Definition of school maturity. The concept of “school maturity”, methods of determination in children

Spring is the time to determine a child’s school maturity

Each new stage in a child’s life - admission tonursery, transition to kindergarten,starting school- gives the baby a lot of worries. Periodadaptation is often associated With considerable difficulties.

What awaits the child in the first days schooling

The beginning is of particular importance for a child.school life. About the degree of adaptationDoctors judge whether a first-grader meets school requirements based on his fatigue, academic performance and state of health. The first days of school are difficult sti for all children. Unusual mode pursuit as best as possible and fastercompleting teacher assignments can even lead to a child’s weight loss.

Some children overcome difficulties quite quickly, during the first quarter,associated with unfavorable changes in various functional systemsbody, physiological indicators quickly stabilize, operable- ity increases. These first-graders study successfully without compromising their health. However, for another part of the children the process of getting used to school is delayed for morelong-term time, often for the entire academic year and even longer. What are the reasonspainful adaptation of children to school?

Experts consider one of the most important functional inconsistency children's opportunities and school requirements. And it's not just about mental level development. Often with normal development intelligence observed in children time-permanent lag in the development of other functions so important for successful study. Due to the uneven pace of development of childcare systemsorganism and especially news living conditions level of functional readiness of children of the same chronological agegical age can vary significantly. Cause of schoolimmature a child's personality, as a rule, is a complex of unfavorable social andbiological factors.

What is school maturity?

First attempts to determine children's readiness to learn have been taken morehundred years ago. School maturity (a more precise definition is functional readiness to study at school) is nothing more than the necessary level of developmentchild's tia relevant functions (school-necessary), allowingfirst grader without harm to health, normal development and without excessive th stress to cope with school.

Insufficient school maturity, or functional unreadiness for learning V school, is most often determined not by a general, but by a partial lag in the development of functions that are involved in the learning process. First of all, this concerns thethe development of the child’s psyche, the speed and strength of the conditional connections that underlie training. Deal successfully with educational load the child can only that if he has the ability to analyze and synthesize the information received, he has a sufficiently high level of development of the second signal system, i.e. speech perception.

Essential for successful completion of school has wisdomchild speech development, he has no defects in sound pronunciation. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of such a factor as the voluntary regulation of mental activities.

At the initial stage of schooling is the weakest link in the mentalregulation is monitoring the implementation of the assigned tasks, distraction extraneous irritants. There is too much dependence on the influence of the environmentworld, it is still difficult for a child to foresee the results of his labor. Adults oftenco regard this as disobedience, although the child does not always deviate from given instructions due to unwillingness to follow them. He just doesn't know how yet, noknows how to restrain himself from actions disapproved by adults.

The science of “mastering yourself”one hundred seems too muchny task, since anatomymical and functionalreadiness of frontal departmentsbrain that are responsible for this activity, just formalized by seven years of life.

Braking ability is important for a certain time high motor ak-activity so characteristic children, and the ability to maintain a working posture. For mastering nia writing and drawing require a certain level of development of small muscleshands, coordination of movements of fingers.

If insufficient school maturity only caused children to lag behind instudies, then this problem would be considered pedagogical. However, students, especiallythose who, at the cost of excessive stress, try to fulfill the requirements of school,health suffers: they get sick more often, many develop neurosis, fear of school and reluctance to study.In order to avoid such a development,tiy, it is necessary to predict the child’s readiness for learning even before he admission to school.

Readiness of modern preschoolers to school

Currently the problem is schoolmaturity is relevant again. It's connected and with the beginning of children’s education at 6 years old, and with a decrease in the number of first-graders, due toattended preschool educational organizations, and with a significant deterioration the health status of the children's population, a decrease in functional capabilitiesdifficulties of children, and with increasing complexityeducational requirements imposed by the school. Exceptmoreover, despite the requirementon mandatory testing of the level of school educationlity of children entering the first grade, it is carried out most often when there is a competition for enrolling a child in school, for admission to educational institutions where training programs are usuallyincreased complexity.

