Development Of Higher Mental Functions Research Articles

PHENOMENON OF QUALITY OF HUMAN MENTAL HEALTH

In the given article the issue of human mental health is observed. Methods of determining the qualitative characteristics of personal and social mental health are described. In particular, attention is paid to the psychological qualities of mental health and resistance to environmental influences. Psychological qualities, a high-level development of which ensures an adequate level of mental health quality and resistance to influences of the environment. A level of mental health this considered as a consequence of a complex of individual, social and structural sources of stress and vulnerability factors. The most important characteristics of the subject area of a mental health quality category are considered, differentiated by the main matrix levels – installation, identification, structural and substantive, technological, instrumental methodological and systemic. The meta-model of social psychotherapy is given. Mental health is measured by a state of mental well-being, a person’s full-fledged psychological activity, expressed in mood, well-being and human activity. Strengthening mental health includes a person’s emotional and physical aspects, full-fledged development at all stages of his life cycle, a high-level development of higher mental functions (perception, memory, thinking, imagination, etc.)

Map of individual special needs of students in need of long-term treatment as a tool for building the educational route of a hospital school student: identifying psychological and pedagogical characteristics

Introduction. The realization of the right to education of children with chronic somatic diseases and in need of long-term treatment is possible by ensuring the personalization and individualization of the educational route. Information about psychological, pedagogical, social and medical characteristics of a pupil helps to develop and implement it. Purpose of the study: scientific substantiation, design and testing of the Map of individual special needs of hospital school students with data on educational, psychological and pedagogical characteristics of children and adolescents studying in hospital school in 2021-2022. Materials and methods. The participants were students of the flagship site of the project of hospital schools of Russia "UchimZnaem" in Moscow in the number of 396 people aged from 4 to 18 years. Methods: source analysis, design, psychological and pedagogical experiment, expert evaluation, statistical processing of results. Results. A map of individual special needs of children in need of long-term treatment was developed and implemented, which became an effective tool for implementing an individual educational route for hospital school students. It was revealed that the majority of respondents (96%), despite the possible risks of deterioration of their psychophysiological condition due to severe and prolonged treatment, are able to study in general education programs and do not have pronounced cognitive deficits, have high learning motivation, the indicators of development of higher mental functions correspond to age norms. But there were also revealed difficulties in 57% of schoolchildren related to communicative and emotional-volitional spheres. Conclusions. The proposed Map of individual special needs can be used as a tool for personalization and individualization of education of children in difficult life situations, revealing the key characteristics of schoolchildren. Also the obtained data can be used by psychologists, teachers, tutors when organizing training in medical hospitals and at home for children and adolescents with chronic somatic diseases, as they demonstrate possible risks in the development and psychological well-being of this category of students.

Психометрическая батарея «Многофакторное исследование нейропсихологических особенностей развития» (МИНОР)

Background. Russian neuropsychology lacks a standardised set of methods for quantifying the development of higher mental functions (HMF) from pre-school to high school age. Its application could improve the objectivity of neuropsychological diagnosis. Objectives. The study seeks 1) to create a psychometric battery of methods for multifactorial investigation of neuropsychological development (MIND) in children and adolescents aged 4–17; 2) to describe the trajectories of age-related development of HMF. Study Participants. 860 participants aged 4–17 (M = 10; SD = 3.7), including 558 boys and 302 girls took part in the study. Methods. Neuropsychological assessment was performed using 40 techniques and measuring 171 variables. These variables were standardised and age-adjusted. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was used to find latent variables. The resulting model was applied to age-unadjusted variables to identify developmental trajectories. Results. A model was built with 106 indicators and 21 factors. Four variables were used to construct an additional verbal-logical thinking scale. The general level of development can be reliably measured using 50 variables. These scales are described as age dependent. Conclusions. The MIND psychometric battery for neuropsychological assessment of children and adolescents aged 4–17 has been created. The quantitative evaluation is based on a mathematical description of the age-related development of HMF components.

