Manifestations and treatment of minimal brain dysfunction in children. Is mmd dangerous in children and how to treat it

1. What is minimal brain dysfunction (MMD)?

First, MMD is associated with a consequence of early brain damage in children. Of course, some of the parents may be quite aware of what it is, but there are probably mothers among the readers who know little about minimal brain dysfunction and have not yet thought about what it leads to.

It sounds serious enough, I agree, but it’s true that they say that “he who is armed is protected”, in this context, it is the parent who knows what kind of help his child needs if the neurologist puts minimal brain dysfunction. Let's try to start delving deeper into this topic.

In the 1960s, the term became widespread. "minimal brain dysfunction" MMD. Minimal brain dysfunction is expressed in the age-related immaturity of higher mental functions (attention, memory, thinking). MMD is associated with difficulties in learning, social adaptation, emotional disorders, behavioral disorders that are not associated with severe intellectual development disorders. MMD in children manifests itself in the form of psychological developmental disorders, these include: the formation of writing skills (dysgraphia), reading (dyslexia), counting (dyscalculia), speech development disorders, developmental disorders of motor functions (dyspraxia); behavioral and emotional disorders include: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, behavioral disorders. MMD is the most common form of neuropsychiatric disorders in childhood, which, according to statistics, unfortunately, occurs in one in three of our children.

2. How MMD manifests itself at different ages.

Neurologists usually make the diagnosis of MMD already in the first months of a child's life, during this period parents should pay attention to the presence of increased excitability in a child, sleep disturbances, unmotivated unreasonable crying, excessive motor activity, increased muscle tone, tremor of various parts of the body, redness or marbling of the skin. integument, increased sweating, feeding difficulties and gastrointestinal disturbances.

Aged from 1 year to 3 years in children with MMD, increased excitability, motor restlessness, sleep and appetite disturbances, weak weight gain, some lag in psychoverbal and motor development are often noted.

By the age of 3, attention is drawn to increased fatigue, motor awkwardness, distractibility, motor hyperactivity, impulsivity, stubbornness, and negativism. Often there is a delay in the formation of neatness skills (enuresis, encopresis). Symptoms of MMD increase by the beginning of attending kindergarten (at the age of 3 years) or school (6-7 years). This pattern may be associated with the inability of the central nervous system (CNS) to cope with the new demands placed on the child in terms of increased mental and physical stress.

The maximum severity of MMD manifestations often coincides with critical periods of psychoverbal development in children. The first period includes the age of 1-2 years, when there is an intensive development of cortical speech zones and the active formation of speech skills. The second period falls on the age of 3 years. At this stage, the child's stock of used words increases, phrasal speech improves, attention and memory actively develop. At this time, children with MMD show a delay in the development of speech and impaired articulation. The third critical period refers to the age of 6-7 years and coincides with the beginning of the formation of writing skills (writing, reading). Children with MMD at this age are characterized by the formation of school maladaptation and behavioral problems.

3. How to recognize MMD on your own?

We can say that the causes of MMD are diverse, these are:

pathology of pregnancy and childbirth (severe pregnancy);

toxicosis of the first half of pregnancy (especially the first trimester);

risk of miscarriage;

this is the harmful effect on the body of a pregnant woman of chemicals, radiation, vibration, infectious diseases, certain microbes and viruses;

this is a violation of the timing of pregnancy (the baby is born premature or overdue), prolonged labor with stimulation of labor, accelerated, rapid labor, lack of oxygen (hypoxia) due to compression of the umbilical cord, asphyxia, entanglement of the umbilical cord around the neck, caesarean section, birth trauma;

infectious, cardiovascular and endocrine diseases of the mother;

incompatibility of the blood of the fetus and mother by the Rh factor;

mental trauma of the mother during pregnancy, stress, physical activity;

a child under one year old has suffered an infectious disease, accompanied by various complications, has been injured or has undergone surgery.