As shown by the results of hygienicresearch among modern childrenIn the 7th year of life, school-age children make up more than 40%, which is three times more than the number of such children in the 1970s and twice as much as in the 1980s. Moreover, among the boys There are significantly more such children than among girls (48.6% versus 28.6%).These results were obtained withexamination of children attending preschool educational institutions. Paula- guy, that among preschoolers who do not attend kindergarten, their number will bemuch bigger.

Among children 6 years oldage, the number of “immature” is very large - almost half. The year that separates a 6-year-old child from a 7-year-old is very important for his development. During this period, as a rule, there issignificant jump inmental and physical development of children.

Successful start and continuation of schooling is impossibleif sufficientlevel of speech development. Normally correctsound pronunciation of allChildren master sounds by the age of five or six. Meanwhilestudies conducted by speech therapistsin 44 mass kindergartens in St.Petersburg, showed that defects sound pronunciations occurred in 52.5% of childrensix to seven years old. Auditory differentiation of sounds was impaired in 10.5% of pre-schoolchildren, phonemic analysis of words wasinaccessible to 25% of those surveyed,vocabulary lagged behind the age norm in 21.5%, i.e., in every fifth childbenka. 45.8% of children hadunformed visuospatial ideas that define mastering graphic images of letters. Soway, approximately half of the children entering the first grades of general education educational schools, is not ready to begin the systematic study of the Russian language due to the lag in speech development.

Evidence that half of childrenseven years old are not ready for schooltraining, neuropsychologists also cite.

Readiness diagnostics child to school

Using a variety of tests, the presence of certain characteristics is assessed. stick, indicating the mental and physical capabilities of learning at school. Among them there is also a rather simple one, the so-called filipino test (assessing the child’s ability to reach his left ear over his head with his right hand). Metho- dika is based on the fact that school maturity occurs, as a rule, simultaneouslybut with half height jump-increase growth rate limbs(in translation)turn of hands).

Thus, an easy-to-perform procedure for testing at the school level ismaturity allows the nurse or teacher to obtain a sufficiently clear a clear idea of ​​the future first-grader’s readiness for systematictraining sessions. At the same time, in the arsenal of medical workers there is a methodology approved by the Ministry of Health for determining the functionalreadiness to learn. It is set out in the methodological manual “Organization of medical monitoring of the development and health of preschoolers and schoolchildren atthe basis of mass screening tests and their improvement in kindergarten conditions,schools", M., 1993. The methodology is based on psychophysiological criteria,selected from research on function level development and closely related toacademic performance, performance and health dynamics of children in 1st grade.

The readiness of children to study at school is determined in a preschool institution or in a children's clinic (if the child does not attend kindergarten). We re- We recommend diagnosing school maturity twice. First time inOctober - November of the year preceding entry into school. This diagnosis is one of the fragments of an in-depth medical examination of children (routinemedical examinations). Thus, preschoolers who are lagging behind in the development of school-necessary functions (for example, those related to motor skills, speech) have the required amount of time to carry out corrective measures. If a child has defects in sound pronunciation, he is recommended to take classes at the speech therapist. The presence of a persistent speech defect in a 4-5 year old child is the basisto refer him to the speech therapy group of the kindergarten. Efficiency cor-recital classes, if they begin at this age, are significantly higher than the analogue logical activities with 6 year olds.

For children whose coordination of movements of their fingers is not sufficiently developed, systematic lessons in drawing, modeling, and design will help overcome this gap. It has been established that the greatest differences are in the degree of school education Loss in boys and girls is recorded in the level of motor development. What already It was noted that girls are more successful in performing tests that require a high level development of motor functions. They tend to have better motor coordinationfingers Therefore, girls at school have fewer problems with writing. work, they usually have better handwriting. Repeated diagnostics (in April - May) allows the final formation ofgive an opinion about the child’s readiness To learning at school. For different reasonsthe described procedure for determining a child’s level of readiness for schoolis not always observed. However, the realities of life are such that quite a lot6-year-old children sit at their desks.