Neuropsychological approach in assessing the voluntary attention of younger schoolchildren with different levels of success in learning

This article discusses the features of the neuropsychological approach aimed at overcoming retardations in mental development, preventing and solving emerging difficulties in teaching children of primary school age and involving the construction of psychological and diagnostic work with a child, taking into account his individual typological neuropsychological characteristics: the state of higher mental functions, highlighting strengths and weaknesses, components of the development of higher mental functions. The article contains data on the features of the state of voluntary attention in younger students with different success in educational activities, provides information on the forms of attention, and describes the external manifestations of impaired voluntary attention. The article contains a description of a study conducted among second grade students aimed at assessing such properties of attention as work efficiency, degree of development and mental stability using the “Schulte Table” technique. A detailed comparative analysis of the characteristics of voluntary attention in 81 schoolchildren of 170 a general education school with different success in learning activities is described: successful in learning, with partial and complex learning difficulties. Significant differences were revealed in children of primary school age, depending on the success of education. The importance of timely neuropsychological diagnostics of second graders which helps to identify the neuropsychological causes of partial and complex learning difficulties of children, and also allows to outline ways of corrective and developmental assistance to younger students in order to optimize the state of HMF (higher mental functions) and accordingly, to overcome the educational problems of children of primary school age is actualized.

Comparative analysis of the effectiveness of isotherapy in the rehabilitation of children with intellectual disabilities

Art therapy technologies are widely used in educational, rehabilitation and social institutions. It is believed that the use of various methods of art therapy helps children and adolescents with disabilities to integrate into educational and rehabilitation processes. In the special and psychological-pedagogical literature, a wealth of material has been accumulated about the adaptive, corrective and therapeutic effects of art-therapeutic technologies, where the creative nature of the process of interaction between the psychologist and the wards serves as the basis. One of the most common and available methods of art therapy can be called isotherapy. The special literature emphasizes the effectiveness of isotherapy in the correction of the perceptual and emotional-volitional sphere, promotes the development of higher mental functions. This article presents the experience of monitoring the dynamics of mental activity of children with varying degrees of intellectual disability during rehabilitation, where one of the psychological and pedagogical influences was isotherapy. Research methods: observation maps for children with disabilities during isotherapy classes. The questions of the observation map are compiled on the basis of a three-level rehabilitation program using the method of isotherapy. To identify the links between the indicators of mental activity of the subjects, the r-Pearson correlation coefficient was used. In order to determine the effectiveness of isotherapy, Wilcoxon’s W-test is used. Results of the study a comparative analysis of the effectiveness of isotherapy in three different groups of children with disabilities is presented. The most noticeable positive changes are observed in the samples of children with moderate and mild mental retardation. For a group of children with severe intellectual and psychophysical disabilities, isotherapy classes help to pull some children up to an average level. The lack of positive dynamics in children of this group lies in the peculiarities of sensorimotor activity disorders, weak or almost absent differentiation of mental processes. Imagination deserves special attention in isotherapy classes, the study of which in children with intellectual disabilities is relevant in modern correctional psychology.

Rozwijanie zdolności samoregulacyjnych u dzieci w wieku wczesnoszkolnym – perspektywa kulturowo-historyczna. Etnograficzne studium przypadku

The aim of this article is to address the development of a child’s self-regulatory abilities and their significance in enhancing students’ academic achievements. In order to understand the genesis of an individual’s metacognitive processes, the article draws upon the cultural-historical theory of L.S. Vygotsky, wherein self-regulation is closely linked to the development of higher mental functions. Students’ self-regulatory abilities are nurtured through interactions with adults. Teachers, acting as “promoters of students’ self-regulation”, contribute to the emergence of personal planning procedures, control of the child’s own actions, shape learning experiences, and develop cognitive operations necessary for increasingly independent learning. Most researchers believe that school does not teach self-regulation. Self-regulation appears in formal school documentation and declarations, but few teachers make real attempts to deliberately develop it. The article presents an ethnographic case study and analyzes the socio-cultural context of an intentionally created learning environment conducive to the development of self-regulatory abilities in children in their first year of school education. The research encompasses two perspectives: the experiences of the teacher and the children.

