Lethargy in a 5 year old child

Mental retardation in a child is a specific condition that implies a slow rate of formation of certain mental functions, namely the processes of memory and attention, mental activity, which are delayed in formation compared to established norms for a certain age stage. This disease is more often diagnosed in children at the preschool stage, during testing and checking them for mental maturity and readiness to learn, and is manifested by limited views, lack of knowledge, inability to engage in mental activity, immaturity of thinking, and the prevalence of playful and childish interests. If signs of underdevelopment of mental functions are found in children at the senior school age stage, then it is recommended to think about the presence of oligophrenia. Today, the slow development of mental functions and methods of corrective influence of this condition are an urgent psychoneurological problem.

What is retardation?

In serious cases, a person completely stops reacting to the surrounding atmosphere and remains in apathy or stupor for a long time. There are several types of inhibition:

comprehensive;
ideational (thinking);
motor (motor).

Retardation can be verbal and mental, that is, it has psychological causes.
Sluggish and untimely motor reactions are caused by motor retardation. Memory lapses may occur. In most cases, such conditions are caused either by illness, chronic fatigue, or psychological pathologies. Motor and emotional inhibition is a pathology, the causes of which only doctors can identify. They also prescribe adequate treatment. Pathological inhibition of thinking is also called bradypsychia. This is not inertia of thinking or apathy, but a broader concept. It often appears with age in older people, but is not uncommon in both children and young adults.

Causes and symptoms of motor retardation

Motor, as well as mental retardation, manifests itself as a result of psychological disorders, as well as various diseases.
Lethargy is sometimes or always felt in the patient's facial expressions and movements. The posture is usually relaxed; there is often a desire to sit down, lie down in bed, or lean on something. Severe motor retardation appears as a result of a stroke or cardiac pathology, when urgent hospitalization is necessary. People with mental disorders, parkinsonism, epilepsy, and chronic depression suffer from constant motor retardation. Such pathologies also require identification and therapeutic correction.

This symptom is also typical for children. It can be chronic in some neurovegetative disorders, for example, cerebral palsy, or appear spontaneously at high temperatures, after severe stress or impression. Lethargy in children often results from:

vascular pathologies of the brain;
endocrine pathologies;
meningitis;
psychological disorders;
epilepsy;
encephalitis;
severe stressful situations.

For any type of inhibition in a child: speech, motor, mental, consultation with several specialists and competent diagnosis is necessary. In most cases, this condition in children is corrected with medication or with the help of a psychologist.

Causes of mental retardation in a child

Today, the problems of mental development delay (MDD) of children all over the world are recognized by psychologists as one of the most pressing problematic issues of psychological and pedagogical orientation. Modern psychology identifies three key groups of factors that provoke a slow pace of formation of individual mental processes, namely, the peculiarities of the course of pregnancy and the birth process itself, and factors of a socio-pedagogical nature.

Factors associated with pregnancy usually include viral diseases suffered by women, for example, rubella, severe toxicosis, consumption of alcoholic beverages, tobacco smoking, exposure to pesticides, intrauterine oxygen deprivation of the fetus, and Rh conflict. The second group of provoking factors includes injuries received by infants during the birth process, asphyxia of the fetus or its entanglement with the umbilical cord, and premature placental abruption. The third group covers factors that depend on the lack of emotional attention and the lack of psychological influence on infants from the adult environment. This also includes pedagogical neglect and limitation of life activity for a long time. This is especially felt by children under 3 years of age. Also, in early childhood, the lack of a standard for inheritance provokes developmental delays in children.

A positive, favorable emotional climate of family relationships in which a child grows and is susceptible to educational influence is the foundation for his normal physical formation and mental development. Constant scandals and excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages, quarrels and domestic violence lead to inhibition of the child’s emotional sphere and a slowdown in the pace of his development. At the same time, excessive care can provoke a slow rate of formation of mental functions, in which the volitional component is affected in children. In addition, children who are constantly ill are often susceptible to this disease. Developmental inhibition can often be observed in babies who have previously suffered various injuries that affected the brain. Often the occurrence of this disease in children is directly associated with a delay in their physical development.