Immaturity a child cannot be the reason for refusal of admission to school. But in this In this case, parents are responsible for his health.

Research in recent years convincingly shows that the beginningschooling before 7 years is accompanied by a complex of unfavorablepleasant factors. Insufficient level of development of higher mental functional functions hinders the successful educational activities of childrenka, which, in turn, negatively affects relationships withpeers and creates psychological and emotional discomfort, reduceslevel of educational motivation. And most importantly, health indicatorsthese children throughoutperiod of schooling is worse than that of their peersschoolchildren who entered school at the age of 7 and older.

M.I. Stepanova, Dr. med. sciences, head Laboratory of the Scientific Research Institute of Hygiene and Health Protection of Children and Adolescents of the Scientific Center for Children's Health of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences

Z.I.Sazanyuk, Ph.D. honey. Sciences, Ved. scientific employee of the Research Institute of Hygiene and Health Protection of Children and Adolescents of the Scientific Center for Health Protection of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences

determined by three main methods. School maturity- this is when a child reaches a certain level of mental development sufficient for systematic attendance at school.

Conventionally, methods for determining the level of “school maturity”, i.e. Assessment of school maturity is divided into three groups:

1) methods for determining the level of morphological development of a child,

2) methods for assessing psychophysical development,

3) methods for assessing mental functions and the motivational and personal sphere of the child.

A child is considered ready for school if, in terms of physical development, he corresponds to or is ahead of his passport age, has no medical contraindications, scored more than 20 points according to the test conversation, 3–9 points for the Kern-Irasek test, and has no phonemic perception disorders.

Assessment of school maturity using a test conversation. During the conversation, the psychologist receives information about the child’s general ideas, his ability to navigate simple life situations, and his situation in the family. A conversation is necessary to establish contact with the child and create an atmosphere of trust during the examination process. The psychologist, regardless of the child’s success, gives him positive, approving assessments and encourages him.
It is better for the psychologist to know in advance the composition of the family, the presence or absence of any of the parents.
At the end of the conversation, all information obtained from answering questions is analyzed, and special attention is paid to control questions.

Fragment of a test conversation to assess psychosocial maturity

Kern-Irasek test. Execution method

Assessment of school maturity using the Kern-Irasek test. The technique consists of three tasks:
1. Drawing written letters.
2. Drawing a group of points.
3. Drawing a male figure.

Drawing written letters

1 ) A child who does not yet know how to write is asked to copy the phrase “She has been given tea,” written in written(!) letters. If your child already knows how to write, then you should invite him to copy a sample of foreign words.

1 point – the copied phrase can be read. Letters are no more than 2 times larger than the sample. The letters form three words. The line is deviated from a straight line by no more than 30°.
2 points – the sentence can be read. The letters are close in size to the sample. Their slimness is not required.
3 points – letters are divided into at least two groups. You can read at least 4 letters.
4 points – at least 2 letters are similar to the samples. The whole group looks like a letter.
5 points – doodles.

Image of a group of points

2) The child is given a form with a picture of a group of dots.

1 point – exact reproduction of the sample. Dots are drawn, not circles. Any minor deviations of one or more points from a row or column are allowed. There can be any reduction in the figure, but an increase is possible no more than twice.
2 points – the number and location of points corresponds to the given pattern. Deviation of no more than three points from a given position can be ignored. It is acceptable to depict circles instead of dots.
3 points – the drawing generally corresponds to the sample, no more than twice its length and width. The number of points does not necessarily correspond to the sample (however, there should not be more than 20 and less than 7). Deviation from the specified position is not taken into account.
4 points – the outline of the drawing does not correspond to the sample, although it consists of individual dots. The dimensions of the sample and the number of points are not taken into account at all.
5 points – doodles.