This all suggests that, unfortunately, your child belongs to the risk group!!!

4. Ways to help a child with MMD.

If you recognize MMD in a child, then you understand that he, like no one else, needs the attention of specialists and early medical, psychological and pedagogical support.

What specialists do the child need first of all:

neurologist;

neuropsychologist;
speech pathologist-defectologist;
teacher speech therapist
Doctors, a neurologist and a pediatrician will help you choose an adequate course of medical treatment for your child.

A speech pathologist will help develop your child's cognitive and speech spheres, select an individual program for correcting delays in psychoverbal and mental development, and help children with intellectual disabilities.

A neuropsychologist will conduct an express diagnosis of a preschooler's readiness for school, a diagnosis of the development of higher mental functions (attention, memory, thinking) and the emotional and personal sphere. It will help to understand the reasons for the child’s school failure and conduct remedial classes, develop an individual program for correcting the child’s cognitive sphere (development of attention, memory, thinking), help understand the reasons for the child’s bad behavior and select an individual or group form of behavior correction and emotional-personal sphere. Teach you new ways to respond to and communicate with your child. What will give you the opportunity to better understand your child, to be closer to him and more effective as a parent, and the child will give the opportunity to become successful in society, mature and developed.

A speech therapist will select an individual program for the correction of speech developmental disorders, help to understand what the problem of a speech disorder is in a child, and form writing, reading and counting skills.

ENT will reveal diseases of the ENT organs (ear, throat, nose).

What distinguishes a child with functional disorders in the brain or (MMD, ZPRR) from normally developing children:

Delay and impaired speech development.

Problems of teaching at school.

Rapid mental fatigue and decreased mental performance (while general physical fatigue may be completely absent).

Sharply reduced possibilities of self-management and arbitrary regulation in any kind of activity.

Behavioral disorders from lethargy, drowsiness in solitude, to motor disinhibition, randomness, disorganization of activities in a crowded, noisy environment.

Difficulties in the formation of voluntary attention (instability, distractibility, difficulty concentrating, distributing and switching attention).

Decrease in the amount of RAM, attention, thinking (the child can keep in mind and operate with a limited amount of information).

Unformed orientation in time and space.

Increased motor activity.

Emotional-volitional instability (irritability, irascibility, impulsiveness, inability to control one's behavior in the game and communication).

Dear parents, if your child is in the "risk group" and has an unfavorable neurological status, he needs early help, support and prevention of developmental disorders, which combines psychological, pedagogical and drug treatment. Your child will be helped by such specialists as: a neurologist, a speech pathologist and a psychologist.

In our time, all these problems can be overcome, with the timely appeal of parents to specialists and the provision of joint comprehensive assistance to your child. There are enough ways to help now to help your child grow harmoniously and develop his potential.

There are various psychological programs for individual and group assistance to children with MMD, which are aimed at:

decrease in motor activity in children during the educational process;

increasing the communicative competence of the child in the family, in kindergarten and school.

development of skills of distribution of attention, motor control;

learning self-regulation skills (the ability to control oneself and constructively express one's emotions);

formation of skills of constructive communication with peers;

formation of the ability to control the impulsiveness of their actions;

recognizing your strengths and using them more effectively.

the formation of parents' ideas about the characteristics of children with manifestations of hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder.

Every caring parent in the depths of his soul knows for sure that an early appeal for qualified help will prevent and avoid many problems in the development of the child and prevent the difficulties that the child will face while studying at school.

I know that parents who love and feel their children, which are the majority, always think about the future of their children and provide them with timely support, without postponing important issues for later.

The term "minimal brain dysfunction in modern medicine" appeared only in the middle of the last century. This syndrome manifests itself as dysregulation of different levels of the central nervous system. Such disturbances lead to changes in the emotional and vegetative system. The syndrome can be diagnosed in adults, but, in the vast majority of cases, it is observed in children.