Diagnosis of lethargy

In case of psychological disorders, as well as physiological pathologies caused by inhibition of mental, motor or speech reactions, a thorough diagnosis is necessary, that is, a medical and psychological examination.
Such patients are examined by speech therapists, neurologists, psychiatrists, psychotherapists and other specialists. It is necessary to accurately determine whether there are brain disorders, whether the person has had head injuries or hereditary diseases. To determine the organic nature of the disease, the following is prescribed:

PET and MRI of the brain;
blood tests.

Diagnosis of written and oral speech is also carried out. Perhaps the person suffers from stuttering, defects in sound pronunciation, which lead to speech inhibition. The patient’s intellectual development, the state of sensory functions, general motor skills, and the condition of joints and muscles are also studied.

Treatment of lethargy

Activation of thought processes
. To do this, they read new books, master languages, engage in creativity or solve mathematical problems. Such actions train the brain and activate mental activity.
Neuroprotectors and nootropics
. Drug treatment aimed at restoring and strengthening nerve cells and tissues.
Vascular therapy
. The drugs help cleanse the walls of blood vessels, this is especially important for the brain. As a result, motor activity is activated, and mental retardation gradually recedes.
Psychotherapy.
It complements drug treatment. Modern methods of psychotherapy help to cope with the consequences of stressful situations, correct personal assessment, and form the correct models of response to certain moments.
Sports and fresh air.
Moderate physical activity and walks outside help the brain rest and nerve cells recover due to the additional flow of oxygen.

If the lethargy is temporary and caused by high fever, then you should take tablets or syrups that reduce the temperature. Temporary inhibition caused by medications and strong sedatives can be stopped by abandoning such drugs. Usually it passes without a trace, the body’s reactions are completely restored.

Inhibition of emotions and movements (video)

What is inhibition of emotions and movements?
How to correctly identify and treat pathology, we will learn the doctor’s recommendations from the video. Oksana Svetlichnaya

Hello! Tell me how to solve my problem. The fact is that my son is very slow. He is always digging around and because of this we are always late somewhere. How to teach a child to do everything quickly?

Modern man is forced to maintain an incredibly high pace of life. Speed is becoming more and more important - high-speed technology, high-speed Internet, even relationships have become “high-speed”...

It is not surprising that in such conditions many parents are worried about the slowness of their children. Watching the child “digging”, the parent experiences reasonable doubts - what if such a “leisurely” child cannot earn a place in the sun in the world of high speeds?

And the “correction” of the child begins - specialists offer parents a variety of correctional techniques, as well as an extensive arsenal of medications.

Faster, faster, even faster - we demand from slow children. But instead of the acceleration effect, we get stubbornness, hysterics, problems at school and other “joys”...

How to help a slow child?

A tall, stately woman entered the psychologist’s office. The subtle aroma of expensive perfume, a fashionable suit, high stiletto heels—the woman exuded vibes of success.

A boy entered after the woman. A plump, strong man, packed in a neat suit, timidly entered the office and stood in the doorway, glancing sullenly at the psychologist.

- Hello! “I have a problem,” the woman rushed straight away, sitting down in the chair. — My son is very slow. While he was little, I somehow didn’t pay attention to it. It was easier for me to help him get dressed and put on his shoes than to wait for him to get ready himself. But this year he went to school - and teachers began to complain that he was not doing anything. I don't know what to do with this...

The woman clicked the lock of her purse, took out a handkerchief, and closed the purse. She fiddled with the thin fabric in her hands, then opened her purse again and the handkerchief disappeared into it...

“I understand that the child needs my attention and needs additional work with him.” But I have so much work...

This short sketch shows what problems can arise if a skin mother raises a child with an anal vector. These children, by their nature, are the most dependent on their mother - for effective development, they need her to guide them, tell them what to do, and also praise them.

However, a skin mother sometimes does not see positive qualities in her anal child - through herself, she perceives the child as too slow, lacking initiative and indecisive. Where she would “do everything quickly,” the child “digs,” trying to delve into all the details and do everything, albeit not quickly, but at least with high quality. And this applies to everything from lacing your sneakers to going to the toilet.