Drawing evaluation

3) When assessing a person’s drawing, the following is taken into account:
– presence of main parts: head, eyes, mouth, nose, arms, legs;
– the presence of minor details: fingers, neck, hair, shoes;
– a way of depicting arms and legs: with one or two lines, so that the shape of the limbs is visible.
1 point – there is a head, torso, limbs, neck. The head is no larger than the body. On the head there is hair (hat), ears, on the face there are eyes, nose, mouth. Hands with five fingers. There is a sign of men's clothing. The drawing is made in a continuous line (“synthetic”, when the arms and legs seem to “flow” from the body.
2 points - compared to what was described above, the neck, hair, one finger of the hand may be missing, but no part of the face should be missing. The drawing was not made in a “synthetic way”. The head and torso are drawn separately. Arms and legs are “stuck” to them.
3 points – there is a head, torso, limbs. Arms and legs should be drawn with two lines. There is no neck, hair, clothes, fingers, or feet.
4 points – a primitive drawing of a head with limbs, depicted on one line. According to the principle “stick, stick, cucumber - here comes the little man.”
5 points – lack of a clear image of the torso, limbs, head and legs. Scribble.

Child's readiness for school

A child’s intellectual readiness for school lies in a certain outlook, a stock of specific knowledge, and an understanding of basic laws. Curiosity, a desire to learn new things, a fairly high level of sensory development must be developed, as well as figurative representations, memory, speech, thinking, imagination, i.e. all mental processes. An important indicator of the maturation of the child’s bodily regulation systems is the formation of the ability for complexly coordinated motor activity. The most interesting among others is the indicators of the development of fine motor skills of the hands.

By the age of 6–7 years, a normally developing child is able to

By the age of 6–7 years, a normally developing child is able to: perform horizontal and vertical shading with a pencil, copy the simplest geometric shapes, observing their sizes and proportions, and is capable of writing and drawing. By the first grade, the child must have developed attention: 1. He must be able not to be distracted for 10–15 minutes. 2. Be able to switch attention from one type of activity to another.

School maturity is understood as a special degree of morphofunctional development of children, which is capable of ensuring a comprehensive adaptation of his body to systematic educational activities without harming his health. School maturity is judged by anthropometric indicators, the functional state of various organs and systems of the body (heart rate, blood pressure, metabolic rate), the level of mental performance, the development of speech, motor skills, and voluntary attention.

The most important indicator of a child’s readiness for school is the development of the second signaling system. If in 3-4 year old children the first signaling system prevails and has an inhibitory effect on the second, then in 6-7 year olds the activity of the second signaling system increases, which has an inhibitory effect on the first signaling system. Consequently, by the age of 6-7 years, reactivity to verbal stimuli improves, which has a beneficial effect on the perception of new educational material.

A functional manifestation of the morphological maturation of the cortical structures of the brain, and, consequently, mental development, is the strengthening of the relationship between the parietal, occipital and frontal areas of the cortex. A leap in the development of these connections is observed by the age of 7.

Traditionally, there are three aspects of school maturity: intellectual, emotional and social.

Intellectual maturity is the ability to concentrate attention, the ability to grasp the basic connections between phenomena (analytical thinking); this is differentiated perception (for example, the ability to distinguish a figure from the background), the ability to reproduce a pattern, as well as a sufficient level of development of visual-motor coordination. A criterion for intellectual readiness is also the child’s developed speech. We can say that intellectual maturity reflects the functional maturation of brain structures.

Emotional maturity is the ability to regulate one’s behavior, the ability to carry out a not very attractive task for quite a long time.

Social maturity includes the child’s need to communicate with peers and the ability to communicate, as well as the ability to play the role of a student. All of the above is psychological readiness for learning in a school environment.

This is the foundation on which knowledge and skills are built. If there is no foundation, which is the formation of the listed categories, then the superstructures in the form of acquired knowledge, skills (learning to count, read, etc.) will crumble like a house of cards.

