cases the child may remain in a bad mood for a long time ( several days, weeks or even months).

In mild forms of oligophrenia, aggressive behavior is extremely rare and is usually associated with some negative emotions, experiences or events. In this case, a loved one can quickly calm the child down ( To do this, you can distract him with something fun, interesting), causing his anger to change to joy or another feeling.

Is physical development impaired in children with mental retardation?

Mental retardation itself especially mild form) does not lead to retardation in physical development. The child may be relatively tall, his muscles may be quite developed, and his musculoskeletal system may be no less strong than that of normal children ( however, only with regular physical activity and training). At the same time, with severe and profound oligophrenia, it is quite difficult to force a child to do physical exercises, and therefore such children may lag behind their peers not only in mental, but also in physical development ( even if they were born physically healthy). Also, physical underdevelopment can be observed in cases where the cause of mental retardation affected the child after his birth ( for example, severe head trauma within the first 3 years of life).

At the same time, it is worth noting that physical underdevelopment and developmental anomalies may be associated with the cause of mental retardation itself. So, for example, with mental retardation caused by alcoholism or drug addiction of the mother, a child may be born with various congenital anomalies, physical deformities, underdevelopment of certain parts of the body, and so on. The same is typical for oligophrenia caused by various intoxications, some genetic syndromes, trauma and exposure of the fetus to radiation in the early stages of intrauterine development, maternal diabetes, and so on.

As a result of long-term observations, it was noticed that the more severe the degree of oligophrenia, the higher the likelihood that the child will have certain physical anomalies in the development of the skull, chest, spine, oral cavity, external genitalia, and so on.

Signs of mental retardation in newborns

Identifying mental retardation in a newborn can be extremely difficult. The fact is that this disease is characterized by delayed mental development of the child ( compared to other children). However, this development begins only a certain time after birth, as a result of which the child must live at least several months to be diagnosed. When, during routine examinations, the doctor reveals any developmental delays, then it will be possible to talk about one or another degree of mental retardation.

At the same time, it is worth noting that the identification of certain predisposing factors and symptoms may lead the doctor to think about the child’s possible mental retardation at the very first examination ( immediately after birth).

An increased likelihood of oligophrenia may be indicated by:

Predisposing factors in the mother– alcoholism, drug use, the presence of chromosomal syndromes in close relatives ( for example, in other children), diabetes mellitus and so on.
Presence of signs of mental retardation in the mother or father– people with a mild form of the disease can start families and have children, but they are at risk of having ( their children) mental retardation is increased.
Newborn skull deformities– with microcephaly ( reduction in skull size) or with congenital hydrocephalus ( an increase in the size of the skull as a result of the accumulation of large amounts of fluid in it) the probability of a child having mental retardation is close to 100%.
Congenital malformations– defects of the limbs, face, mouth, chest or other parts of the body can also accompany severe or profound forms of mental retardation.

Diagnosis of mental retardation

Diagnosis of mental retardation, determination of its degree and clinical form is a complex and lengthy process that requires a comprehensive examination of the child and various diagnostic tests.

Which doctor diagnoses and treats mental retardation?

Since mental retardation is characterized by a predominant disturbance of the mental processes and psycho-emotional state of the patient, the diagnosis of this pathology and treatment of children with mental retardation should be addressed psychiatrist ( sign up) . It is he who can assess the extent of the disease, prescribe treatment and monitor its effectiveness, as well as determine whether a person poses a danger to others, select optimal correction programs, and so on.

At the same time, it is worth noting that in almost 100% of cases, oligophrenics have not only mental, but also other disorders ( neurological, sensory organ damage, etc.). In this regard, a psychiatrist never treats a sick child on his own, but constantly refers him to consultations with specialists from other fields of medicine, who help him choose the most adequate treatment suitable for each specific case.

When diagnosing and treating a mentally retarded child, a psychiatrist may prescribe a consultation:

neurologist ( sign up) ;
speech pathologist ( sign up) ;
psychologist ( sign up) ;
psychotherapist ( sign up) ;
ophthalmologist ( ophthalmologist) (sign up) ;
otorhinolaryngologist ( ENT doctor) (sign up) ;
dermatologist ( sign up) ;
pediatric surgeon ( sign up) ;
neurosurgeon ( sign up) ;
endocrinologist ( sign up) ;
infectious disease specialist ( sign up) ;
chiropractor ( sign up) and other specialists.