Not understanding this desire for perfectionism and trying to mold the child in her own image, the skin mother involuntarily begins to urge him on, tug at him - and thereby drives the anal child into a stupor, aggravating the situation. But for him it is very important to bring every matter to its logical conclusion - otherwise the child begins to experience stress and the properties of his vector go negative: instead of obedience - stubbornness, instead of cleanliness and order - dirt, instead of caring for loved ones - sadism.

- Guys, hand in your notebooks! — The teacher looked around the class. The students were busy, began to pass notebooks... And only Vanya, from the last desk, looks thoughtfully out the window.

- Vanya, did you write everything? - the teacher called out to the thoughtful boy. He shuddered, looked around the class absent-mindedly, and lowered his eyes to the sheet of notebook, the virgin purity of which was violated by only one sentence.

“I haven’t finished writing it yet,” the boy was embarrassed.

- Well, why are you writing so slowly? — the teacher was indignant. The boy sighed heavily and grabbed the handle...

Children with a sound vector may seem slow and even inhibited. The erogenous (especially sensitive) zone of such children is the eardrum - these children have very sensitive hearing. Loud screams, sharp sounds, insults - all this causes physical discomfort to the child. In addition, children with a sound vector exist in two worlds at once, separated by their sensitive eardrum - external and internal, as real to them as the world around them.

Unfortunately, parents do not always take this feature into account and try to “stir up” a child with a sound vector by all available means, including screaming. But if a sound child is constantly shouted at and insulted, if there is constant noise in the house, he involuntarily tries to reduce the sensitivity of the erogenous zone - he “withdraws into himself”, becomes non-contact. In particularly severe cases, the development of autism spectrum disorder is possible.

Sound children experience certain difficulties in adapting to school, since there the hubbub and noise bombard their eardrums. The inability to focus on the inner world leads to the fact that these children experience constant stress.

In addition, the teacher with the skin vector evaluates the child through herself and does not understand that his slowness is explained by the fact that the child needs time to “emerge” from his inner world, realize the question, “dive” back, instantly solve the task and “surface” again to answer.

Taken together, all this leads to the fact that sound children, who have incredibly powerful intellectual potential, sometimes find themselves lagging behind, and their parents hear complaints that the child is sleepy, slow and does not keep up with other children.

The situation gets worse if the anal and sound vectors are combined - such a child grows up as an absolute introvert and seems phlegmatic, even inhibited. Despite this, they have a powerful potential generated by the combination of analytical thinking, characteristic of the anal vector, and the immense intelligence characteristic of the sound vector.

Such children are potential geniuses, but only if their properties are properly developed. By constantly tugging and urging “slow” children, imposing on them a rhythm of life that is unusual for them, we do not give the opportunity to develop their properties correctly - as a result, a potential genius can grow into a sadist and moral autistic.

Every child is given by nature from birth properties that allow him to grow up to be a happy person! Given - but not provided! And the main task of parents is to provide optimal conditions for the development of these properties.

Systems thinking makes it possible to approach education in a differentiated way - to develop those properties that are given to the child, and not those that we would like to see in him, feeling “through ourselves.”

Only by realizing this will we stop labeling our children as “too slow” or “hyperactive” and begin to raise a full-fledged Personality who enjoys life.

Tatyana Klishchenko answered the question

The article was written based on the training materials on system-vector psychology by Yuri Burlan

If you are lonely, Then your time has come, And the Crossroads of Seven Roads is waiting around the corner.

“Your child is mentally retarded. What will come of this?” - a strict teacher says to a confused parent about her child’s slow reaction. “He thinks about his own things in class. I asked a question - he doesn’t hear! He thinks about a basic question for half an hour! Where is this good? All the children have already thought a hundred times and given the answer, but he still thinks.” The teacher has no idea that for the first time a special child entered her first class. Child with sound vector.

Slow reaction time in a sound child

Sound children, both boys and girls, are very distinguished from other children by their slow reactions and calm behavior. They are quiet, silent, at recess they don’t yell with the other children, and they don’t push each other. They prefer to sit in class at a desk. They don't like recess, unlike other children. They like the lesson more. Because during recess everyone is yelling, but in class it’s quiet.

