Mental activity in preschool children with severe craniocerebral trauma

Abstract

Currently, pedagogical assistance to children with severe craniocerebral trauma (TCMT) is an actual problem not only in healthcare, but also in special needs education. The aim of this research was to identify leading factors in the structure of mental activity in children with severe craniocerebral trauma (TCMT). The experiment involved 65 preschool children as participants (28 of them girls and 37 boys). The following research methods were used: observation of a child, psychological and pedagogical examination. According to clinical rates, all participating children had a combined type of severe craniocerebral injury. The majority of children were in a vegetative state. A scientific examination of the children was carried out over one year in the period of the early stages of hospital rehabilitation. The results showed a disharmonious distribution of the factors load in the structure of mental activity, depending on the severity of its manifestations in the early stages of rehabilitation. Despite a similar diagnosis of TCMT in terms of clinical parameters, three groups of factors were distinguished: the first factor encompasses characteristics that reflect the emotional-sensory level of mental activity; the second factor combines elementary arbitrary movements and actions, combined with involuntary manifestations, which may indicate difficulties in understanding the meaning of the speech addressed to the child; the third factor is saturated with the characteristics of arbitrary actions associated with the perception and purposefulness of movements and actions. This is supported by socially important forms of behavior of the child and an accessible way of communicating with the adult in a particular subject game or everyday situation. Although similar looking severe consequences of craniocerebral trauma are being demonstrated, the mental activity in patients in the study group had different manifestations depending on the prevailing factors. It was possible to differentiate the content of the educational training of patients in a variety of hospital rehabilitation activities.