Upset emotional-volitional sphere treatment. Violations of the emotional-volitional sphere of the child. Clinical picture of emotional-volitional disorders

Characteristics of the emotional-volitional sphere of personality.

For normal life and development in society great value has an emotional volitional sphere personality. Emotions and feelings play a very important role in human life.

Will is an ability that manifests itself during the regulation of one’s activities. From birth, a person does not possess it, since, basically, all his actions are based on intuition. As life experience accumulates, volitional actions begin to appear, which become more and more complex. The important thing is that a person not only gets to know the world, but also tries to somehow adapt it to himself. This is precisely what volitional actions are, which are very important indicators in life.

The volitional sphere of personality most often manifests itself when life path There are various difficulties and trials. The last stage in the formation of will is the actions that must be taken to overcome external and internal obstacles. If we talk about history, then volitional decisions in different times were formed thanks to a certain labor activity. For example, primitive man performed a certain number of actions to get food.

Characteristics of the volitional sphere of personality

Volitional actions can be divided into two groups:

Simple - actions that do not require the expenditure of certain forces and additional organization.

Complex - actions that require a certain concentration, perseverance and skill.

In order to understand the essence of such actions, it is necessary to understand the structure. An act of will consists of the following elements:

pulse;
motive;
method and means of activity;
decision making;
execution of the decision.

Development of the emotional-volitional sphere of personality

This process is quite complex and occurs due to the influence various factors. External stimuli include certain social conditions, and internal stimuli, for example, heredity. Development occurs from early childhood through adolescence and can be divided into certain stages:

From birth to 3 years of age, the somato-vegetative type predominates. Any dissatisfaction is manifested by increased emotional excitability.

At the ages of 3 to 7 years, the emotional and volitional sphere of the personality is manifested by a psychomotor type of response. During this period, the child often displays negativism, oppositionality, and also develops reactions such as fear and fright.

The next stage of development is the age from 7 to 11 years. During this period, the child’s affective type of reaction predominates, which manifests itself as impressionability and anxiety. The feeling of anxiety becomes more stable. At this age, the child develops self-esteem and strong-willed traits such as perseverance, determination, independence, etc.

At the age of 12 to 15 years, the volitional sphere of personality in psychology is manifested by the dominance of the emotional-ideational type of behavior. A child at this age is characterized by the following traits: touchiness, imbalance, irritability, mood swings, and conflict. All this makes it difficult to adapt to society. The last stage of will development is the age from 16 to 18 years. During this period, stabilization of the emotional state is observed. Adolescents at this age exhibit the following traits: independence, determination, endurance, determination, perseverance, good concentration, and the ability to get out of difficult situations.

Violations of the emotional-volitional sphere of the personality are manifested:

self-doubt;
inadequate self-esteem;
increased anxiety;
problems in interacting with other people;
emotional stress;
reluctance to do anything;
increased impulsiveness.

Emotions and feelings.
Emotions represent the subject’s biased attitude towards the environment and what happens to him. The mechanism by which emotions arise is closely related to the needs and motives of a person. Conditions, objects and phenomena that contribute to the satisfaction of needs and the achievement of goals evoke positive emotions: pleasure, joy, interest, excitement. On the contrary, situations perceived by the subject as preventing the realization of needs and goals cause negative emotions and experiences: displeasure, grief, sadness, fear, sadness, anxiety, etc.

Consequently, we can state the double conditionality of emotions, on the one hand, by our needs, on the other hand. the other - features situations. Emotions establish connections and relationships between these two series of events and signal to the subject about the possibility or impossibility of satisfying his needs under given conditions.

Thus, emotions are a special class of mental processes and states associated with needs and motives and reflecting in the form of experiences the significance of phenomena and situations affecting the subject.

When talking about a person’s experiences, as a rule, two terms are used - “feelings” and “emotions”. In everyday speech, the concepts of “feelings” and “emotions” are practically the same. Some psychologists are also inclined to identify them. At the same time, there is a point of view according to which feelings and emotions are different and in many ways opposite subjective states in relation to each other.

According to the traditions of Russian psychology, it is customary to distinguish feelings as a special subclass emotional processes. Unlike emotions, which reflect short-term experiences, feelings are long-term and can last a lifetime. For example, you can get pleasure (satisfaction) from a completed task, i.e. experience positive emotion, but you can be satisfied with your profession, have a positive attitude towards it, that is, experience a feeling of satisfaction.

Feelings arise as a generalization of many emotions aimed at a specific object. Feelings are expressed through emotions depending on the situation in which the object of their expression is located. For example, a mother, loving her child, worries about him in different situations different emotions: she can be angry with him, feel proud of him, tenderness for him, etc. This example shows that:

firstly, emotions and feelings are not the same thing;
secondly, there is no direct correspondence between feelings and emotions: the same emotion can express different feelings and the same feeling can be expressed in different emotions.

Proof of the non-identity of emotions and feelings is the later appearance of feelings in ontogenesis compared to emotions.

Possible violations in emotional sphere personality.

In the process of growing up, a child faces problems that he has to solve with varying degrees of independence. Attitude to a problem or situation causes a certain emotional response, and attempts to influence the problem cause additional emotions. In other words, if a child has to show arbitrariness in carrying out any actions, where the fundamental motive is not “I want”, but “I need”, that is, volitional effort will be required to solve the problem, in fact this will mean implementation act of will.

As we grow older, emotions also undergo certain changes and develop. Children at this age learn to feel and are able to demonstrate more complex manifestations of emotions. The main feature of the correct emotional-volitional development of a child is the increasing ability to control the expression of emotions.

Emotions play significant role from the very beginning of a baby’s life, and serve as an indicator of his attitude towards his parents and what surrounds him. Currently, along with common problems health in children, experts note with concern the increase in emotional-volitional disorders, which result in more serious problems in the form of low social adaptation, a tendency to antisocial behavior, and learning difficulties.

The main causes of violations of the emotional-volitional sphere of the child

Child psychologists place special emphasis on the statement that the development of a child’s personality can occur harmoniously only with sufficient trusting communication with close adults.

The main causes of violations are:

suffered stress;
lag in intellectual development;
lack of emotional contacts with close adults;
social and everyday reasons;
movies and computer games, not intended for his age;
a number of other reasons that cause internal discomfort and feelings of inferiority in the child.

At different mental illness There is often a disturbance in the emotional state of the patient. This manifests itself in the form of depression, euphoria, dysphoria, weakness, emotional dullness, etc.

Depression is expressed by persistent depression of mood, despondency, melancholy. The surrounding reality is perceived by the patient with a feeling of hopelessness. This gives rise to thoughts of suicide. Similar symptoms can be observed in manic-depressive psychosis, involutional and reactive depression, as well as in hepatitis and hypertension.