The academic performance of such children is not always good: they are not “knowledgeable” students, “nerds” and other excellent students who always pull their hand from the first desk. They may not be too interested in studying, sometimes they “get lost” by spending study hours playing on their mobile phone or isolating themselves from the outside world with headphones. During the first lessons, if you can see them, it’s more likely to be asleep, since it’s not typical for a sound student to wake up early. But he can play his games with interest long after midnight. These kids are typical night owls.

The sound person thinks longer than others about the question posed, which is why the reaction of such children seems slow. When contacting him, remember that he is a double introvert, he is focused on his thoughts. And in order to answer your question, the sound artist must lose his temper, hear your question, bring it inside himself, find a solution, lose his temper and give the answer out. You shouldn’t judge the sound engineer’s intellectual abilities by the speed of their response. By spending more time on these additional steps, he will eventually solve the problem with one thought in two minutes.

I liked it - put a “heart”:

“Let’s hurry up, otherwise we’ll be late for kindergarten again!”

- the mother begs, and the baby continues to hesitate. This problem is familiar to many adults. Someone forces children to finish breakfast or get dressed, urging them on with offensive words and even slaps on the head. Others redo everything themselves, leaving the mess alone. How to help a slow child and an irritated mother?

To choose the right approach to a solution, it is necessary to understand the reasons for this slowness. And they are not always on the surface. The problem is most often noticed by parents in preschool childhood, although the first signs can be tracked already in infancy.

This feature can cause a lag in learning and skill development, low concentration and absent-mindedness, a feeling of guilt due to regular comments and, as a result, neuroses. Therefore, identifying the source of sluggishness should be entrusted to a neurologist, psychologist or pediatrician.

Prevention

Unfortunately, there are no specific prevention methods. You should follow a rest and work schedule, protect yourself from nervous experiences and stress, and begin treatment for all diseases in a timely manner.

“Let’s hurry up, otherwise we’ll be late for kindergarten again!”

Where does slowness come from?

Sometimes this occurs against the background of a long illness. After restoration and improvement of immunity, the pace of the child’s activity is restored.
It can occur due to organic pathology of the brain resulting from an unfavorable pregnancy, difficult childbirth, or the birth of a premature baby.
Often excessive “inhibition” is just a period of normal development. In the early years (from 1.5 to 3 years), children are characterized by imperfect fine motor skills. Their fingers cannot cope with buttoning buttons or tying shoelaces.
Retraining left-handed people to become right-handed is also on the list of factors that help slow down the flow of mental processes.
A phlegmatic person is a classic example of a hoarder. He does not tolerate haste, is reasonable and thorough. Does not like innovations, chooses proven and familiar techniques. Waking up and getting ready becomes a real challenge for adults.
A decrease in overall activity is often associated with a stressful situation - moving, divorce, transfer to a new educational institution, domestic conflicts. The child's psyche simply cannot cope with the increased load.
Slowness is another form of manipulation by adults in a family with an authoritarian type of upbringing, strict requirements, strict punishments and continuous control. In this way, the child secretly protests against numerous instructions and orders.

So, to change the situation for the better, in some cases it is enough to improve relations between household members, wait until he grows up, or carry out vitamin therapy to promote a speedy recovery. Now let's discuss what to do if the baby is leisurely by nature, and this is in no way connected with upbringing in the family.

What do we have to do?