A child who is not ready for school cannot concentrate on the lesson, he is often distracted, loses the thread of explanation, and is unable to join the general rhythm of the class. Although my main job is working with preschool children, I also have to work with schoolchildren. Basically, these are children who have problems learning in primary school. Very often, such children have poorly developed coherent speech - they do not know how to ask questions, compare objects, phenomena, or highlight the main thing. A child who is poorly prepared for school has no interest in learning, does not strive for creativity, but is prone to stereotyped decisions, and does not show initiative.

One of the most commonly used tests for school maturity is the Kern test as modified by Irasek. It consists in the fact that children are asked to complete three tasks: draw a person, copy a phrase of three short words and draw 10 dots arranged in the shape of a pentagon. Each assignment is graded. The highest score is 1, the worst is 5. The sum of the scores for all three tasks gives the total score. For mature children, the overall score is 3-5 points, for moderately mature children - 5-9 points, for immature children - 10 points or more.

The use of this test allows you to assess the level of mental development of the child, the degree of development of coordination of movements, thinking and the ability to act purposefully. The degree of school maturity, which is determined by this test, correlates well with the degree of maturity according to somatic indicators, that is, according to indicators of the activity of various organ systems of the body.

According to this test, there are three groups of children: mature, moderately mature and immature. At the age of 5 years, 90% of children are classified as immature, at 6 years old - 51%, at 6.5 years old - 32%, at 7 years old - 13%, at 8 years old - 2%. At the age of 5.5-6.5 years, a greater number of immature children are observed among boys. At 7 years old, the number of immature children is divided equally among boys and girls. Immature children adapt less well to new conditions that are typical for school life. They have lower mental performance, greater fatigue, and a longer period of adaptation to educational activities. This requires special attention when examining children a year before entering school.

The second way to determine a child’s physical readiness for school workloads is the Philippine test: with the child’s head in a vertical position, his right hand is placed across the middle of the crown. The hand should be close to the head, and the fingers of the hand should be extended towards the earlobe. If the fingertips reach the edge of the ear, the test is considered positive: the child’s body is ready to start school.

Based on the survey results, it is necessary to conduct conversations with parents, inform them about the need to improve the lives of children and organize proper upbringing, since school immaturity may be caused by factors such as the low cultural level of parents and poor living conditions.

Early start of school does not have a negative impact on the formation of the mental and physical functions of the developing organism. But for six-year-old first-graders, a special organization of the daily routine is necessary: ​​shorter lesson duration, increased physical activity, daytime sleep, balanced nutrition, and prolonged exposure to the air.



School immaturity

the child’s unpreparedness for adequate adaptation to school requirements, the reasons for which are the discrepancy between the degree of maturation of certain brain structures and neuropsychic functions with the conditions and tasks of school education. The definition of school immaturity coincides with a specific age - the moment the child enters school. During this period, active anatomical and physiological maturation of the body occurs at the level of both brain structures and tissues and organs. Physical endurance increases, large muscles are well developed, small muscles are somewhat behind in development. The basic properties of nervous processes are almost similar in their functional characteristics to the properties of adults. The ability for stable voluntary control of one’s behavior, planning and programming of actions appears. The functional significance of the second signaling system increases, the word acquires a general meaning, similar to what it has in adults.

Insufficient functional maturity potentially poses a risk both in terms of program assimilation and in terms of low performance, lack of voluntary regulation of behavior and increased morbidity.

Signs of school immaturity are: a) rapid satiety with intellectual loads while maintaining activity in game forms of learning, b) lack of interest in abstract (abstract) concepts, c) insufficient understanding of spatial relationships, d) predominance of external (game) motives for activity, e) lack of cognitive and educational interests. Children suffering from school immaturity inadequately assess the conditions of the school situation and disciplinary requirements, often commit actions that are not related to the lesson, and experience difficulties in managing their actions and subordinating their activity to the requirements of the educational situation. Depending on the severity of school immaturity, we can distinguish general school immaturity - unpreparedness for schooling in general and specific, implying the immaturity of a certain area of ​​mental development (intellectual, emotional-volitional, motivational) to fulfill the functional loads of schooling.