Специфика развития памяти и внимания детей младшего школьного возраста в условиях социально-реабилитационного центра

The aim of this study was to identify, substantiate, and test the possibilities for developing higher cognitive functions, i.e., memory and concentration, in young residents of a social rehabilitation center. The experiment involved 156 subjects: 100 pupils from the social rehabilitation center and 56 children from comprehensive secondary schools aged 7–9 (M = 8.33; SD = 11.47). The diagnostic measures included the following techniques: Landolt Rings (E. Landolt), Remember and Dot (V. Bogomolov), Ten Words (A. R. Luria), Image Memory (S. A. Rimskaya), Retell a Story (A. F. Anufriev, S. N. Kostromina), Diagnostics of Mediated Memory (R. S. Nemov). The experimental group had poorer memory and lower average indicators for concentration and such attention characteristics as set-shifting, distribution, stability, and volume. In the control group, the mean values remained within the norm. A tailored program for developing higher cognitive functions triggered positive dynamics in memory and attention parameters in the children from the social rehabilitation center, whose cognitive functions are at risk at the primary school age. However, the targeted development of higher mental functions was able to improve their attention and memory.

Влияние осложненных родов на развитие высших психических функций детей 7-8 лет (на примере первоклассников г. Архангельска)

Unfavourable course of labour is one of the most significant factors of perinatal dysontogenesis that have a negative impact on the development of the central nervous system in children. The purpose of this article was to assess the effects of complicated birth on the development of higher mental functions in children aged 7–8 years. Materials and methods. The study was conducted in October 2017 and involved 86 first-formers (48 boys and 38 girls) studying in primary schools of the city of Arkhangelsk. Based on the results of parent surveys, two comparison groups were formed. The main group included 18 first-formers (7 boys and 11 girls) who were born as a result of complicated delivery. The control group included 30 children (18 boys and 12 girls) with a favourable course of the perinatal period. To assess higher mental functions, we determined the level of short-term memory development, intelligence, and adjustment of the pace of activity. Results. The study showed that first-formers born as a result of complicated delivery have certain psychophysiological features that can cause difficulties in schooling. In particular, they have a lower rate of operational activity (p = 0.026), which may be evidence of problems with sensory information processing and immaturity of the control functions of the brain. In addition, these children differ significantly from their peers in terms of the development of verbal intelligence (p = 0.001), which indicates particular vulnerability of the child’s speech functions to the factors of perinatal dysontogenesis.

Social Aspects of Variability of Individual Differences in Higher Mental Functions in Preschool Children

Individual variability of higher mental functions depends on the family environment. An appropriate psychological environment is able to harmonize individual development while the ontogenetic individuality of human psychology depends on many systemic factors. This empirical study focused on the socio-demographic characteristics of the family, namely the income and background of the parents. Different socio-cultural family environment caused uneven development of higher mental functions and differences in the main information processing strategy in preschoolers. The financial status of the family and the level of education of the parents proved to be the most significant factors responsible for the individual differences in the development of higher mental functions in preschoolers. The sociocultural environment of the family affected the long-term individual variability of functions connected with block III of the brain, as well as those provided by the left hemisphere.