Euphoria is expressed by a complacent, blissful mood with shades of cloudless joy and excellent well-being. The distress in such patients is short-lived. Euphoria can occur with brain tumors (frontal and temporal regions), with severe forms somatic diseases (tuberculosis, diseases of the cardiovascular system, progressive paralysis). In some cases, the most difficult physical condition, even on the eve of death, is accompanied by carelessness, cheerfulness, and the construction of a mass of rosy plans.

A persistent increase in mood, accompanied by the motor activity of patients and acceleration of their thought process, is observed in a manic state (mania). It is characteristic of the manic phase of manic-depressive psychosis.

Dysphoria is characterized by a sad, angry, grumpy mood. It usually occurs in patients with epilepsy. Lasts from several minutes to several days. In this case, the patient is gloomy, irritable, depressed, and aggressive.

Weakness accompanied by incontinence of emotions, slight emotion or tearfulness for various minor reasons. Emotional weakness is more common in older people. For example, a patient suffering from cerebral atherosclerosis cries while reading work of art or listening to a story with tragic content. He also easily gets into a cheerful mood.

Emotional dullness is characterized by a state of indifference to the environment. The patient does not care, does not care, does not care. He is absolutely inactive and strives for solitude. This condition is typical of schizophrenia, and also occurs with brain tumors and atrophic processes (Alzheimer's and Pick's diseases).

Affect- a state that a person experiences during an extremely strong sensory shock. There are states of physiological and pathological affect.

Violent emotional outbursts (resentment, insult, anger, despair, joy) with a clear awareness of one’s behavior refer to states of physiological affect. In this case, emotional disturbances reach an extreme degree of tension, but do not go beyond physiological boundaries. People who are in such a state when committing a crime must be held accountable for their actions, that is, they are recognized as sane. Memory during physiological affect is preserved.

Will, volitional effort, structure of a volitional act.

Will- one of the most complex concepts in psychology. Will is also considered as an independent mental process, and as an aspect of other important psychic phenomena, and as a unique ability of an individual to voluntarily control his behavior.

Will is mental function, which literally permeates all aspects of human life. The content of a volitional action usually has three main features:

Will provides purposefulness and orderliness human activity. But the definition of S.R. Rubinstein, “Volitional action is a conscious, purposeful action through which a person achieves the goal set for him, subordinating his impulses to conscious control and changing the surrounding reality in accordance with his plan.”
Will, as a person’s ability for self-regulation, makes him relatively free from external circumstances, truly turns him into an active subject.
Will is a person’s conscious overcoming of difficulties on the way to his goal. When faced with obstacles, a person either refuses to act in the chosen direction or increases his efforts. to overcome the difficulties encountered.

Functions of the will

Thus, volitional processes perform three main functions:

initiating, or incentive, ensuring the beginning of one or another action in order to overcome emerging obstacles;
stabilizing associated with volitional efforts to maintain activity at the proper level when external and internal interference occurs;
brake, which consists of restraining others, often strong desires, inconsistent with the main goals of the activity.

Volitional act

The most important place in the problem of will is occupied by the concept of “volitional act”. Each volitional act has a certain content, the most important components of which are decision-making and its execution. These elements of a volitional act often cause significant mental stress, similar in nature to the state of stress.

The structure of a volitional act has the following main components:

an impulse to perform a volitional action caused by a particular need. Moreover, the degree of awareness of this need can vary: from a vaguely realized attraction to a clearly realized goal;
the presence of one or more motives and the establishment of the order of their implementation:
“struggle of motives” in the process of choosing one or another of the conflicting motives;
decision making in the process of choosing one or another behavior option. At this stage, either a feeling of relief or a state of anxiety associated with uncertainty about the correctness of the decision may arise;
implementation of a decision, implementation of one or another course of action.

At each of these stages of the volitional act, a person shows will, controls and corrects his actions. At each of these moments, he compares the result obtained with the ideal image of the goal, which was created in advance.

In volitional actions, a person’s personality and its main features are clearly manifested.

Will manifests itself in such personality traits as:

determination;
independence;
determination;
persistence;
excerpt;
self-control;

Each of these properties is opposed by opposite character traits, in which lack of will is expressed, i.e. lack of one's own will and submission to someone else's will.

The most important volitional property of a person is determination as a person’s ability to achieve his life goals.

Independence manifests itself in the ability to take actions and make decisions based on intrinsic motivation and your knowledge, skills and abilities. A person who is not independent is focused on subordinating to another, shifting responsibility onto him for his actions.

Determination is expressed in the ability to make a thoughtful decision in a timely manner and without hesitation and implement it. The actions of a decisive person are characterized by thoughtfulness and speed, courage, and confidence in their actions. The opposite of decisiveness is indecisiveness. A person characterized by indecision constantly doubts, hesitates in making decisions and using the chosen decision methods. An indecisive person, even having made a decision, begins to doubt again and waits to see what others will do.

Endurance and self-control there is the ability to control oneself, one’s actions and the external manifestation of emotions, to constantly control them, even in the event of failures and major setbacks. The opposite of self-control is the inability to restrain oneself, which is caused by the lack of special education and self-education.

Perseverance is expressed in the ability to achieve a goal, overcoming difficulties on the way to achieving it. A persistent person does not deviate from his decision, and in case of failure he acts with renewed energy. A person lacking persistence retreats from his decision at the first failure.

Discipline means conscious subordination of one’s behavior to certain norms and requirements. Discipline comes in different forms in both behavior and thinking, and is the opposite of indiscipline.

Courage and courage are manifested in the readiness and ability to fight, overcome difficulties and dangers on the way to achieving a goal, and in the readiness to defend one’s position in life. The opposite quality to courage is cowardice, which is usually caused by fear.

The formation of the listed volitional properties of a person is determined mainly by the purposeful education of the will, which should be inseparable from the education of feelings.

Emotions are mental states that reflect the body’s reaction to changes in the surrounding world, itself or other people.

The biological role of emotions is cognitive-adaptive. The sum of emotions over a period of time is called mood. And vivid expressions of emotions with a distinct motor component are called affect.

Pathology of emotions:

Group 1 - Symptoms of low mood.

Hypotymia - decreased mood.

Yearning- experience of hopelessness, loss of vitality. This condition begins in the morning. You usually wake up earlier, at five o'clock, and lie down with with open eyes. Terrible melancholy and a stone on my chest. You need to get up, but you don’t want to, it seems terrible that there is a huge day ahead. Nothing good at work either, I want to hide in a corner. Melancholy is literally paralyzing, and the whole world seems gray and dull, as if seen through dirty glass. All meaning is lost and there is nothing good in the future.