Methods for examining a child with mental retardation

Anamnesis data is used to make a diagnosis ( the doctor asks the child’s parents about everything that may be related to the existing disease). After this, he examines the patient, trying to identify certain disorders characteristic of mentally retarded people.

When interviewing parents, the doctor may ask:

Were there any mentally retarded children in the family? If there were oligophrenics among your immediate relatives, the risk of the child having this disease is increased.
Did any of your immediate family suffer from chromosomal diseases? (Down syndrome, Bardet-Biedl, Klinefelter and so on)?
Did the mother ingest any toxins while carrying the baby? If the mother smoked, drank alcohol, or took psychotropic/narcotic drugs, she has an increased risk of having a child with mental retardation.
Was the mother exposed to radiation during pregnancy? This could also contribute to the development of mental retardation in the child.
Does the child's memory suffer? The doctor may ask the baby what he ate for breakfast, what book he was read at night, or something like that. Normal child ( able to speak) will easily answer these questions, while for an oligophrenic it will be difficult.
Does your child have aggressive outbursts? Aggressive, impulsive behavior ( during which the child can hit people around him, including parents) is typical for severe or profound mental retardation.
Is it typical for a child to have frequent and causeless mood swings? This may also indicate the presence of mental retardation, although it is also observed in a number of other mental disorders.
Does the child have congenital malformations? If yes, which ones and how many of them?

After the interview, the doctor begins to examine the patient, which allows him to assess general development and identify any deviations characteristic of mental retardation.

The child's examination includes:

Speech assessment. By the age of 1 year, children should speak at least a few words, and by the age of two years they should be able to communicate more or less. Speech impairment is one of the main signs of oligophrenia. To assess speech, the doctor can ask the child simple questions - how old is he, what grade of school he is in, what are the names of his parents, and so on.
Hearing assessment. The doctor may call the child's name in a whisper, assessing his reaction to this.
Vision assessment. To do this, the doctor can place a bright object in front of the child's eyes and move it from side to side. Normally, a child should follow a moving object.
Thinking speed assessment. To check this, the doctor can ask the child a simple question ( for example, what are his parents' names?). A mentally retarded child may answer this question late ( in a few tens of seconds).
Assessing the ability to concentrate. The doctor may give the child some bright object or picture, call him by name, or ask some question that requires a complex answer ( for example, what would the child like to eat for dinner?). For an oligophrenic it will be extremely difficult to answer this question, since his emotional-volitional sphere is disturbed.
Fine motor skills assessment. To assess this indicator, the doctor can give the child a felt-tip pen and ask him to draw something ( for example the sun). A healthy child can easily do this ( if you have reached the appropriate age). At the same time, with mental retardation, the child will not be able to complete the task assigned to him ( he can move a felt-tip pen along the paper, draw some lines, but the sun will not draw).
Assessment of abstract thinking. For older children, the doctor may ask them to tell what the child would do in some imaginary situation ( for example, if you could fly). A healthy child can “fantasize” many interesting things without any problems, while a mental retard will not be able to cope with the task due to a complete lack of abstract thinking.
Examination of the child. During the examination, the doctor tries to identify any defects or developmental anomalies, deformations of various parts of the body and other abnormalities that can be observed in severe forms of mental retardation.

If during the examination the doctor suspects that the child is mentally retarded, he can conduct a number of diagnostic tests to confirm the diagnosis.

What tests may be needed to diagnose mental retardation?

As mentioned earlier, to make a diagnosis it is not enough to simply identify mental retardation in a child, but you also need to determine its degree. For this, various diagnostic tests are used, as well as instrumental studies.

For mental retardation, the doctor may prescribe:

tests to determine the level of intelligence ( for example, Wechsler test);
tests to determine psychological age;
EEG ( electroencephalogram) (sign up);
MRI ( magnetic resonance imaging) (sign up).

Tests to determine iq and psychological age for mental retardation ( Wechsler test)

IQ ( intelligence quotient) is an indicator that allows you to numerically assess a person’s mental abilities. When diagnosing mental retardation, it is iq that is used to determine the degree of the disease.

Degree of mental retardation depending on iq

It is worth noting that healthy people should have an iq of at least 70 ( ideally more than 90).

To determine the level of iq, many methods have been proposed, the best of which is considered to be the test ( scale) Wechsler. The essence of this test is that the test taker is asked to solve several tasks ( build a series of numbers or letters, count something, find an extra or missing number/letter, perform certain actions with images, and so on). The more tasks the patient completes correctly, the higher his iq level will be.