School immaturity is determined by the determination of two main factors: borderline intellectual deficiency and the immaturity of the emotional-volitional properties of the child’s personality. In this case, the leading factor is the immaturity of the emotional-volitional sphere, which is combined in various ways with intellectual deficiency. Unstable attention, increased exhaustion and other deviations in the regulation of voluntary forms of activity interfere with the normal course of cognitive processes.

With proper organization of education in children with school immaturity, by the age of 10, signs of intellectual disability are significantly reduced, and in 66% of cases, full compensation of borderline intellectual deficiency occurs and the elimination of school failure. At the same time, the immaturity of the emotional-volitional properties of the individual in the future, especially in combination with emotional instability of an organic or age-related nature, can progress, often giving way to personal disharmony and ending with the formation of character accentuations of a predominantly demonstrative, unstable or excitable type. In the classroom, children with school immaturity of the emotional-volitional type often find themselves in the role of being rejected or isolated, which also contributes to the formation of disharmony in the student’s personal development, a decrease in educational motivation, and the formation of problems in learning and education of the so-called “secondary circle.”

Psychodiagnostic techniques used to determine the degree of functional readiness for school (S. N. Kostromina, 2008):

1) for diagnosing verbal-logical thinking, the Zambatsyavichene method (modified for children 6–7 years old, the Amthauer test) and visual-figurative thinking “Labyrinth” by D. B. Elkonin or the method of D. Wexler;

2) to diagnose the level of memory development, the “10 words” technique;

3) to diagnose the level of development of voluntariness using the “Graphic Dictation” technique by D. B. Elkonin, the ability to act according to the model of the “House” technique (a subtest from the Kern-Jirasek test), the ability to navigate the system of requirements using the “Pattern” technique by L. I. Tsehanskaya;

4) to diagnose the pace of activity and performance characteristics, Ilyin’s tapping test (adapted for children 6–7 years old).

From the book Great Soviet Encyclopedia (GI) by the author TSB

From the book Petersburg in street names. Origin of names of streets and avenues, rivers and canals, bridges and islands author Erofeev Alexey

SCHOOL STREET Since 1901, this street ran from Shishmarevsky to Serebryakov Lane and was called the 7th line of Novaya Derevnya. In parallel, there were two more names - New and 3rd Guseva Street. 1st Guseva was modern Dibunovskaya Street, 2nd Guseva or simply

From the book England. A one-way ticket author Volsky Anton Alexandrovich

From the book Handbook of a School Psychologist author Kostromina Svetlana Nikolaevna

Maladjustment is a set of signs indicating a discrepancy between the sociopsychological and psychophysiological status of a student and the requirements of the school learning situation, the mastery of which for a number of reasons becomes difficult or, in extreme cases,

From the author's book

Mental infantilism (personal immaturity) is a lag in personality development, expressed in the preservation of traits of a younger age: lack of independence, increased suggestibility, constant desire for pleasure, predominance of gaming motivation,

From the author's book

School anxiety is a constant or situational state of increased anxiety, a feeling of fear and threat expressed by a student in situations related to learning (for example, tests, examination tests, increased emotional or physical

From the author's book

School failure is various deviations in a student’s educational activities, which are either directly or indirectly related to the student’s academic performance. Three options for school failure can be distinguished: “general and deep lag in learning” (18.1% of all

From the author's book

School phobia is a neurotic condition accompanied by symptoms of a health disorder that arise before going to school and allow one to avoid it. Outwardly, this condition is similar to the manifestation of school anxiety and symptoms of deviant behavior

– discrepancy between the level of development of certain brain structures and mental functions with the requirements of school education. It is manifested by immaturity of visual-motor coordination, fine-motor movements, logical thinking, insufficient arbitrariness of behavior and cognitive processes, social immaturity, and focus on gaming activities. Diagnosis is carried out using clinical, psychodiagnostic, and neuropsychological methods. Treatment is based on corrective measures, supplemented by drug therapy.