It is interesting! According to some data, the number of children with minimal brain dysfunction is 2%, and according to another - 21%. This contradiction suggests that there is no clear clinical description of this syndrome.

According to the views of neurologists of the 21st century, the term "minimal brain dysfunction" does not exist, and in the ICD-10 it corresponds to a group of disorders called "Hyperkinetic behavioral disorders" under the code F90.

But, rather out of habit, doctors and patients continue to operate with the old concept.

What is this diagnosis - minimal brain dysfunction syndrome (MMD)

This disease has its roots in early childhood. Beginning in early childhood, patients will experience mild learning and behavioral disturbances. Most often they are the result of birth trauma. If the disease is started at school age, then in adulthood it will give serious problems. Among these problems will be difficulties in learning and social adaptation, the development of psychopathic disorders.

In the ICD-10, this syndrome is under the heading "Emotional and behavioral disorders beginning in childhood or adolescence". It is also found in the subsections "Hyperkinetic Behavior Disorder" and "Violation of Activity and Attention".

Main symptoms

Depending on when the disease is diagnosed, and whether treatment was carried out after the diagnosis, the symptoms will be different.

MMD in children

It is not so difficult to notice the presence of minimal brain dysfunction in a child. Children with the syndrome will have behavioral and learning problems from the first grade.. Often such children also suffer from impaired speech skills and motor skills, have atypical neurotic reactions. Such children quickly get tired of any kind of activity, they are irritable and suffer from increased excitability.

If any 8 symptoms from this list are present, MMD can be diagnosed:

Constant movements of arms and legs, inability to sit in one place for a long time.
Frequent loss of necessary things, both at school and at home.
When it is necessary to sit quietly for a long time, the child simply cannot do this.
It seems that the child does not hear that they are turning to him and asking for something.
The child is distracted by external stimuli quickly and easily.
Interrupts others and bothers adults and children.
Cannot wait long for breaks in group classes.
Talks non-stop.
He begins to answer before he has heard the end of the question.
Does not realize the possible consequences when involved in risky games. Maybe he himself is the initiator of such games.
When solving tasks, he has difficulties that are not related to understanding the natural essence of the problem.
Can't play alone in silence.
Cannot concentrate on games or doing one task for a long time.
Without completing one task, he is already moving on to the next.

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Manifestation in adults

Impaired motor function, often referred to as "clumsiness".
Inability to learn something new.
The inability to sit in one place, I want to at least fidget.
The mood changes quickly and for no apparent reason.
There is a deficit of voluntary attention.
Impulsivity and increased rarefaction.

Causes of Minimal Brain Dysfunction

Severe pregnancy, especially during the first trimester.
Severe toxicity.
Harmful effects on a woman during the period of bearing a child of chemicals or radiation, microbes, viruses and simply infectious diseases.
Risk of miscarriage.
Preterm or post-term birth.
Weakness during labor, prolonged labor.
Fetal hypoxia (lack of oxygen) due to compression of the umbilical cord around the baby's neck.
After childbirth, the cause of the described syndrome may be poor nutrition.
Infectious diseases in newborns.
Bad environmental situation.
Damage to the cervical spine of the baby during childbirth.

In the figure, a diagram of the occurrence of minimal brain dysfunction due to problems with the spine:

Modern science considers minimal brain dysfunction as a consequence of early local damage to the infant's brain.

Treatment

You can’t do without drugs for MMD, but in the process of treatment, they will not be in the first place. In the treatment of minimal brain dysfunction in children, it is important to create a favorable environment in the family. It is she who is more conducive to recovery and discipline:

You have to go to bed and get up at a certain time. Make a clear schedule for the whole day so that the usual actions become a signal for the child and synchronize the activity of the nervous system.
It is imperative to teach the child to sleep during the day, because such rest is extremely necessary for a weakened nervous system.
A person with such a syndrome must be warned about all possible changes in advance. The warning applies not only to a weekend trip out of town, but an unscheduled visit by a nanny, cleaning the house and placing toys in their places.
It is necessary to invite guests home more often, but with the conditions that they do not violate the child's usual daily routine.
Communication with peers should be strictly limited. It is useful for a child with this syndrome to be friends with calm children a few years older than himself.
In the presence of a child, it is not necessary to find out the relationship between them. In the upbringing of a child with MMD, the father should take an active part.
Mandatory physical education and swimming, a minimum of time at the TV and computer.
The child needs to develop fine motor skills.