In addition to determining iq, the doctor can also determine the psychological age of the patient ( There are also many different tests for this). Psychological age does not always correspond to biological age ( that is, the number of years that have passed since the birth of a person) and allows you to assess the degree of development of the child. The fact is that a person’s psychological maturation occurs as he learns, is introduced into society, and so on. If the child does not learn basic skills, concepts and rules of behavior in society ( what is typical for mentally retarded children), his psychological age will be below normal.

Psychological age of the patient depending on the degree of oligophrenia

Consequently, the thinking and behavior of a patient with severe mental retardation corresponds to those of a three-year-old child.

Basic diagnostic criteria for mental retardation

In order to confirm the diagnosis of mental retardation, you need to undergo a series of examinations from various specialists and pass a number of tests. At the same time, there are certain diagnostic criteria, the presence of which can be said with a high degree of probability that the child suffers from oligophrenia.

Diagnostic criteria for oligophrenia include:

Delayed psycho-emotional development and thought processes.
Decrease in iq level.
Discrepancy between biological age and psychological age ( the latter is significantly below normal).
Violation of the patient's adjustment in society.
Behavioral disorders.
The presence of a cause that led to the development of mental retardation ( not necessary).

The degree of expression of each of these criteria directly depends on the degree of mental retardation. It is also worth noting that it is not always possible to identify the cause of oligophrenia, as a result of which its absence is not a reason to doubt the diagnosis if all previous criteria are positive.

Does EEG show mental retardation?

EEG ( electroencephalography) is a special study that allows you to evaluate the activity of various parts of the patient’s brain. In some cases, this makes it possible to assess the severity of disturbances in thought processes in mental retardation.

The essence of the method is as follows. The patient comes to the doctor's office and, after a short conversation, lies down on the couch. Special electrodes are attached to his head, which will record electrical impulses emitted by brain cells. After installing the sensors, the doctor starts the recording device and leaves the room, leaving the patient alone. In this case, the patient is prohibited from standing up or speaking throughout the procedure ( unless the doctor asks for it).

During the study, the doctor can contact the patient via radio communication and ask him to perform certain actions ( raise your arm or leg, touch your finger to the tip of your nose, and so on). Also, in the room in which the patient is located, the lights may periodically turn on and off, or certain sounds and melodies may be heard. This is necessary in order to assess the reaction of individual areas of the cerebral cortex to external stimuli.

The entire procedure usually lasts no more than an hour, after which the doctor removes the electrodes and the patient can go home. Received data ( written on special paper) the doctor carefully examines, trying to identify any abnormalities characteristic of mentally retarded children.

Can MRI detect mental retardation?

MRI ( Magnetic resonance imaging) of the head does not allow one to determine mental retardation or assess the degree of its severity. At the same time, this study can be used to identify the causes of oligophrenia.

The study is carried out using a special apparatus ( magnetic resonance imaging scanner). The essence of the procedure is as follows. At the appointed time, the patient comes to the clinic where the study will be carried out. First, he lies down on a special sliding table of the tomograph so that his head is located in a strictly defined place. Next, the table moves to a special compartment of the device, where the research will be carried out. During the entire procedure ( which can last up to half an hour) the patient must lie absolutely still ( do not move your head, do not cough, do not sneeze). Any movement can distort the quality of the data obtained. After the procedure is completed, the patient can immediately go home.

The essence of the MRI method is that while the patient is in a special compartment of the machine, a strong electromagnetic field is created around his head. As a result, the tissues of various organs begin to emit a certain energy, which is recorded by special sensors. After processing the received data, the information is presented on the doctor’s monitor in the form of a detailed layer-by-layer image of the brain and all its structures, skull bones, blood vessels, and so on. Having examined the data obtained, the doctor can identify certain disorders that could cause mental retardation ( for example, lesions of the brain after injury, reduction in brain mass, reduction in the size of certain lobes of the brain, and so on).

Despite its safety, MRI has a number of contraindications. The main one is the presence of any metal objects in the patient’s body ( splinters, dentures, dental crowns and so on). The fact is that a magnetic resonance imaging scanner is a strong electromagnet. If a patient with metal objects in his body is placed in it, this can lead to very disastrous consequences ( up to damage to the patient’s internal organs and tissues).

Differential diagnosis ( differences) mental retardation and autism, dementia, mental retardation ( mental retardation, borderline mental retardation in preschool children)

Signs of mental retardation may be similar to those of a number of other mental illnesses. In order to correctly diagnose and prescribe adequate treatment, the doctor needs to know how these pathologies differ from each other.