General information

School immaturity is defined as insufficient formation of one or more components of psychological preparedness for school. It is a mistake to associate this condition with a general developmental delay or intellectual disability. Psychological readiness to learn includes a certain level of development of mental functions, cognitive interest, the ability to voluntarily regulate one’s own actions, understanding and accepting the student’s position. School immaturity is called low, insufficient functional readiness for school. According to various sources, the prevalence of the phenomenon among first-graders is 10-12%.

Causes of school immaturity

Psychological unpreparedness for the learning process is formed on the basis of biological and social factors. Often physiologically slow maturation of the central nervous system is combined with unfavorable environmental conditions. The reasons for school immaturity include:

• Prenatal and natal complications. Severe toxicosis, fetal hypoxia, intrauterine infections, intoxication, injuries during pregnancy and childbirth negatively affect the subsequent development of the child. Minimal brain dysfunction manifests itself during a crisis period—when entering school.
• Somatic diseases. Long-term, chronic and severe acute pathologies slow down the processes of mental and physical development. Somatically weakened children experience difficulties in assimilating new information and adapt less well to environmental changes.
• Pedagogical neglect. Insufficient functional readiness for learning may be the result of unfavorable material and living conditions, an asocial lifestyle of parents, hypoprotection, and ineffective pedagogical tactics. The lack of external stimuli for development slows down the maturation of the nervous system.

Pathogenesis

The basis of psychological unpreparedness for school is insufficient maturity of brain structures. As a rule, the frontal, parietal, and temporal regions are functionally underdeveloped. Clinically, this is manifested by a violation of the functions of programming and control of activity, auditory-speech, spatial perception, and instability of basic emotions. Immaturity of the nervous system can be caused by biological and environmental influences. The most vulnerable period is the transition period from preschooler to schoolchildren. This age stage is sensitive to the development of higher mental functions, the formation of social skills, and is combined with an increased stress load - entering school. Over time, the severity of the clinical picture decreases: the child gradually adapts to the educational process and rules of behavior, and in parallel, the functional mechanisms of the central nervous system mature.

Classification

School immaturity consists of a number of components according to which classification is made. Depending on the predominant clinical manifestations, four types are distinguished:

• Socio-psychological. Characterized by a low need for communication, inability to cooperate, and obey norms and rules. The child experiences difficulties establishing contacts with teachers and peers.
• Intelligent. There are no initial skills necessary for educational activities: the child does not know how to hold a pencil, does not focus on the space of the sheet, does not concentrate on information from the teacher. Visual-figurative thinking, imagination, memory, and fine motor movements are insufficiently developed.
• Personal. A positive attitude towards student activities, school, and teachers has not been formed. There is no perception of oneself as a student. It is difficult for a child to manage his behavior and emotions in accordance with the norms and rules of the school.
• Motivational. The child is game-oriented and has no educational motives. The ability to limit desires and overcome difficulties is not developed. There is no understanding of the importance and necessity of teaching.

Symptoms of school immaturity

Schoolchildren with a low level of functional readiness have difficulty mastering and fulfilling the requirements, have poor academic performance, and are extremely undisciplined. Children are late for lessons, get up from their seats during class, are distracted by conversations, games, drawing, often do not “hear” the teacher, and react to comments with aggression and unreasonable laughter. Voluntary attention is unstable, concentration on a task is short-lived. Difficulty understanding instructions and task conditions.