Buy an hourglass that clearly shows how time is passing. Encourage your child to get dressed or eat until the sand runs out. With the help of such a device, he will independently learn to monitor the speed of his actions and will try to finish all his tasks as quickly as possible.
Sometimes a son or daughter falls into a stupor because of the difficulty in switching to another activity. Give them some time to prepare: “Play with the construction set for five more minutes, and then we’ll have dinner and brush our teeth.” The warning will prepare them for the next task.
Most children feel calmer if they have a clear daily routine. For preschoolers who cannot yet read, it is useful to have a schedule with photographs that will show the sequence of actions: washing, dressing, breakfast, etc. This way you can significantly reduce the number of reminders, and the child will feel more confident.
Develop the mobility of the nervous system through daily work. This could be running, finger gymnastics, cycling, exercises with a skipping rope. For greater effect, switch from a slow rhythm of exercise to a fast one.
Pay special attention to the adaptation stages in educational institutions, because such children have an inherent fear of everything unknown. Be sure to tell teachers about the psychological qualities of your future student.
Planning is one of the best methods of dealing with the sluggishness of the baby and your irritation. If a student's morning routine seems to take half the day, prepare his clothes in the evening and make sure his backpack is packed and waiting at the door. Reduce the chaos and your emotional state will also return to normal.
Set clear time limits for your student to engage in certain activities. For example: “Dima, you have 20 minutes to have lunch.” After 15 minutes, gently remind them that the meal will end soon.
If a child has difficulty getting to school and is unable to master the educational material, you should help him at home. Analyze and repeat everything he goes through in class. Better yet, move forward on several topics to keep up with the teacher’s thoughts.
Constantly provide slow-moving children with unobtrusive support, showing genuine interest. They are very often unsure of their own skills and strengths, and also feel guilty for their slowness.

What not to do?

Do not give offensive nicknames. The phrases “moon”, “gimp”, “send for death” hurt your child. Treat him as if he already does almost everything on time (or at least tries).
Never compare slow kids with their more active peers. Draw an analogy with their past results: “Now you eat much faster!”
Refrain from participating in competitive games. Believe me, this will not bring good luck to the little one, because he painfully experiences any failure.
Firmly understand that slowness is not a fault, but a characteristic of a little man, so shouts, and especially punches, will not speed up his actions.

However, you should not think that a leisurely child will grow up to be a loser. Remember about age compensation and that you can help him adapt to the frantic rhythm of the world around him. And psychologists say that it is precisely from phlegmatic crumbs that calm and purposeful people most often emerge.

Why are some children slow?

Symptoms

The nature of the clinical picture, in this case, will entirely depend on the underlying factor.

When the brain and central nervous system are damaged, the following clinical picture may be present:

(hypersomnia), lethargy;
, which will intensify as the pathological process worsens. In more complex cases, pain relief is impossible even with painkillers;
memory impairment;
decreased quality of cognitive abilities;
the patient cannot concentrate on performing usual actions. What is noteworthy is that it is the professional skills that are retained;
sudden mood swings, traits appear in the patient’s behavior that were not previously characteristic of him, most often attacks of aggression are observed;
illogical perception of speech or actions addressed to him;
speech becomes slow, the patient may have difficulty finding words;
and, which is most often observed in the morning;
unstable blood pressure;

In a child, the general clinical picture with this kind of pathology may be complemented by moodiness, constant crying or, on the contrary, constant drowsiness and apathy for usual favorite activities.

It should be noted that the symptoms described above are also observed after. If you suspect that a person is having a seizure, you should call emergency medical attention and rush them to hospital. It is the urgency and coherence of primary medical measures after a stroke that largely determine whether a person will survive or not.

If the cause of a delayed reaction in an adult is a mental disorder, the following symptoms may be present:

or drowsiness, which is replaced by an apathetic state;
unreasonable attacks of aggression;
sudden change in mood;
causeless attacks of fear, panic;
suicidal mood, in some cases, actions in this direction;
state of chronic depression;
visual or auditory hallucinations;
nonsense, illogical judgments;
neglect of personal hygiene, sloppy appearance. At the same time, a person can be firmly confident that everything is fine with him;
excessive suspicion, the feeling that he is being watched;
deterioration or complete loss of memory;
incoherent speech, inability to express one’s point of view or specifically answer simple questions;
loss of temporal and spatial orientation;
feeling of constant fatigue.

You need to understand that this human condition can progress quickly. Even if the patient’s condition improves temporarily, it cannot be said that the disease has been completely eliminated. In addition, such a person’s condition is extremely dangerous both for him and for the people around him. Therefore, treatment under the guidance of a specialized doctor and in an appropriate institution is, in some cases, mandatory.