As medicines you can use:

Herbal sedatives: valerian and motherwort, St. John's wort, novopassitis.
Drugs to stimulate metabolism in brain cells, as well as drugs to improve blood circulation.
Additional vitamin complexes.

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Forecast

A specific course of treatment should be carried out under the supervision of a specialist. After the course, the child's sleep and attention improve, the person with MMD becomes less irritable, and obvious signs of the symptom disappear. To avoid complications, treatment must begin in childhood.

Every parent should pay attention to the behavior of their child from childhood, especially if the above problems occurred during pregnancy or childbirth. Many symptoms of MMD are often perceived by parents as normal childhood behavior. If there is any doubt, it is best to promptly seek medical advice. The sooner the diagnosis is made, the faster and safer it will be possible to cope with the syndrome.
In the video, the doctor of medical sciences talks about whether unruly children are a parenting problem or a victim of problems with the brain - minimal brain dysfunction syndrome, attention deficit disorder - to treat or tolerate, a disease or a manifestation of personality:

In childhood, all children have mobility, lively facial expressions, often changing moods, impressionability and excessive attention to everything new. If your child has these qualities and properties of the nervous system overly sharpened and elevated, then you can diagnose him in absentia with “minimal brain dysfunction”. This term became popular in the 1960s. At that time, it was used in relation to children experiencing learning difficulties, as well as suffering from pronounced behavioral disorders.

Table of contents:

MMD - what is it?

Minimal brain dysfunction is a type of neuropsychiatric disorder in childhood. This disorder occurs in 5% of preschoolers and 20% of schoolchildren.

The main symptoms of MMD- disinhibition of attention, increased excitability and mobility. The child cannot sit still for more than five minutes. He constantly needs to run somewhere, strive. Why? The attention of such a child is very quickly depleted, which causes fatigue, which he relieves with physical activity. Such a baby is attracted to bright objects. But due to increased fatigue, the baby’s attention is satiated, which makes it difficult to organize arbitrary activities. Therefore, after playing with the machine for three minutes, the child immediately throws it away and grabs a new toy. Children with MMD are very restless, restless, noisy. Having surrounding children, they often become the cause of fights and buffoonish antics.

Causes of MMD

MMD occurs due to disorders in the structure of the child's brain. The appearance of such disorders is influenced by many reasons, which can be divided into prenatal (before childbirth), natal (during childbirth) and postnatal (after childbirth). In the first three months, when the nervous system begins to form in the fetus, any harmfulness can cause pathology. Such hazards include not only infections carried by the mother during pregnancy (measles, scarlet fever, influenza, etc.), but also the use of alcohol, drugs, antibiotics from the “zinovye” group, as well as smoking. Bruises and falls that injured the abdomen, Rh incompatibility, threats of miscarriage, metabolic disorders and cardiovascular diseases of the mother will also negatively affect the child. In addition, poor ecology, increased radiation, chemical poisoning negatively affect not only the woman, but the baby in the stomach. These factors pose a danger to the fetus throughout the entire period of pregnancy, but they are especially harmful in the first three to four months, when organs and functional systems are formed.

The causes of MMD that occur during childbirth include: too fast or too long labor, overdose of anesthesia during caesarean section, unsuccessful application of forceps, asphyxia and trauma to the spine in the newborn. If a violation that has arisen in a child is associated with the natal period, then to some extent this is due to the unprofessionalism of doctors.