Mental retardation should be differentiated ( differ):

From autism. Autism is a disease that occurs as a result of underdevelopment of certain brain structures. People with autism are withdrawn, do not like to communicate with others, and may outwardly resemble mentally retarded patients. At the same time, unlike oligophrenia, with autism there are no pronounced disturbances in thought processes. Moreover, people with autism can have very extensive knowledge in various fields of science. Another distinctive feature is the ability to concentrate. With oligophrenia, children cannot do the same thing for a long time ( they have increased distractibility), while autistic people can sit in the same place for hours, repeating the same action.
From dementia. Dementia is also characterized by impaired thought processes and the loss of all skills and abilities acquired throughout life. Unlike oligophrenia, dementia does not develop in early childhood. The main distinguishing feature is that with mental retardation, the child cannot acquire new knowledge and skills due to brain damage. With dementia, a previously healthy ( mentally and psychoemotionally) a person begins to lose the skills he already had and forget information that he once knew.
From ZPR ( mental retardation, borderline mental retardation). ZPR is characterized by insufficiently developed thinking, attention and the emotional-volitional sphere in preschool children ( up to 6 years inclusive). The reasons for this may be unfavorable circumstances in the family, lack of attention from parents, social isolation ( lack of communication with peers), psycho-emotional traumas and experiences in early childhood, and less often – minor organic lesions of the brain. At the same time, the child retains the ability to learn and receive new information, but his mental functions are less developed than those of his peers. An important diagnostic criterion is the fact that the mental retardation must be completely resolved by the time the child enters the first grade of school. If, after 7–8 years of life, the child still has signs of impaired thinking, they speak not of mental retardation, but of oligophrenia ( mental retardation).

Mental retardation in children with cerebral palsy

In 10–50% of children with cerebral palsy ( cerebral palsy) signs of mental retardation may be observed, and the incidence of mental retardation depends on the specific form of cerebral palsy.

The essence of cerebral palsy is a violation of the patient’s motor functions associated with damage to his brain in the prenatal period, during childbirth or immediately after birth. There can also be many reasons for the development of cerebral palsy ( injuries, intoxication, oxygen deprivation of the fetus, radiation, and so on), but all contribute to developmental impairment or damage ( destruction) certain areas of the brain.

It is worth noting that the same causative factors can lead to the development of oligophrenia. That is why identifying signs of mental retardation in patients with cerebral palsy is one of the primary tasks of a doctor.

When these two pathologies are combined, disturbances in the child’s mental, cognitive and psycho-emotional functions are more pronounced than with isolated mental retardation. Severe or profound mental retardation is most common, but even with moderate and mild degrees of the disease, patients cannot care for themselves ( due to motor dysfunction). This is why any child with cerebral palsy and mental retardation needs constant care from the moment of birth and throughout life. Such children are extremely difficult to teach, and the information they receive is quickly forgotten. Their emotions may be weakly expressed, however, with severe forms of mental retardation, unreasonable aggression towards others may occur.

Differential diagnosis of alalia and mental retardation ( mental retardation)

Alalia is a pathological condition in which a child has a speech disorder ( pronunciation of sounds, words, sentences). The cause of the disease is usually a lesion ( in case of birth trauma, as a result of intoxication, oxygen starvation, and so on) brain structure responsible for speech formation.

In medical practice, it is customary to distinguish two forms of alalia - motor ( when a person understands the speech of others, but cannot reproduce it) and sensory ( when a person does not understand the speech he heard). An important feature is the fact that with alalia the child’s hearing organ is not damaged ( that is, he normally hears the speech of others) and there are no mental disabilities ( that is, he is not mentally retarded). At the same time, speech impairment in mental retardation is associated with underdevelopment of the hearing organ ( deafness) or with the child’s inability to learn and reproduce the sounds and words he has heard.

Difference between mental retardation and schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a mental illness characterized by impaired thinking and severe psycho-emotional disorders. If the disease manifests itself in childhood, it is referred to as childhood schizophrenia.

Childhood schizophrenia is characterized by a severe course, accompanied by delusions ( the child says incoherent words or sentences) and hallucinations ( the child sees or hears something that is not really there, which may cause him to panic, scream in fear, or be in an unreasonably good mood). The child may also have problems communicating with peers ( Children with schizophrenia are withdrawn and have poor contact with others), problems with sleep, concentration, and so on.

Many of these symptoms also occur in children with mental retardation ( especially in the atonic form of the disease), which significantly complicates differential diagnosis. In this case, signs such as delusions, hallucinations, perversion, or a complete lack of emotion may indicate schizophrenia.