Применение техник искусства Эбру в системе психолого-педагогической реабилитации детей с умственной отсталостью (интеллектуальными нарушениями)

Relevance. Significant changes in understanding disability and special needs of children experiencing disability and their families have occurred around the world over the past decades. Together with integration processes that have affected the structure of the contingent in educational organizations at various levels, these changes have led to a change in approaches to assistance and support programmes for students with disabilities, including those with mental retardation (intellectual disabilities). In this regard, the search, approbation and introduction into practice of the system of education and social protection as well as of complex psychological, pedagogical and rehabilitation technologies and methods that activate the development of higher mental functions, stimulate cognitive and creative activity, develop emotional and volitional spheres and personal qualities of children of these categories are of particular importance. The development of new methods of work that are aimed at preparing such children for the future, if possible, independent life and activity, are important both for the family and for the state as a whole in terms of reducing the economic and social burden. Objective. The study aims to generalize the experience of using the Ebru-therapy art technology, which reveals the unique possibilities of Ebru art in psychological and pedagogical practice of working with children with disabilities. The focus is placed on the effectiveness of Ebru-therapy in rehabilitation and correction for children of this category. Methods included free and directed observation, questionnaires, interviews with teachers, specialists of the school psychological and pedagogical service, parents and other family members raising children with disabilities, analysis of the productive activity of children, analysis of literary sources, and peer review method. Results. The authors present the experience of practical and experimental work on the study of the impact of Ebru art and the technology of “Ebru-therapy” on the development of mental functions and the activation of the creative abilities of students with mental retardation (intellectual disabilities). In the course of the study, art-therapeutic and art-pedagogical resources of this technology were identified. The potential possibilities of its use when working with various categories of clients were described. The authors introduce the qualitative results of testing the Ebru-therapy technology in the process of psychological and pedagogical rehabilitation of children with mental retardation (intellectual disabilities), focusing on the additional (in relation to other art methods) possibilities of Ebru art, due to the very process of creating artistic images on the water. Conclusions. Studies have confirmed that children with disabilities of various nosologies and levels of manifestation as well as of different psychophysical developmental features can master the techniques of classical Ebru and successfully apply them in educational and creative activities, achieving decent results, which is confirmed by their victories in competitions where they participate on equal with normotypical children. Positive dynamics of cognitive, social, motor development in the process of applying the Ebru-therapy art technology was observed even in children with severe and multiple disorders, which indicates the effectiveness of using this art method to solve a wide range of psychological, pedagogical, rehabilitational, and correctional tasks.

EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT AS A FACTOR OF PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING OF PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN

The relevance of the study lies in the existing contradiction between the signifi cance of psychological well-being of the child for successful socialization and development of higher mental functions and insuffi cient development of this problem at the pre-school stage. Taking into account the infl uence of negative trends of sociocultural transformations, as well as qualitatively other conditions of life of modern children is essential. The purpose is to study the infl uence of the educational environment on the psychological well-being of children of late preschool age. Methods include organizational, empirical (observation, survey, psychological experiment, quasi-experiment, physcho-diagnostic method, including tests and surveys), quantitative and qualitative methods of data processing, interpretive methods. The sample consisted of  older pre-school children of pre-school institutions in Belarus. The number of participants in the formative stage was determined on the basis of the naturally established  groups of pre-school institutions. In the course of the study, the author’s interpretation and operationalization of the concept of “psychological well-being of the child” in relation to pre-school age were carried out. Based on the empirical classifi cation, three types of psychological well-being of children of senior pre-school age have been singled out and characterised in a meaningful way: well-off, conditionally well-off, and eventually disadvantaged. The relationship of indicators of child well-being and components of educational environment has been determined. A programme to optimize the educational environment in the pre-school education institution group has been developed and tested. The results presented in the study make it possible to speak about the characteristics of social, spatial and subject and technological components as determinants of psychological well-being of the child with a high probability.