Dysphoria- a state of unmotivated anger and irritability, sometimes aggressiveness, directed at everyone around them without exception. Typical for organic disorders and epilepsy. Usually, some time after the attacks, there are whole days when you are angry with everyone for no reason. No matter what anyone says, I want to object, protest. I just want to rush at the one who objects or looks the wrong way. It happens that you deliberately provoke, but this does not give relief. Sounds and bright lights, clothing and transport are annoying. In these dark days I always find myself in different stories.

Dysthymia- decreased mood with a predominance of irritation.

Anxiety- experience of confusion, danger in the near future with increased motor activity, sometimes tremor, palpitation, trembling, tachycardia, increased blood pressure. Anxiety is supported by the following cognitive circuits: the heart may stop, it is beating too much - I can have an attack anywhere - I will die as a result of the attack - increasing anxiety and repeating the stereotypical circle.

Fear- experiencing an immediate, specific threat. Among a person's fears, the following ranks respectively: fear of strangers, which first appears in a child at the age of about 1.5 years; fear of contracting an incurable disease (infection); fear of unpredictable situations; fear of death; loss social person; child and love; habitual stereotypies; and, finally, the fear of losing the meaning of life, which occupies the highest place in the hierarchy.

2nd group. Symptoms of high mood.

Hyperthymia - high mood. There is nothing better than this period in autumn, it usually begins in September. You work a lot, but you don't get tired. You immediately implement ideas as soon as they appear. I am on time everywhere and always on top. I notice that I can drink more and not get drunk, I eat without even noticing what, but always with appetite. Many friends and girlfriends appear, sometimes the money goes away in one day. One disadvantage is the increase in debt.

Euphoria- a state of serenity with a desire for contemplation, but often with active actions which are characterized by carelessness. Characteristic for the use of psychoactive substances.

Moria- euphoria with a lack of purposeful activity and foolishness, characteristic of lesions of the frontal lobes of the brain.

Ecstasy- extremely elevated, elevated mood with the idea of going beyond own body and merging with the environment, such as nature. The equivalent of an orgasm. It can be observed as a special type of epileptic paroxysm.

3rd group. Symptoms of emotional instability.

Incontinence of affect- inability to control behavior that accompanies emotions; often expressed in aggressiveness towards a weak stimulus of resentment. Characteristic of organic disorders and some personality anomalies.

Emotional lability- rapid changes in mood, quickly appearing tears of emotion, irritability. Typical for vascular disorders.

Emotional coldness (weakness) - indifference, inability to empathize, detachment, formal reaction to the emotions of other people and even family members. But everyone is able to talk about their feelings and mood; a significant number of patients use poor and colorless expressions to describe them; this phenomenon is called alexithymia.

4th group. Symptoms of qualitative distortion of emotions.

Emotional dullness (flattening)- loss of the ability to subtle and adequate emotional reactions and the impossibility of their appearance at all. Introduction of stimulants medications leads to temporary pointless motor excitement, but not to the emergence of feelings or contact. For example, a patient who has suffered from a simple form of schizophrenia for many years, in recent years, according to her husband, “has become insensitive, doesn’t look at anything.” During the three months of stay in the inpatient department of the dispensary, no manifestations of emotional activity were ever observed. On dates with her husband and children, it was never possible to note the emergence of feelings in the patient: she sat with her hands down and an absent expression on her face, and did not answer a single question. Looking to the side, pushing away the children who were hugging her, despite their tears and her husband’s requests, she independently interrupted the dates.

Apathy- lack of motivation for activity and loss of interest in others, but there is an emotional response.

Emotional impoverishment- loss of the ability to have subtle and adequate emotional reactions.

Emotional paradox- weakening of adequate emotional contacts on important events while simultaneously reviving reactions to accompanying minor circumstances. PTSD.

Ambivalence (duality)- the simultaneous occurrence and coexistence of two mutually opposite feelings (for example, love and hatred).

Will- the ability for active, conscious and purposeful activity. The physiological basis is instincts.

Violations:

Abulia- lack of volitional impulses. At schizophrenic defect personality and with organic lesions of the frontal lobes.

Hypobulia- weakening of volitional impulses. For depressive and asthenic conditions.

Hyperbulia- strengthening of volitional impulses. For drug addiction to amphetamines, psychomimetics. Manic states.

Parabulia- qualitative perversion of volitional impulses (with psychopathy-self-harm).

Holistic changes in volitional activity are manifested in hyperbulia, hypobulia, parabulia and abulia, but individual changes in the spheres of instinct are described depending on the type of instinct.

Quite often, parental care is mainly focused on the physical health of their child, while the emotional component remains practically unattended. This is due to the fact that most parents consider early symptoms of emotional disorders to be temporary and therefore harmless.

The place of emotional disturbances in the mental development of a child seems to be one of key aspects his life, due to the fact that these violations affect his attitude towards his parents and towards the environment in general. Today there is a tendency towards an increase in emotional disorders in children, in the form of reduced social adaptation and a tendency to aggressive behavior.

There are many reasons for the occurrence of emotional disorders in a child, so parents should be especially attentive to the manifestation of various pathological signs. As a rule, specialists make a final diagnosis when registering 3 signs of emotional instability.

The most common causes of emotional disturbances are:

Physical characteristics, taking into account diseases suffered in infancy;
Inhibition of mental and mental development;
Improper upbringing of a child in the preschool period;
Poor nutrition, namely insufficient intake necessary substances, which significantly affects the development of the baby;

Also, these above reasons are divided into two large groups:

Biological.

This causal group includes characteristic type nervous system. For example, if attention deficit disorder is present, the child may subsequently experience pathological process in the brain, formed as a result of severe pregnancy and childbirth of his mother.

Social

This group determines the process of interaction of the child with other people and the environment. For example, if a child already has experience communicating with age group people, his peers and the primary group for him - his family, then in some cases such socialization can also harm him.

If a child is constantly subjected to denial by adults, then he unconsciously begins to repress the received information that comes from environment.

The emergence of new experiences that do not coincide with his conceptual structure begins to be perceived negatively by him, which ultimately creates a certain stress for him.

In the absence of understanding from peers, the child develops emotional experiences (rage, resentment, disappointment), which are characterized by severity and duration. Also, constant conflicts in the family, demands on the child, lack of understanding of his interests, also cause emotional disturbances in the mental development of the child.