The approach to diagnosing mental retardation should be multifaceted. Parents' observations and concerns should be carefully recorded. They provide no less information than conventional tests.

It is necessary to identify risk factors in individual and family history, and the environment in which the child lives. Risk factors (prematurity, maternal drug addiction, perinatal injuries) should be reflected in the child's chart. In children at risk, the lag behind age-related development standards in the first 2 years of life and the need for early rehabilitation intervention should be assessed. It is necessary to record the milestones of his development in the child’s chart. At each preventive examination, attention is paid to deviations from normal functions and external manifestations of anomalies. It is difficult to say what is more effective - to assess progress in development or whether its level corresponds to what is expected for a given age.

Before diagnosing mental retardation, it is necessary to determine whether the child has disorders of cognitive functions and adaptive behavior. These disorders may mimic or accompany intellectual disability. Thus, mental retardation occurs with cerebral palsy or autism. Diagnosis of cerebral palsy in such cases is based on a more significant deficit in motor functions compared to cognitive functions, the presence of changes in muscle tone and pathological reflexes. In autism, the delay in speech development and social adaptation skills is more pronounced than in non-verbal skills; in mental retardation, social, motor, adaptive and cognitive skills are equally affected. Sensory deficits (deafness, blindness), communication disorders, and difficult-to-treat convulsive disorders imitate intellectual retardation. At the same time, mental retardation is the first manifestation of some degenerative diseases of the central nervous system.

A diagnosis of mental retardation must be confirmed by testing of intelligence and adaptive functioning. The most common in practice are the Bayley-P Infant Development Scale, the Stanford-Binet Scale, and the Wechsler Scale.

Infant development testing. The Bailey-P Infant Development Scale includes indicators of speech development, skills of achieving what is desired using vision, and gross motor skills in children from 1 month. up to 3.5 years. Based on their assessment, indices of mental and psychomotor development are calculated. This scale helps confirm the diagnosis of severe mental retardation, but does little to help identify mild ones.

Intelligence testing for diagnosing mental retardation. In children over 3 years of age, the Wechsler scales for preschool and primary school children are mainly used, which allow assessing the mental development of children 3-7 years old. The 3rd edition of the Wechsler scale is used to test children whose mental age exceeds 6 years. Both scales contain a number of tests to assess speech development and skills in performing various activities. In pathology, the results of all tests are usually below average, but sometimes the test results in 1-2 nonverbal areas reach average. In school-age children, the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale can also be used. The Mental Retardation Diagnostic Scale contains 15 tests that assess four areas of intelligence: language, visual comprehension, numeracy, and short-term memory. Testing allows (with some caution) to judge the stronger and weaker sides of intelligence. In preschool children, the Stanford-Binet scale is not informative enough for diagnosing mental retardation.

Testing of adaptive functions in the diagnosis of mental retardation. The most widely used scale for studying adaptive behavior is the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale. It involves a semi-structured interview with a parent or other caregiver or teacher that focuses on four areas of adaptive behavior: communication, daily living skills, socialization, and motor skills. The Woodcock-Johnson Independent Behavior Scale and the American Mental Retardation Association Adaptive Behavior Scale are also used. Usually (but not always) the scores on intelligence scales and adaptive behavior scales are close. Basic adaptive capabilities increase in response to rehabilitation therapy to a greater extent than IQ. In addition, indicators of adaptive capabilities depend to a certain extent on the cause of intellectual retardation and the expectations of those caring for the patient. Thus, with Prader-Willi syndrome, indicators of adaptive capabilities remain at the same level until adulthood, and with fragile X syndrome, they decrease as the child grows older.

IQ (aikyu) - intelligence quotient or as it is also called - an indicator of a person’s mental development. Interestingly, the IQ test was first used to identify mentally retarded children.

This was done with the aim of determining the optimal teaching load for them or transferring them to developed separate educational programs. Thus, the first IQ tests were intended to compare the intelligence of children with a certain ideal norm of mental abilities. Simply put, if children turned out to be smarter than the accepted average level, then a high iq coefficient was set.

As you yourself know, today IQ tests are used primarily for adults. The developed methods of IQ tests today make it possible not only to accurately show your level of intellectual development, but also to determine which mental operations are easiest for you and which are not. You can also choose one of many test options that ask you to pass a variety of logical tasks: there are also quick IQ tests - simplified options. However, no matter what test you choose, with the help of all IQ tests you can determine your level of knowledge, skills and abilities.