Causes that negatively affect the functioning of the brain after birth include infectious diseases, operations accompanied by prolonged and severe anesthesia, concussions, bruises and head injuries, diseases of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, metabolic disorders, somatic weakness of the baby. These are the main reasons that cause disturbances in the brain.

The impact of MMD on child development

Since with MMD all brain systems are delayed in their development, this negatively affects all the cognitive processes of the child: thinking, attention, perception, speech. The general and also suffers. The kid is awkward, clumsy, he constantly fidgets in place, spins. Problems also arise in the emotional and volitional sphere: children with MMD are irritable, do not adapt well to the changing situation, do not understand what distance should be when communicating with an adult.
Despite increased talkativeness, a child suffering from minimal brain dysfunction has speech impairments. Hazards leading to
changes in the structure of the brain, negatively affect Broca's center and Wernicke's center, which are responsible for the reproduction and perception of speech. The first words and phrases appear 5-10 months later than normal. With adequate training, the active and passive vocabulary of children is enriched, and by the age of 6-7, their everyday speech returns to normal. However, a narrowed vocabulary is manifested in the conditions of monologue speech (retelling of what has been read, a story on a specific topic, a story from a picture). In such situations, the use of words turns out to be inaccurate, speech usually consists of verbs and nouns, it is difficult for a child to form a new word from a familiar one (for example, instead of “sea”, a baby may say “morenka”). The child's speech is slurred and indistinct. The sentence is built extremely primitively, the words are rearranged, instead of a story from the picture, the child simply lists the drawn objects. The kid has difficulty understanding constructions in the instrumental and genitive cases (for example, “take pasta with a fork”, “father’s son”), phrases that reflect temporal and spatial characteristics, bewilder sentences with an unusual word order (“Masha caught up with Petya. Who is the fastest ?”), as well as comparative constructions (“Seryozha is older than Vanya, but younger than Petya. Who is the oldest?”).

All of the above leads to the fact that children have difficulties in learning to read. It is difficult for children to connect letters into a word, they rearrange the letters in places, confuse them in appearance, the pace when reading is slow. As a result, the child simply loses interest in reading, replacing it with looking at illustrated books. Sometimes, along with these symptoms, a child may have bradilalia, tachilalia, ONR in varying degrees, and stuttering. A frequent companion of MMD is tongue-tied, reaching Hottentotism (when speech is absolutely incomprehensible). In children with MMD, not only oral, but also written speech is impaired. Children write from left to right, there is mirroring in the letter, substitutions, omissions, permutations of letters and syllables, there is a continuous spelling of words, incorrect hyphenation of syllables, children confuse lowercase and uppercase letters. Due to a violation of attention, the child simply does not see these errors and therefore does not correct them.

If at school age a child with MMD has behavioral and learning difficulties, then at an early and preschool age, MMD is a neurological problem. The sooner the MMD correction is started, the easier it will be for the child in the future. It is important for every parent to understand that the child's behavior is not intentional, but is caused by a severe neuropsychiatric disorder. Therefore, a calm, peaceful atmosphere should reign in the house without shouting, excessive noise and quarrels. This will help smooth out the tension that periodically reigns around the baby. Your child will benefit from daily walks and exercise. In education, you need to adhere to the middle line: no punishment, but a minimum of permissiveness. You should give the child instructions (but not more than one), so he will develop responsibility for his actions and the skill of regulating behavior. A clear daily routine is important: the child should go to bed and get up at the same time. It is important for a baby with MMD to get enough sleep: this will weaken his already excessive excitability.

It is necessary to protect the baby from crowded places and not to rush to give it to a kindergarten or a gymnasium. Some children are prescribed drug therapy: specially selected drugs improve attention, relieve excessive motor activity. To correct a speech disorder for a child, it is necessary to contact a speech therapist. He will draw up an individual correctional program and give his recommendations.