Classifications of emotional disorders and their symptoms

The difficulty in identifying emotional-volitional disorders has resulted in the fact that a number of psychologists have formed different views on these types of disorders. For example, psychologist G. Sukhareva noted that emotional disturbances in children school age, are often observed in children suffering from neurasthenia, which was distinguished by its excessive excitability.

Psychologist J. Milanich had a different idea about these disorders. He found that emotional-volitional disorders include 3 groups of emotional disorders;

Acute emotional reactions, which are characterized by the coloring of certain conflict situations, which manifested themselves in aggression, hysteria, reactions of fear or resentment;
A state of increased tension – anxiety, fearfulness, decreased mood.
Dysfunction of the emotional state, which manifested itself in a sharp transition from positive emotional phenomena to negative ones and also in the reverse order.

However, the most detailed clinical picture of emotional disorders was compiled by N.I. Kosterina. She subdivides emotional disorders into 2 large groups, which are characterized by an increase in the level of emotionality and, accordingly, its decrease.

The first group includes such conditions as:

Euphoria, which is characterized by an inadequate increase in mood. A child in this condition, as a rule, has increased impulsiveness, impatience and a desire for dominance.
Dysphoria is the opposite form of euphoria, characterized by the manifestation of such emotions as anger, irritability, aggressiveness. It is a type of depressive syndrome.
Depression is a pathological condition characterized by the manifestation negative emotions and behavioral passivity. A child in this state feels depressed and sad.
Anxiety syndrome is a condition in which a child feels unreasonable anxiety and severe nervous tension. Expressed in permanent shift mood, tearfulness, lack of appetite, hypersensitivity. Often this syndrome develops into a phobia.
Apathy – serious condition, in which the child feels indifference to everything that happens around him, and is also characterized by a sharp decrease in initiative functions. Most psychologists argue that the loss of emotional reactions is combined with a decrease or complete loss of volitional impulses.
Paratamia is a characteristic disorder of the emotional background, in which the experience of one specific emotion is accompanied by external manifestations absolutely opposite emotions. Often observed in children suffering from schizophrenia.

The second group includes:

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is characterized by symptoms such as motor disorientation and impulsivity. It follows that the key signs of this syndrome are distractibility and excessive motor activity.
Aggression. This emotional manifestation is formed as part of a character trait or as a reaction to environmental influences. In any case, the above violations need correction. However, before correcting pathological manifestations, the main causes of the disease are first identified.

Diagnosis of disorders

For subsequent therapy of disorders and its effectiveness, timely diagnosis is very important emotional development child and his disorders. There are many special techniques and tests that evaluate the development and psychological state child, taking into account his age characteristics.

Diagnosis of preschool children includes:

Diagnosis of anxiety level and its assessment;
Study of psycho-emotional state;
Luscher color test;
Study of self-esteem and personal characteristics child;
Study of the development of volitional qualities.

Appeal for psychological help necessary if the child experiences certain difficulties in learning, communicating with peers, behavior, or has certain phobias.

Parents should also pay attention if the child experiences any emotional experiences, feelings, and also if his condition is characterized as depressed.

Methods for correcting emotional disorders

A number of domestic and foreign scientists in the field of psychology identify a number of techniques that make it possible to correct emotional-volitional disorders in children. These methods are usually divided into 2 main groups: individual and group, but this division does not reflect main goal correction of mental disorders.

Mental correction affective disorders in children is an organized system psychological impacts. This correction is mainly aimed at:

Alleviating emotional discomfort
Increased activity and independence
Suppression of secondary personal reactions (aggression, excessive excitability, anxiety, etc.).
Correction of self-esteem;
Formation of emotional stability.

World psychology includes 2 main approaches to the psychological correction of a child, namely:

Psychodynamic approach. Advocates for the creation of conditions that make it possible to suppress external social barriers, using methods such as psychoanalysis, play therapy and art therapy.
Behavioral approach. This approach allows you to stimulate the child to assimilate new reactions aimed at the formation of adaptive behavioral forms and, conversely, suppresses non-adaptive forms of behavior, if any. Includes such methods of influence as behavioral and psychoregulatory training, which allow the child to consolidate learned reactions.

When choosing a method of psychological correction of emotional disorders, one should proceed from the specifics of the disorder, which determines the deterioration of the emotional state. If a child has intrapersonal disorders, then an excellent way would be to use play therapy (not computer therapy), and the method of family psychocorrection has also proven itself well.

If there is a predominance of interpersonal conflicts, group psychocorrection is used, which allows optimizing interpersonal relationships. When choosing any method, the severity of the child’s emotional instability must be taken into account.

Methods of psychological correction such as game therapy, fairytale therapy, etc. work effectively if they correspond to the mental characteristics of the child and the therapist.

The age of a child under 6 years (preschool period) is the most important period its development, since it is during this period that the child’s personal foundations, volitional qualities are formed, and the emotional sphere also rapidly develops.

Volitional qualities develop mainly through conscious control over behavior, while maintaining certain behavioral rules in memory.

The development of these qualities is characterized as general development personality, that is, mainly by shaping the will, emotions and feelings.

Consequently, for the successful emotional-volitional upbringing of a child, parents and teachers need to especially pay attention to creating a positive atmosphere of mutual understanding. Therefore, many experts recommend that parents formulate the following criteria for their child:

When communicating with a child, you must maintain absolute calm and show your goodwill in every possible way;
You should try to communicate with your child more often, ask him about anything, empathize, and be interested in his hobbies;
Joint physical labor, games, drawing, etc. will have a positive effect on the child’s condition, so try to pay him as much attention as possible.
It is necessary to ensure that the child does not watch films or play games with elements of violence, as this will only aggravate it. emotional state;
Support your child in every possible way and help him build confidence in himself and his abilities.

The birth of a child in a family with certain disabilities normal development- always stressful for both parents. It is very good when relatives, friends or psychological rehabilitation specialists help them cope with the problem.

The first signs of a violation of the emotional-volitional sphere begin to appear during a period of active communication in a group of peers, which is why you should not ignore any deviations in the child’s behavior. These disorders are quite rarely noted as an independent disease; they are often harbingers or components of quite serious mental disorders:

Schizophrenia;

Depression;

Manic syndrome;

Psychopathy;

Autism.

A decrease in intellectual activity in children manifests itself in the form of insufficiently complete regulation of emotions, inappropriate behavior, decreased morality, low level emotional coloring of speech. Mental retardation in such patients can be veiled by inappropriate behavior in its extreme expression - apathy, irritability, euphoria, etc.

Classification of disorders in the emotional-volitional sphere

Among the disorders in the sphere of emotional-volitional expression of personality in adults are:

1. Hypobulia - decreased will. Patients with this disorder have absolutely no need to communicate with people around them, they are irritated by the presence of strangers nearby, are unable and unwilling to carry on a conversation, and can spend hours in an empty dark room.