Insufficient development of fine motor skills, coordination of hand movements and visual control, inability to follow a pattern is manifested by difficulties in developing reading and writing skills. Children take a long time to master spelling, make many mistakes, and have sloppy handwriting. In combination with insufficient development of voluntariness and learning motivation, this leads to refusal to complete assignments, absenteeism, and rude attitude towards teachers. Independent work is impossible. Mastering the curriculum is carried out with the constant organizing and guiding assistance of an adult.

A low level of discipline and inability to establish interpersonal contacts contribute to the formation of an outcast position. Children with school immaturity have few friends, since most peers accept the social position of a schoolchild and strive to be diligent and academically successful. The reaction to rejection by classmates can become passive-indifferent, negative-protest, demonstrative-protest. Children isolate themselves from others, do not participate in games, or react aggressively - they take away toys, break pencils, tear pages of notebooks and textbooks.

Complications

School immaturity without special correction forms educational failure. On the one hand, this is facilitated by insufficiently developed fine motor skills, unformed phonemic hearing, distractibility of attention, on the other hand, conflicts with peers, teachers, and reluctance to follow the regime of the educational institution. Emotional and behavioral immaturity is reinforced through relationships with teachers and peers. The position of a “low student”, “truant”, “outcast” is formed. By adolescence, the traits of demonstrative, excitable, and unstable character types are fixed. Deviant behavior is formed, social disadaptation is increasing - teenagers drink alcohol, drugs, and commit criminal acts.

Diagnostics

Diagnosis of school immaturity is carried out by a clinical psychologist, neuropsychologist, or psychiatrist. In case of neurological and other somatic diseases, examination by a neurologist or pediatrician is recommended. A specific examination includes a number of procedures:

• Clinical conversation. The psychiatrist conducts a survey of the parent’s complaints, collects anamnesis, and extracts reports from specialists (neurologist, otolaryngologist, ophthalmologist). When talking with a child, he assesses the level of intellectual, emotional and personal development, and social competence.
• Psychodiagnostics. Psychologists use complex tests and diagnostic programs aimed at identifying various components of school immaturity. The following methods are common: “Express diagnostics of readiness for school learning” (“Genesis”), “Kern-Jirasek School Maturity Test”, “Ability to learn at school” (G. Witzlak).
• Neuropsychodiagnostics. The examination reveals the root causes of the problem - the immaturity of individual brain centers. Neuropsychological tests of various types are used - to assess spatial gnosis, praxis, auditory-verbal perception and other functions.

Differential diagnosis of mental retardation in mental retardation, dementia, organic brain lesions, and specific behavioral disorders is important. The main sign of psychophysiological unreadiness is that behavior and emotions are adequate to an earlier period of development (not pathological), the deficiency of cognitive functions is mild and can be corrected.

Treatment of school immaturity

The main goal of therapy is to correct the lag in intellectual, emotional, motivational, behavioral, volitional, and motor development. Treatment includes:

• Psychological and pedagogical correction. The educational institution creates special conditions that promote the “maturation” of the student. They take the form of classes with a school psychologist, speech therapist, and additional classes with the class teacher.
• Behavioral training. If social, motivational, or personal immaturity is dominant, children are recommended to attend group classes with a psychotherapist. In the form of games and exciting exercises, cooperation and communication skills are developed, and “trying on” the role of a student.
• . The specialist draws up an individual program taking into account the results of the examination. Classes are aimed at developing and stimulating the maturation of certain parts of the brain.
• Taking medications. The question of the need to use medications is decided individually with a psychiatrist or neurologist. Nootropics, amino acids, and tranquilizers are prescribed.

Prognosis and prevention

An adequate correctional program and an individual approach from teachers help eliminate school immaturity within 1-2 years. The prognosis is most favorable in the absence of concomitant diseases. Prevention is based on maintaining the health of a woman during pregnancy and the child in the first years of life, creating optimal conditions for his mental and physical development. It is important for parents to demonstrate a positive attitude towards school. Entering the first grade should be a long-awaited, joyful event; the future position of a schoolchild should be considered as an opportunity to gain new knowledge and make friends.