[Pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder]

The article presents a review of scientific publications devoted to the main psychotherapeutic approaches that have shown their effectiveness in correcting behavior in children with attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder (ADHD). The principles of psychotherapeutic methods are outlined to reduce the severity of the main symptoms of ADHD and improve the social adaptation of children with this disease. Approaches to the drug therapy of ADHD and the results of studies on the effectiveness of various drugs used to treat this pathology are considered.

[Disorders of social cognition in children]

The article presents an overview of scientific publications devoted to the study of social cognition as a separate cognitive function and its role in the formation of normal mental development. Modern ideas about the « theory of mind « and its neurobiological foundations are considered. The results of studies of social competence in children with autism, specific language impairment, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and specific learning disorder are presented. The main neurocognitive deficits observed in violation of social cognition in children and the possibility of their pharmacological correction are considered.

[Cognitive disorders in children with dyscalculia]

OBJECTIVE

This study was to study the features of cognitive disorders in children with dyscalculia.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The main study group included 48 children aged 8 to 10 years with manifestations of dyscalculia. The control group consisted of 30 children aged 8 to 10 years without manifestations of learning disabilities and other neuropsychiatric disorders. The following research methods were used in the work: the SNAP-IY scale for assessing concomitant manifestations of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the L.D. Malkova, «Working memory» technique for the quantitative assessment of working memory, TOVA computer test for the quantitative assessment of attention disorders and impulsiveness.

RESULTS

The study showed that only in 4 cases (8.3%) dyscalculia was of an isolated nature, without concomitant neuropsychiatric disorders. Most often, manifestations of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were recorded in children with dyscalculia - 33 (68.8%) children and manifestations of other learning disorders (dyslexia - 27 (56.3%) children, dysgraphia - 22 (45.8%) children). In 20 (41.7%) cases, children in the study group had asthenic symptoms. When comparing the results of working memory testing in the study group, the number of correct answers was significantly lower than in the control group. Indicators of the TOVA psychophysiological test in children with dyscalculia showed a statistically significant increase in the number of inattention errors both in the first and second half of the test, compared with children from the control group.

CONCLUSION

Thus, dyscalculia should be considered not only as a disorder of arithmetic skills, but also as a disorder based on multiple cognitive dysfunctions, such as working memory dysfunction, dysfunction of attention.

Neurological Aspects of the Sequelae of COVID-19 in Children

It has now been established that neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders persist for prolonged periods in a significant proportion of adult patients who have had COVID-19, though there is much less information about the manifestations of post-COVID syndrome (PCS) in children and adolescents. This review presents data on the features of the course of PCS in young patients, and considers the options for treating these patients. The results of studies on the use of Cortexin for correcting cognitive and emotional disorders are analyzed.

[Development of speech disorders in children]

The function of the formation of speech skills is decisive in the development of a child in communication and assimilation of information. Early pediatric diagnosis should become a routine practice of monitoring children from infancy to school age for the timely correction of speech disorders and associated dysgraphia and dyslexia. According to the ICD-10 classification, speech developmental disorders are divided into the following options: articulation impairment, delay in expressive and impressive speech. Articulation disorders, stuttering, impaired expressive speech are the most common and most favorable prognosis for speech therapy interventions. The data on the effectiveness of disorders of the receptive (impressive) language are ambiguous, since there is a high likelihood of a combination with neurogenetic diseases and autism. The development of speech therapy programs will make it possible to broader coverage of those in need of treatment, including complex course therapy with neuropeptides (cortexin).

[Behavioral disorders in children with specific language impairment]

OBJECTIVE

To study emotional and behavioral disorders in children with specific language impairment (SLI).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study group included 60 children with a diagnosis of specific expressive language impairment at the age of 4-6 years. The following methods were used to assess emotional and behavioral disorders: the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, the SNAP-IV scale, and the Questionnaire created by G.P. Lavrentieva and T.M. Titarenko. To objectify the severity of speech disorders, 10-point scales were used, assessing the level of comprehension of the addressed speech, the volume of the active vocabulary and the lexico-grammatical structure of speech. The control group consisted of 30 children of the same age without psycho-neurological disorders.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

Speech disorders in children are often combined with behavioral disorders (61.7%). Children with SLI have significant attention disorders, hyperactivity and difficulties in relationships with peers compared with the control group. A comparative study shows that combined SLI and behavioral disorders lead to a more severe course of speech impairment.

[Possibilities of neurotrophic therapy for delayed speech development]

The article provides an analysis of the possibility of neurotrophic therapy of delayed speech development (DSD) in 266 children who underwent dynamic clinical, laboratory, functional and neuropsychological examinations and received neurotrophic therapy. This study confirmed the effectiveness of neurotrophic therapy in the treatment of as isolated speech disorder (ISD) as well speech disorder in the structure of the general psychomotor developmental delay (PDD). The lack of effect in the use of neuroprotective therapy in every sixth child of the latter group can be a marker for the individualization of the treatment of each individual with an emphasis on non-drug rehabilitation methods. The use of cortexin in monotherapy in the treatment of delayed speech development is justified not only by its effectiveness in improving speech development and good tolerance, but also in connection with an improvement in behavior in children of the studied groups, which is possibly associated with a positive effect on mental activity in general, and on self-control function in particular.