2. Hyperbulia is an increased desire in all areas of human life; more often this disorder is expressed in increased appetite, the need for constant communication and attention.

3. Abulyu - sharp decline volitional drives. In schizophrenia, this disorder is included in a single symptom complex “apathetic-abulic”.

4. Compulsive attraction is an irresistible need for something or someone. This feeling is comparable to animal instinct and forces a person to commit acts that, in most cases, are criminally punishable.

5. Obsessive desire is the occurrence of obsessive desires that the patient cannot independently control. An unsatisfied desire leads to deep suffering for the patient; all his thoughts are filled only with ideas about its embodiment.

The main deviations in the emotional and volitional sphere in children are:

1. Emotional hyperexcitability.

2. Increased impressionability, fears.

3. Motor retardation or hyperactivity.

4. Apathy and indifference, indifferent attitude towards others, lack of compassion.

5. Aggressiveness.

6. Increased suggestibility, lack of independence.

Gentle correction of emotional-volitional disorders

Hippotherapy has received a lot of attention around the world positive feedback both in the rehabilitation of adults and in the rehabilitation of children. Communication with a horse brings great pleasure to children and their parents. This method rehabilitation helps to unite the family, strengthen the emotional connection between generations, and build trusting relationships.

Thanks to adults, children and adolescents, the processes of excitation and inhibition in the cerebral cortex are normalized, motivation to achieve goals is enhanced, self-esteem and vitality increase.

With the help of horse riding, every rider can learn to control their emotions smoothly and without mental breakdown. During the training, the severity of fears gradually decreases, confidence appears that communication with the animal is necessary for both participants in the process, and the self-worth of introverted individuals increases.

A trained and understanding horse helps children and adults achieve their goals, acquire new skills and knowledge, and become more open to society. In addition, hippotherapy develops higher nervous activity: thinking, memory, concentration.

Constant tension of the muscles of the whole body and maximum composure during horse riding lessons improves balance, coordination of movements, and self-confidence even in those students who cannot make a single decision without the help of others.

Various types of hippotherapy help reduce anxiety and depressive mood, forget about negative experiences and increase morale. When achieving your goals, classes allow you to develop will and endurance and break down the internal barriers of your inadequacy.

Some students enjoy interacting with animals so much that they are happy to start equestrian sports at a school for the disabled. During training and competitions, the volitional sphere develops well. They become more assertive, purposeful, self-control and endurance improve.

teenagers

Study questions.

Typology of disorders in the development of the emotional-volitional sphere.

Psychological and pedagogical characteristics of children and adolescents with disabilities

emotional-volitional sphere.

Psychopathy in children and adolescents.

Character accentuations as a factor contributing to the emergence of emotional-volitional disorders.

Children with early-onset autism (EDA).

The concept of violation of the emotional-volitional sphere in defectology defines neuropsychic disorders (mainly mild and medium degree gravity). *

The main types of disorders in the development of the emotional-volitional sphere in children and adolescents include reactive states (hyperactivity syndrome), conflict experiences, psychasthenia and psychopathy (psychopathic forms of behavior), early childhood autism.

As is known, a child’s personality is formed under the influence of hereditarily determined (conditioned) qualities and factors of the external (primarily social) environment. Since the development process largely depends on environmental factors, it is obvious that unfavorable environmental influences can cause temporary behavioral disorders, which, once established, can lead to abnormal (distorted) personality development.

As for normal somatic development, an appropriate amount of calories, proteins, minerals and vitamins, and for normal mental development the presence of certain emotional and psychological factors is necessary. These include, first of all, the love of neighbors, a sense of security (provided by the care of parents), the cultivation of correct self-esteem, and also, along with the development of independence in actions and behavior), the guidance of adults, which includes, in addition to love and care, a certain set of prohibitions. Only with the correct balance of attention and prohibitions are appropriate connections formed between the child’s “I” and the outside world, and the little person, while maintaining his individuality, develops into a personality who will definitely find his place in society.

The versatility of the emotional needs that ensure the development of a child already in itself indicates the possibility of a significant number of unfavorable factors in the external (social) environment, which can cause disturbances in the development of the emotional-volitional sphere and deviations in the behavior of children.

Reactive states are defined in special psychology as neuropsychic disorders caused by unfavorable situations (developmental conditions) and not related to organic damage CNS. The most striking manifestation of reactive states (RS) is hyperactivity syndrome, which appears against the background of a “prolonged” state of general mental excitability and psychomotor disinhibition. The causes of MS can be varied. Thus, circumstances traumatic for a child’s psyche include such a psychophysiological disorder as enuresis (bedwetting, which persists or often recurs after the 3rd year of life), often observed in somatically weakened and nervous children. Enuresis can occur after a severe nervous shock, fright, or after a somatic illness that debilitates the body. The occurrence of enuresis also includes such reasons as conflict situations in the family, excessive strictness of parents, too much deep sleep etc. Reactive states with enuresis are aggravated by ridicule, punishment, and the unkind attitude of others towards the child.

A reactive state can be caused by the presence of certain physical and psychophysiological defects in a child (strabismus, deformities of the limbs, lameness, severe scoliosis, etc.), especially if the attitude of others is incorrect.

A common cause of psychogenic reactions in young children is a sudden strong irritation of a frightening nature (fire, attack by an angry dog, etc.). Increased susceptibility to mental trauma observed in children with residual effects after suffering infections and injuries, in children who are excitable, weakened, and emotionally unstable. The most susceptible to mental trauma are children belonging to a weak type of higher nervous activity, and children who are easily excitable.

The main distinguishing feature of MS is inadequate (excessively pronounced) personal reactions to influences from the environment (primarily social) environment. Reactive states are characterized by the state psychological stress And discomfort. MS can manifest itself in the form of depression (sad, depressed state). In other cases, the main symptoms of MS are: psychomotor agitation, disinhibition, and inappropriate behavior and actions.

In severe cases, a disorder of consciousness may be observed (confusion, loss of orientation in the environment), unreasonable fear, temporary “loss” of certain functions (deafness, mutism).

Despite the differences in manifestations, a common symptom that connects all cases of reactive states is a severe, depressing psycho-emotional state that causes overstrain of nervous processes and disruption of their mobility. This largely determines the increased tendency to affective reactions.