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At home, to improve speech, parents need to communicate with the child more often, their speech should be clear, calm, expressive. It is good to read books to your child. Talking about what you read, instill interest in the process of reading. There should also be exercises for the development of general and fine motor skills (buttoning and unbuttoning buttons, lacing, sorting through beads, etc.), as well as learning how to hold a pencil correctly. This will prepare your baby's hand for writing.
No matter how difficult the violation may be, it is important to remember that the love and care of loved ones play a decisive role in the process of correction.

With minimal brain dysfunction in children there is a delay in development. Many educators and parents tend to consider this as a difficulty in adapting to school or kindergarten.

However, the reason lies in the violation of the higher mental functions of the child, which is reflected in many characteristics associated with mental activity and behavior.

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General concept

MMD is a whole complex of various psycho-emotional disorders.

Pathology manifests itself in the form of a special condition of the child under the influence of disruption of the central nervous system, when there are deviations in the perception of the surrounding world, behavior, emotional sphere and disorder of the autonomic functions of the brain.

This syndrome first described in 1966 by G. S. Clemens. According to statistics, MMD occurs in 5% of all primary school children and in 20-22% of preschool children, that is, the syndrome is widespread. In most cases, the disease is temporary and treatable.

The reasons

The syndrome develops due to brain dysfunction. In turn, this is influenced by possible injuries of the cerebral cortex or anomalies in the development of the child's nervous system.

At the age of 3 to 6 years, in most cases, the cause is the incorrect upbringing of the child from a social and pedagogical point of view by his parents and teachers, that is, no one takes care of the child.

To provoking factors also include:

Most children with MMD were brought up in dysfunctional families.

Symptoms and signs

What is typical for children with MMD? This disease can develop from infancy, but the first noticeable symptoms appear in the preschool period when kindergarten preparation takes place.

The child has poor concentration, poor memory and other problems, despite a normal level of intelligence.

Consider the different types of syndrome in more detail:

At babies You can notice the following signs of MMD:

increased sweating;
rapid breathing and heartbeat;
increased moodiness;
frequent regurgitation and;
sleep problems;
anxiety.

At schoolchildren additional symptoms appear:

conflict;
absent-mindedness (things are often lost);
low academic performance;
bad memory;
increased irritability.

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Diagnostics

For diagnosis, please contact to a neurologist or pediatric educator. First, the medical history is studied, a survey of parents is conducted and the behavior of the child himself is analyzed.

positron emission tomography;
rheoencephalography;
electroencephalography;
echoencephalography;
neurosonography.

Methods of treatment and correction

Each individual case of MMD requires an individual approach to treatment. based on the clinical picture.

Therapy should be comprehensive and include medication, psychotherapy and pedagogy.

Medicines

Nootropic drugs are used in the treatment, which reduce the excitatory effect amino acids on the brain (Pikamilon, Piracetam, Pantogam). To improve academic performance and mental development, Pyracizin and Glycine are used.

It is possible to use antidepressants and sedatives (valerian tincture, motherwort tincture, Diazepam). Enuresis is treated with Adiuretin.

Psychotherapy and Pedagogy

It is necessary to create favorable conditions for the child at home and outside it, so that he felt comfortable. Parents and teachers should not perceive his behavior as selfishness or capriciousness - this is a mental disorder, and the child is not to blame for this.

However, you can not indulge all his whims, and teach discipline. Control over his life is important, but so that he does not feel it. You can not go to extremes and strongly scold or, on the contrary, feel sorry for the child. There must be a measure in everything.

Within the family, quarrels and conflicts that can adversely affect his condition should be avoided.

You also need to be consistent in education and training and do not overwork child with a lot of tasks.

Preference should be given to activities that require increased concentration, such as clay modeling or drawing.

It will be useful adhere to the regime That is, go to bed, get up and eat at the same time. At the same time, it is better to avoid a lot of contact with other people - this tires the child and makes him more withdrawn.