Особенности проявлений высших психических функций у актеров в виртуальной реальности

Background. The study of the professional activities of actors from the standpoint of modern psychological theories is an urgent task for psychology of art. In particular, the question of whether there is a significant difference in the functioning of cognitive processes in actors as a result of training in acting techniques is considered. The answer can be revealed not only by classical measurements of the development of higher mental functions using standardized methods, but also, to a large extent, by the assessment of cognitive abilities in special conditions of virtual reality. Objectives. The study is aimed at measuring success parameters for actors performing tasks to assess the level of cognitive functioning in virtual reality in comparison with a group of students who are not actors. Methods. During the experiment, the control (students who are not actors) and experimental (novice actors) groups were asked to complete tasks to assess the level of cognitive functioning in two-dimensional and virtual reality formats. In order to do this, the experiment participants first performed two-dimensional tests to assess visual attention and working memory, and then did tasks to assess attention and memory in the HTC Vive Pro virtual reality helmet in a special virtual environment “Upgrade VR”. Sample. Two groups of subjects took part in the experiment. The experimental group consisted of 10 students of the O. Tabakov School (average age 17 years). The control group included 20 subjects (18 women, 2 men, average age 18 years) — students of the Faculty of Psychology at Lomonosov Moscow State University. Results. Comparing the performance of actors before and after immersion in virtual reality on two-dimensional computerized task assessing working memory, no significant differences were found (t = –1.35, df = 9, p = 0.209). Also, no significant differences were found when comparing the results of actors performing tasks to assess attention parameters (t = –0.070, df = 9, p = 0.946). When comparing the results of actors and students in performing tasks in virtual reality, significant differences were revealed in the success of completing a spatial orientation task (t = –4.44, df = 28, p < 0.001) and a task assessing working memory (t = –2.34, df = 28, p = 0.027). In addition, significant differences were identified in the average success rates in completing two-dimensional tasks between actors and students before immersion in VR according to the results of the N-back technique (t = 2.4, df = 28, p < 0.023) and the SART technique (t = –3.95, df = 28, p < 0.001). Conclusions. The study revealed differences in parameters of cognitive functioning between actors and students, especially noticeable when performing tasks in virtual reality related to spatial orientation and working memory. The use of virtual reality allows you to simulate a stage situation and create training conditions for the development of cognitive skills, reactions to unexpected events and emotional expression of actors. The results of the study showed that the use of digital technologies in art opens up new opportunities for the creative process and for the construction of unique artistic images.

Psychological Correction of Higher Mental Functions of Preschoolers of the Speech Therapy Group by Means of Educational Kinesiology

The article describes experimental work on the psychological correction of higher mental functions of pupils of preschool speech therapy groups of kindergarten combined type. The purpose of the study is to identify the effectiveness of the use of educational kinesiology in the development of higher mental functions of preschoolers with speech disorders. Based on the study of higher mental functions by the method of “Express diagnosticsˮ by N. N. Pavlov and A. G. Rudenko, the features of attention, memory, thinking, speech, perception and imagination in preschoolers with speech disorders were revealed. The program of work of a teacher-psychologist and the results of its application are described. The author comes to the conclusion that preschoolers with speech disorders of the experimental group experienced a significant increase in such mental processes as “Thinkingˮ and “Speech and thinkingˮ.

Neuropsychological Health Technologies

The article reveals the problem of neuropsychological technologies for maintaining, strengthening and developing human health from early to adulthood as a set of corrective and developmental measures to ensure the relationship of an optimal level of a functional brain function with efficiency and learning - conditions of well-being and quality of a life in different age groups. . The functional role of neuropsychological health technologies is reflected. Within the objectives of the article, an attempt is made to define health as a condition for effectiveness in learning and activities, a sense of comfort through the optimal provision of an interhemispheric interaction and the development of higher mental functions. Neuropsychological health technologies are primarily concerned with the prevention of a nervous exhaustion, mental retardation and neuropsychological corrective effects. The professional tasks of a modern neuropsychologist of an international level should serve needs of the individual subject of their own life with the value of maintaining and developing health, in a person-centered humanistic approach. Implementation of neuropsychological technologies of preservation, strengthening and development of health requires competent neuropsychological and subject (personality-oriented) humanistic approaches taking into account individual features of the subject of interaction with the specialist of a neuropsychological professional training, specifics of a neuropsychological problem and social demands for values to preserve, strengthen and develop, above all, physical and mental health.