Mental development disorders may be associated with severe internal conflict experiences when in the child’s mind there are opposing attitudes towards close people or to a particular social situation that has great personal significance for the child. Conflict experiences (as a psychopathological disorder) are long-term, socially conditioned; they acquire dominant value in mental life child and have a sharply negative impact on his characterological characteristics and behavioral reactions. The causes of conflict experiences most often are: the unfavorable position of the child in the family (conflicts in the family, family breakdown, the appearance of a stepmother or stepfather, parental alcoholism, etc.). Conflict experiences can arise in children abandoned by their parents, adopted, and in other cases. Another reason for persistent conflict experiences may be the above-mentioned shortcomings of psychophysical development, in particular, stuttering.

Manifestations of severe conflict experiences most often include isolation, irritability, negativism (in many forms of its manifestation, including verbal negativism), depressive states; in some cases, the consequence of conflict experiences is a delay in the child’s cognitive development.

Persistent conflict experiences are often accompanied by disturbances ( deviations) behavior. Quite often, the cause of behavioral disorders in this category of children is improper upbringing of the child (excessive care, excessive freedom or, on the contrary, lack of love, excessive severity and unreasonable demands, without taking into account his personal - intellectual and psychophysical capabilities, determined by the stage of age development). A particularly serious mistake in raising a child is the constant derogatory comparison of him with children who have better abilities and the desire to achieve great achievements from a child who does not have pronounced intellectual inclinations. A child whose dignity is humiliated and who is often punished may develop feelings of inferiority, reactions of fear, timidity, bitterness and hatred. Such children, who are constantly stressed, often experience enuresis, headaches, fatigue etc. At an older age, such children may rebel against the dominant authority of adults, which is one of the reasons for antisocial behavior.

Conflict experiences can also be caused by traumatic situations in the school community. Of course, the occurrence and severity of conflict situations is influenced by the individual personal and psychological characteristics of children (state of the nervous system, personal aspirations, range of interests, impressionability, etc.), as well as the conditions of upbringing and development.

Also quite a complex neuropsychic disorder is psychasthenia– disturbance of mental and intellectual activity, caused by weakness and disruption of the dynamics of processes of higher nervous activity, a general weakening of neuropsychic and cognitive processes. The causes of psychasthenia can be severe violations of somatic health, violations of general constitutional development (due to dystrophy, metabolic disorders in the body, hormonal disorders, etc.). At the same time, factors of hereditary conditioning, dysfunction of the central nervous system of various origins, the presence of minimal brain dysfunction, etc. play a large role in the occurrence of psychasthenia.

The main manifestations of psychasthenia are: a decrease in general mental activity, slowness and rapid exhaustion of mental and intellectual activity, decreased performance, phenomena of mental retardation and inertia, increased fatigue under psychological stress. Psychoasthenic children are extremely slow to engage in academic work and get tired very quickly when performing tasks related to mental and mnemonic actions.

Children in this category are distinguished by such specific character traits as indecision, increased impressionability, a tendency to constant doubts, timidity, suspiciousness, and anxiety. Often, symptoms of psychasthenia also include depression and autistic manifestations. Psychopathic development according to psychasthenic type in childhood manifests itself in increased suspiciousness, obsessive fears, and anxiety. At an older age, obsessive doubts, fears, hypochondria, and increased suspiciousness are observed.

3.Psychopathy(from Greek - psyche- soul, pathos– disease) is defined in special psychology How pathological character, manifested in unbalanced behavior, poor adaptability to changing environmental conditions, inability to obey external demands, and increased reactivity. Psychopathy is a distorted version of personality formation; it is a disharmonious development of personality with (as a rule) sufficient preservation of intelligence. Research by domestic scientists (V.A. Gilyarovsky, V.R. Myasishchev, G.E. Sukhareva, V.V. Kovalev, etc.) showed the dialectical interaction of social and biological factors in the origin of psychopathy. Most psychopathy is caused by external pathological factors that acted in utero or in early childhood. The most common causes of psychopathy are: infections - general and brain, traumatic brain injuries - intrauterine, birth and acquired in the first years of life; toxic factors (for example, chronic gastrointestinal diseases), intrauterine development disorders due to alcohol intoxication, exposure to radiation, etc. Pathological heredity also plays a certain role in the formation of psychopathy.

However, for the development of psychopathy, along with the main ( predisposing) the cause that causes congenital or early acquired insufficiency of the nervous system, it is necessary to have another factor - the unfavorable social environment and the lack of corrective influences when raising a child.

Purposeful positive influence of the environment can, to a greater or lesser extent, correct the child’s existing deviations, while under unfavorable conditions of upbringing and development, even mild deviations in mental development can transform into a severe form of psychopathy (G.E. Sukhareva, 1954, etc.). In this regard, biological factors are considered as starting points,preconditions, which can cause psychopathic personality development; acquire a decisive role social factors, mainly conditions for child upbringing and development.

Psychopathy is very diverse in its manifestations, so the clinic distinguishes its various forms (organic psychopathy, epileptoid psychopathy, etc.). Common to all forms of psychopathy is a violation of the development of the emotional-volitional sphere, specific character anomalies. Psychopathic personality development is characterized by: weakness of will, impulsiveness of actions, rough affective reactions. Underdevelopment of the emotional-volitional sphere also manifests itself in a certain decrease in performance associated with the inability to concentrate and overcome difficulties encountered when performing tasks.

Violations of the emotional-volitional sphere are most clearly expressed when organic psychopathy, which is based on organic damage to the subcortical brain systems. Clinical manifestations of organic psychopathy are different. In some cases, the first manifestations of a mental disorder are detected at an early age. The anamnesis of these children indicates pronounced timidity, fear of sharp sounds, bright light, unfamiliar objects, and people. This is accompanied by intense and prolonged screaming and crying. In the early and preschool age psychomotor restlessness, increased sensory and motor excitability come to the fore. At primary school age, psychopathic behavior manifests itself in the form of uncontrollability, protest against the rules of social behavior, any regime, in the form of affective outbursts (pugnaciousness, running around, noisiness, and later - school truancy, a tendency to vagrancy, etc.).

In other cases of organic psychopathy, the following feature of the behavioral reactions of children attracts attention, sharply distinguishing them from their peers already at preschool age. Relatives and teachers note the extreme unevenness of their mood; Along with increased excitability and excessive mobility, these children and adolescents often experience a low, gloomy, irritable mood. Children of senior preschool and primary school age often complain of vague pain, refuse to eat, sleep poorly, and often quarrel and fight with peers. Increased irritability, negativity in various forms its manifestations, hostile attitude towards others, aggressiveness towards them form pronounced psychopathological symptoms of organic psychopathy. These manifestations are especially pronounced at an older age, during puberty. They are often accompanied by a slow pace of intellectual activity, decreased memory, and increased fatigue. In some cases, organic psychopathy is combined with delayed psychomotor development of the child.