The computer, TV and tablet reduce concentration, but there are special applications specifically for children with MMD.

Also important channel excess energy in hyperactive children. To do this, you can enroll your child in the pool, in the football section or another active sport.

Physical education will benefit in any case. In parallel, it is recommended to take the child to a child psychologist who will monitor the patient's condition and help in his treatment.

Forecast

For all children with MMD prognosis favorable. According to statistics, from 30 to 50% "outgrow" this syndrome and become full members of society.

However, in some children, the consequences remain for the rest of their lives in the form of various complexes and psycho-emotional deviations, since the character and mental state of an adult is "tied" to childhood.

Such people may become impatient, moody, irritable, or experience adaptation problems in the new team.

It is extremely important to cure a child in childhood, since the adult psyche is practically not amenable to therapy.

Prevention

To prevent the occurrence of MMD, it is necessary to observe preventive measures:

during pregnancy, eat right and avoid stress;
a pregnant mother to give up bad habits (smoking, alcohol);
provide the child with favorable conditions at home;
regularly engage with the child and develop all his abilities;
avoid scandals, conflicts and stressful situations within the family;
regularly visit a pediatrician for preventive examinations (1-2 times a year).

Minor brain dysfunction common problem in today's society.

Many children do not receive the attention of their parents and suffer from it. In other cases, pathologies can develop even in the prenatal period.

Anyway The child needs help as soon as possible.. You should go through all the necessary studies and find the cause of the disease, and then undergo a course of therapy so that the child becomes a full member of society.

For the treatment of asthenic syndrome in children, you will find on our website.

What is minimal brain dysfunction? Find out from the video:

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MMD is characterized by a pronounced predominance of functional changes over organic ones. Children with this syndrome are very hyperactive, cannot concentrate, fix their attention, are constantly distracted and do not adapt well in an unfamiliar environment.

A child with minimal brain dysfunction very often has great difficulties during study, often there are violations of perception, including his own body (for example, the child is not able to distinguish parts from the whole, to distinguish figures from the background, learning to write and read is difficult). MMD is characterized by: increased impulsivity and excessive excitability, a low level of self-control, nail biting, finger sucking, head and torso swaying, difficulties in communicating with peers and poor orientation in a team are often noted. It is also possible to identify incorrect pronunciation of words, a decrease in working capacity for abstract thinking, violations of spatial representation.

During an external examination with this syndrome, a number of anomalies are sometimes detected, for example, deformity of the skull, auricles, improper tooth growth, hypertelorism (anomaly in the development of the bones of the skull), high palate, syndactyly (complete or partial fusion of fingers or toes). Sometimes it is possible to detect a number of signs of mild organic brain damage: strabismus, asymmetric nasolabial folds, muscular dystonia, impaired coordination of movements.

Treatment

Treatment of MMD should be started as early as possible, involving not only the child, but also his environment in the process, in order to create a calm and consistent attitude towards him. Directed motor activity, psychological and pedagogical correction, as well as drug treatment are the main directions in the treatment of minimal brain dysfunction.

The purpose of directed motor activity is to train coordination and agility. It is necessary to carry out sports activities and games that carry an aerobic load, such as long running, skiing, swimming or cycling. It is necessary to avoid overwork and sports in which the emotional component is expressed.

Psychological and pedagogical correction should begin with the obligatory observance of a clear daily routine by the child, limiting work and watching TV to 30-40 minutes a day. Support the child in all his endeavors and praise him in every case, if he deserves it, emphasize successes. Reward your child for all activities that require concentration.

Medicinal drugs are prescribed only in cases where MMD is not amenable only to psychological and pedagogical correction. Currently, several groups are used in the treatment of minimal brain dysfunction, these are psychostimulants, nootropics, as well as tricyclic antidepressants. The most effective: Cerebrolysin, Phenibut, Piracetam, Semax. The selection of medicines is carried out by the attending physician, taking into account the individual characteristics of the child.