СРАВНИТЕЛЬНЫЙ АНАЛИЗ РАЗВИТИЯ ВОЛЕВЫХ КАЧЕСТВ ЗДОРОВЫХ, ДЛИТЕЛЬНО И ЧАСТО БОЛЕЮЩИХ ДЕТЕЙ СТАРШЕГО ДОШКОЛЬНОГО ВОЗРАСТА

Statement of the problem. The period of preschool age is a necessary and significant period for the beginning of the formation of the volitional aspect of the personality. This predetermines the interest in studying this issue. The relevance of studying the development of volitional qualities of frequently and chronically ill children is explained by an increase in the proportion of somatically sick children and becomes especially important in connection with the search for effective ways of raising these children. The purpose of this article is to study the systemic characteristics of the development of volitional qualities in healthy and frequently and chronically ill children in a comparative aspect. The methodological basis of the study includes the activity approach, cultural and historical concept of the development of higher mental functions, and the theory of internalization in the formation of mental functions. Theoretical research methods, empirical methods, and methods of statistical analysis were used. Research results. The study made it possible to reveal: the peculiarities of the development of volitional qualities in the group of healthy children and in the group of frequently and chronically ill children; the dynamics of the development of individual qualities; heterogeneity in the nature of the development of individual volitional qualities. The article provides a discussion of the revealed features in the development of volitional qualities of frequently and chronically ill children. Conclusion. The results allow us to assess the formation of volitional qualities in healthy and somatically sick contemporary preschool children. The presented information helps to build pedagogical work on the formation of volitional qualities in preschool children and to provide effective psychological and pedagogical assistance to children and their parents.

Результаты лонгитюдного диагностического исследования по проекту «Шахматы для общего развития»

<p>The relevance is due to the expansion of the practice of including chess into school as an academic subject. At the same time, there are very few studies devoted to the analysis of the influence of chess on the development and academic performance of students studying chess as a school subject. This diagnostic study is being carried out as part of the Chess for Overall Development project, which has been implemented in the city of Satka, Chelyabinsk Region, from 2004 to the present. The aim of the study is to establish a relationship between teaching chess in elementary school using the «Chess for Overall Development» technology and the dynamics of the development of higher mental functions of students playing chess using the «Chess for Overall Development» technology (N=331), not playing chess (N=146) or engaged in other methods (N=160). In a cross-sectional longitudinal study, methods are used to diagnose the development of attention, memory, verbal and non-verbal intelligence, performance, and the ability to act in the mind. In total, three cross-sectional studies were conducted: with students in the second grade, in high school and in the ninth grade. The results of a comparative study show that in the second grade, students who played chess using the «Chess for Overall Development» technology for a year were ahead of their peers from the comparison groups in almost all indicators. According to some indicators, the advance in development remained until the ninth grade. In terms of academic performance, students who studied using the «Chess for Overall Development» technology showed significantly higher results than their peers from the two control groups: every third graduate from those who entered the tenth grade became a gold medalist. The conclusion is made about the expediency of using the «Chess for Overall Development» technology in elementary school for cognitive development and growth in academic performance in middle and high school.</p>

МЕТОДОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ ОСНОВЫ ПСИХОЛОГИИ ТЕАТРАЛЬНОЙ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТИ

Background Th e article reveals acting as an activity, the defi nition of the method of “psychophysical actions” in the context of mastering the acting role as a process of development of higher mental functions of actors. Objective. Th is article attempts to off er a psychological interpretation of the technologies of acting presented in the works of K.S. Stanislavsky, as well as his followers V.O. Toporkov, M.A. Chekhov, E.B. Vakhtangov, V.E. Meyerhold, M.O. Knebel, etc. from the point of view of L.S. Vygotsky’s cultural-historical approach, A.N. Leontiev’s theory of activity, psychological theories of communication and personality. Methods. The authors of the article analyze stage communication and personality development during the development of the role from the point of view of the basics of social psychology and personality psychology, and also reveal scientifi cally based psychological interpretations of the acting profession as a conscious continuous activity aimed at achieving the credibility and organic existence of an actor on stage. Results. Th e results of the theoretical analysis allow us to identify the mediation of theatrical activity by psychological patterns and technologies of analysis of the proposed circumstances of the role in the profession of the artist. Conclusion. As a conclusion, a reasoned position is given on the need for scientifi c study of acting using the methodology of psychological science in order to develop the most eff ective method for the development of the acting profession as a process of formation of higher mental functions and the choice of adequate psychophysical actions in the proposed circumstances of the role.

Дополнительная общеобразовательная общеразвивающая программа «Коррекция трудностей в освоении образовательной программы у обучающихся начального общего образования (нейропсихологический подход)»

<p>The article provides a description of the additional general educational developmental program of work with children aged 7 to 10 years who have difficulties in mastering the educational program based on methods of neuropsychological correction. The author identifies the types of difficulties in relation to which the effectiveness of the program has been confirmed: difficulties associated with the shortcomings in the formation of complex in structure and multi-level organization of motor skills of writing and reading, difficulties due to the peculiarities of the formation of the cognitive component of writing, reading and computational skills, as well as difficulties, associated with shortcomings in the formation of the regulatory component of writing, reading and computing skills. The program is aimed at harmonizing the development of higher mental functions in order to overcome difficulties in mastering the educational program. The evaluation of the quality of the program was carried out on the basis of quantitative and qualitative indicators based on the results of a psychodiagnostic examination, observation, and a survey of children and parents.</p>

Види компенсаторних механізмів у осіб із розладами аутистичного спектра

The article is devoted to the analysis of compensation problems in children with autism on the basis of research and work of domestic and foreign experts in the field of defectology. The lack of targeted research in this area determined the need for a theoretical study of this issue. The study revealed the main patterns of the emergence and use of compensatory mechanisms, outlined the importance of taking them into account in practical correctional activities. The study outlined the main correlates that determine the vectors along which, based on the involvement of certain compensatory mechanisms and strategies, the development of children with autism proceeds. Such severe damage to affective development also causes the formation of a special distortion of the child's intellectual and speech development. This is understandable, because a violation of the development of Affective selectivity in contacts with the world cannot but disrupt the development of attention of an autistic child, the formation of its higher arbitrary forms. The underdevelopment of Affective mechanisms of selective and arbitrary concentration becomes an insurmountable obstacle to the development of higher mental functions. Under these conditions, even with the highest conditions of intellectual development, a child with autism cannot cognitively master the environment. Its development here if changes its direction and where mainly in line with the effective development of impressions for the needs of hypercompensatory autostimulation. Such a child learns ways to get certain stereotypical motor, sensory, speech, and even intellectual impressions. Among them, special attention was paid to disturbances in the sensory sphere, hyperesthesia, fears, autostimulations and the content of the nature of the child's emotional assessment of his environment. It was emphasized that the decisive importance for the implementation of the psychological and social level of compensation for the inclusion in this process of consciousness, volitional qualities, social motivation and the presentation of social requirements to the child, the compliance with which is necessary for existence in an environment of normotypical people.

Children’s graphic representation as a language and its role in preschool education under a whole-child approach

Abstract. The objective of the present study is to analyze the drawings of the space by children as a representation system involving spatial thinking and higher mental functions such as memory and imagination. Our analysis is based on the historical-cultural theory on human development and on studies about the relation between spatial thinking and the graphic representation of space. Drawing is a language, the first written production by children and is characterized by elements associated with the cognition, culture, motor development and affectivity. Three elements were considered in our analysis: a) the creation of graphic equivalents; b) volume translation; c) perspective. We understand that the topological and projective notions must be based on the development of higher mental functions that mobilize the creation activity, such as memory and imagination, since such these functions constitute instruments to access systematized knowledge.