G.E. Sukhareva identifies two main groups of organic psychopathy: excitedsmoke(explosive) and brakeless.

At the first (excitable) type, unmotivated mood swings are observed in the form of dysphoria. In response to the slightest remarks, children and adolescents have violent reactions of protest, leaving home and school.

Organic psychopaths of the uninhibited type are characterized by elevated mood levels, euphoria, and uncriticality. All this is a favorable background for the formation of a pathology of desires and a tendency to vagrancy.

With a hereditary burden of epilepsy in children, personality traits characteristic of epileptoid psychopathy. This form of psychopathy is characterized by the fact that in children, with primary intact intelligence and the absence of typical signs of epilepsy (seizures, etc.), the following behavioral and character traits are noted: irritability, short temper, poor switchability from one type of activity to another, “getting stuck” on their experiences, aggressiveness, egocentrism. Along with this, thoroughness and perseverance in completing educational tasks are characteristic. These positive traits must be used as support in the process of correctional work.

With a hereditary burden of schizophrenia, children may develop schizoid personality traits. These children are characterized by: poverty of emotions (often underdevelopment of higher emotions: feelings of empathy, compassion, gratitude, etc.), lack of childlike spontaneity and cheerfulness, and little need to communicate with others. The core property of their personality is egocentrism and autistic manifestations. They are characterized by a peculiar asynchrony of mental development already from early childhood. The development of speech outpaces the development of motor skills, and therefore children often have undeveloped self-care skills. In games, children prefer loneliness or communication with adults and older children. In a number of cases, the peculiarity of the motor sphere is noted - clumsiness, motor awkwardness, inability to perform practical activities. General emotional lethargy, which is detected in children from an early age, lack of need for communication (autistic manifestations), lack of interest in practical activities, and later - isolation, self-doubt, despite sufficient high level intellectual development, create significant difficulties in raising and teaching this category of children.

Hysterical psychopathic development is more common in childhood than other forms. It manifests itself in pronounced egocentrism, increased suggestibility, and demonstrative behavior. At the core this option Psychopathic development lies in mental immaturity. It manifests itself in a thirst for recognition, in the inability of a child and adolescent to exert volition, which is the essence of mental disharmony.

Specific features hysterical psychopathy manifest themselves in pronounced egocentrism, in the constant demand for increased attention to oneself, in the desire to achieve what they want by any means. In social communication there is a tendency to conflicts and lies. When faced with life's difficulties, hysterical reactions occur. Children are very capricious, love to play a commanding role in a group of peers and become aggressive if they fail to do so. Extreme instability (lability) of mood is noted.

Psychopathic development according to unstable type can be observed in children with psychophysical infantilism. They are distinguished by immaturity of interests, superficiality, instability of attachments, and impulsiveness. Such children have difficulties in long-term, purposeful activity; they are characterized by irresponsibility, instability of moral principles, and socially negative forms of behavior. This variant of psychopathic development can be of either constitutional or organic origin.

In practical special psychology, a certain relationship has been established between incorrect approaches to raising children, pedagogical errors and the formation of psychopathic character traits. Thus, the characterological traits of excitable psychopaths often arise during so-called “hypocustody” or direct neglect. The formation of “inhibited psychopaths” is favored by the callousness or even cruelty of others, when the child does not see affection and is subjected to humiliation and insults (the social phenomenon of “Cinderella”). Hysterical personality traits are most often formed in conditions of “overprotection”, in an atmosphere of constant adoration and admiration, when the child’s loved ones fulfill any of his desires and whims (the “family idol” phenomenon).

4. B adolescence An intensive transformation of the adolescent’s psyche occurs. Significant changes are observed in the formation of intellectual activity, which is manifested in the desire for knowledge, the formation of abstract thinking, and a creative approach to solving problems. Volitional processes are intensively formed. A teenager is characterized by persistence, perseverance in achieving a goal, and the ability to engage in purposeful volitional activity. Consciousness is actively being formed. This age is characterized by disharmony of mental development, which often manifests itself in accentuatedness character. According to A.E. Lichko, the accentuation (sharpening) of individual character traits in students of different types of schools varies from 32 to 68% of the total student population (A.E. Lichko, 1983).

Character accentuations – These are extreme variants of a normal nature, but at the same time they can be a predisposing factor for the development of neuroses, neurotic, pathocharacterological and psychopathic disorders.

Numerous studies by psychologists have shown that the degree of disharmony in adolescents is different, and the accentuation of character itself has different qualitative features and is manifested differently in the behavioral characteristics of adolescents. The main options for character accentuations include the following.

Dysthymic personality type. Features of this type of accentuation are periodic fluctuations in mood and vitality in adolescents. During periods of high mood, adolescents of this type are sociable and active. During a period of decline in mood, they are laconic, pessimistic, begin to be burdened by noisy society, become sad, lose their appetite, and suffer from insomnia.

Teenagers of this type of accentuation feel conformed among a small circle of close people who understand them and provide support. It is important for them to have long-term, stable attachments and hobbies.

Emotive personality type. Adolescents of this type are characterized by variability of moods, depth of experiences, and increased sensitivity. Emotive teenagers have developed intuition and are sensitive to the assessments of others. They feel conformed to their family, understanding and caring adults, and constantly strive for confidential communication with adults and peers who are significant to them.

Anxious type The main feature of this type of accentuation is anxious suspiciousness, constant fear for oneself and one’s loved ones. In childhood, adolescents of the anxious type often have a symbiotic relationship with their mother or other relatives. Teenagers experience a strong fear of new people (teachers, neighbors, etc.). They need warm, caring relationships. A teenager’s confidence that he will be supported and helped in an unexpected, non-standard situation contributes to the development of initiative and activity.

Introverted type. Children and adolescents of this type tend to be emotionally withdrawn and withdrawn. They, as a rule, lack the desire to establish close, friendly relationships with others. They prefer individual activities. They have weak expressiveness, a desire for solitude filled with reading books, fantasizing, and various hobbies. These children need warm, caring relationships from loved ones. Their psychological comfort increases when adults accept and support their most unexpected hobbies.

Excitable type. With this type of character accentuation in adolescents, there is an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory processes. Adolescents of the excitable type, as a rule, are in a state of dysphoria, which manifests itself in depression with the threat of aggressiveness towards the entire outside world. In this state, an excitable teenager is suspicious, inhibited, rigid, prone to emotional irascibility, impulsiveness, and unmotivated cruelty towards loved ones. Excitable teenagers need warm emotional relationships with others.

Demonstrative type. Teenagers of this type are distinguished by pronounced egocentrism, a constant desire to be the center of attention, and a desire to “make an impression.” They are characterized by sociability, high intuition, and the ability to adapt. Under favorable conditions, when a “demonstrative” teenager finds himself in the center of attention and accepted by others, he adapts well and is capable of productive, creative activity. In the absence of such conditions, there is a disharmony of personal properties of the hysterical type - attracting special attention to oneself by demonstrative behavior, and a tendency to lie and fantasize as a defense mechanism.

Pedantic type. As E.I. emphasizes Leonhard, pedantry as an accentuated character trait is manifested in the behavior of the individual. The behavior of a pedantic personality does not go beyond the bounds of reason, and in these cases the advantages associated with the tendency towards thoroughness, clarity, and completeness are often felt. The main features of this type of character accentuation in adolescence are indecision and a tendency to reasoning. Such teenagers are very careful, conscientious, rational, and responsible. However, some adolescents with increased anxiety experience indecisiveness in decision-making situations. Their behavior is characterized by some rigidity and emotional restraint. Such teenagers are characterized by increased fixation on their health.

Unstable type. The main characteristic of this type is the pronounced weakness of the volitional components of the personality. Lack of will manifests itself, first of all, in the educational or work activities of a teenager. However, in the process of entertainment, such teenagers can be highly active. Unstable adolescents also have increased suggestibility, and therefore their social behavior largely depends on their environment. Increased suggestibility and impulsiveness against the background of immaturity of higher forms of volitional activity often contributes to the formation of a tendency towards additive (dependent) behavior: alcoholism, drug addiction, computer addiction, etc. Unstable accentuation manifests itself already in the elementary grades of school. The child has a complete lack of desire to learn and exhibits unstable behavior. In the personality structure of unstable adolescents, inadequate self-esteem is observed, which is manifested in the inability to self-analysis, corresponding to the assessment of their actions. Unstable adolescents are prone to imitative activities, which makes it possible, under favorable conditions, to form socially acceptable forms of behavior in them.

Affectively labile type. An important feature of this type is extreme mood variability. Frequent mood changes are combined with a significant depth of their experience. From the mood at this moment The teenager’s well-being and ability to work depend on it. Against the background of mood swings, conflicts with peers and adults, short-term and affective outbursts are possible, but then quick repentance follows. During good mood Labile teenagers are sociable, easily adapt to new surroundings, and are responsive to requests. They have well-developed intuition, they are distinguished by their sincerity and depth of attachment to family, loved ones, and friends, and they deeply experience rejection from emotionally significant persons. With a friendly attitude from teachers and others, such teenagers feel comfortable and are active.

It should be noted that manifestations of psychopathic development do not always end with the full formation of psychopathy. For all forms of psychopathic behavior, provided early targeted Corrective action in combination (if necessary) with therapeutic measures can achieve significant success in compensating for deviant development in this category of children.

3. Children with early childhood autism syndrome.

Early childhood autism (ECA) is one of the most complex mental development disorders. This syndrome develops in its full form by the age of three. RDA manifests itself in the following clinical and psychological signs:

impaired ability to establish emotional contact;

stereotypical behavior. It is characterized by the presence of monotonous actions in the child’s behavior - motor (swinging, jumping, tapping), speech (pronouncing the same sounds, words or phrases), stereotypical manipulations of any object; monotonous games, stereotypical interests.

specific speech development disorders ( mutism, echolalia, speech cliches, stereotypical monologues, absence of first-person pronouns in speech, etc.), leading to a violation of speech communication.

Early childhood autism is also characterized by:

Increased sensitivity to sensory stimuli. Already in the first year of life, there is a tendency to sensory discomfort (most often to intense household sounds and tactile irritations), as well as a focus on unpleasant impressions. With insufficient activity aimed at examining the surrounding world and limiting diverse sensory contact with it, there is a pronounced “capture”, fascination with certain specific impressions - tactile, visual, auditory, vestibular, which the child strives to receive again and again. For example, a child’s favorite pastime for six months or more may be rustling a plastic bag, watching the movement of a shadow on the wall; the strongest impression may be the light of a lamp, etc. The fundamental difference in autism is the fact that a loved one almost never manages to join in the actions with which the child is “fascinated.”

A violation of the sense of self-preservation is observed in most cases before the age of one year. It manifests itself both in hyper-caution and in the absence of a sense of danger.

Violation of affective contact with the immediate environment is expressed by:

in the particular relationship to the mother's hands. Many autistic children lack anticipating posture (stretching arms towards an adult when the child looks at him). Such a child may also not feel comfortable in the mother’s arms: he either “hangs like a bag”, or is overly tense, resists caresses, etc.;

features of fixation of gaze on the mother's face. Normally, a child early shows an interest in the human face. Communication through gaze is the basis for the development of subsequent forms of communicative behavior. Autistic children are characterized by avoidance of eye contact (looking past the face or “through” the adult’s face);

features of an early smile. The timely appearance of a smile and its direction to a loved one is a sign of the successful and effective development of the child. The first smile in most autistic children is not addressed to a person, but rather in response to sensory stimulation that is pleasant for the child (inhibition, the bright color of the mother’s clothes, etc.).

features of the formation of attachment to a loved one. Normally, they manifest themselves as an obvious preference of one of the persons caring for the child, most often the mother, in experiences of separation from her. The autistic child most often does not use positive emotional reactions to express affection;

in difficulties in expressing a request. Many children normally develop a directed gaze and gesture at an early stage of development - extending their hand in the right direction, which at subsequent stages transformed into a pointing gesture. In an autistic child and at later stages of development, such a transformation of gesture does not occur. Even at an older age, when expressing his desire, an autistic child takes the adult’s hand and places it on the desired object;

difficulties in the child’s voluntary organization, which can be expressed in the following trends:

the absence or inconstancy of the baby’s response to an adult addressing him by his own name;

failure to follow the direction of an adult’s gaze with his eyes, ignoring his pointing gesture;

lack of expression of imitative reactions, and more often their complete absence; difficulty in organizing autistic children into simple games that require imitation and demonstration (“okay”);

the child’s great dependence on the influences of the surrounding “psychic field”. If parents show great persistence and activity, trying to attract attention, then the autistic child either protests or withdraws from contact.

Violation of contact with others, associated with the developmental features of the child’s forms of addressing an adult, is reflected in the difficulty of expressing one’s own emotional state. Normally, the ability to express one’s emotional state and share it with an adult is one of the earliest adaptive achievements of a child. It usually appears after two months. The mother perfectly understands the mood of her child and therefore can control it: comfort the child, relieve discomfort, calm him down. Mothers of autistic children often have difficulty even understanding the emotional state of their children.