School maladaptation is ... Definition, symptoms, prevention

Child maladaptation at school is a common phenomenon these days. A large number of children at school age cannot adapt to the modern conditions of the educational process, which has a negative impact on their level of performance. The child’s relations with peers and teachers also deteriorate. Most often, as a result of maladaptation, primary school students suffer. But high school students also often become victims of this negative phenomenon.

Causes

School maladaptation is a violation that occurs in 15-20% of all students associated with a situation of inability to school. Violation is caused by physiological and medical factors, and features of the development of the psyche of the child.

Despite the widespread introduction of the principle of an individual approach, in practice, teachers often do not have enough time to delve into the causes of this disorder. Psychological school disadaptation (abbreviated as PSD) leads to the fact that insulting labels are stuck on children: “hysterical”, “schizoid”, “psycho”. However, behind such words lies nothing more than the professional incompetence of the teacher or the lack of upbringing among peers.

What are the main causes of school maladaptation? Experts tend to highlight the following factors:

• An insufficient level of initial preparation of the baby for the educational process. This may be a lack of basic skills or poor development of fine motor skills.
• The lack of self-control in the child. A kid cannot sit all day in one place even if intellectually he is ready for the learning process.
• Inability to cope with the current pace of the educational program.
• The cause of school maladjustment may also be difficulties that arise in the process of contacts with teachers and peers.
• Low development of cognitive opportunities.

Homely atmosphere

In addition, psychologists pay special attention to the atmosphere in which the child develops and educates. Some mothers and fathers are so strict that it affects the mental balance of the child. Social and school maladaptation is often a direct consequence of problems in the family, the authoritarianism of parents. Every time a mother or father emotionally reprimands the child for the mistakes he made at school, the internal stability of the student is violated. He has no strength left to work on mastering the program, fulfill the requirements of the teacher, and build relationships with classmates.

All these factors of school maladaptation lead to the fact that the student begins to sincerely believe in his "mediocrity." And the further consequence of such failures leads to the fact that the child is completely disgusted with everything that is directly or indirectly associated with the educational process. This makes it difficult to study and the individual development of the student.

PSD forms

The nature of this violation is not uniform. It can vary from one student to another depending on his individual characteristics, as well as the characteristics of the social situation. The most common types of violations.

• Social. Its main symptom is the schoolboy’s denial of all moral principles, antisocial actions. The system of internal regulation of the child is destroyed.
• Psychosocial. This form of school maladaptation is due to psychological factors of development. The severity of this type of PSD is a litmus test for the application of an individual approach to each student.
• Pathogenic. It is usually caused by disturbances in the physiology of the brain, various nervous disorders, fears and phobias of the baby.
• Intellectual. It manifests itself, as a rule, in older students. Directly connected with “gaps” in knowledge that were not closed in time.
• Emotional The main symptom of this type of maladaptation is a high level of anxiety in the child. The kid is worried about his performance, which, as a rule, is associated with a high level of motivation and not enough good self-esteem.

Parents and teachers should remember that all these types can be intertwined, creating complex complexes of all kinds of violations and deviations. Measures for the prevention and correction of PSD should be taken immediately. Here, as with medical problems, the principle "the sooner the better."

Symptoms

Parents of schoolchildren need to know the symptomatology, as it is the main diagnostic marker of the school dysfunction of the child. The main manifestations of school maladaptation are as follows:

• The kid does not want to attend classes, constantly justifying it with an illness.
• He speaks openly about being afraid of the teacher.
• For a long time can not fall asleep, and then wake up.
• He develops nervous tics (the child may blink, his eye twitches or other parts of the body; a symptom of “restless hands” occurs).
• There are compulsions, obsessive movements: picking in the nose, “breaking” fingers, a child gnaws at a pen or pencil.
• An apathetic state, indifference even to those games and interests that used to cause enthusiasm.
• Muscle tightness, stiffness.
• The child is not self-confident: he is silent, and if he does, he does not raise his eyes.
• Blocking the notebook with hands.
• Various violations of letters, bills, speech.
• Slurred or confused speech. The kid stutters.
• The right-hander begins to use the left hand, and the left-hander - the right.
• Accentuations of character become very noticeable.
• In the lesson, the child plays with toys.

School maladaptation is a disease that has a psychogenic nature and has a serious impact on the formation of the personality of the student. The disease violates the subjective and objective status of the baby both in school and in the family. The educational process at the same time is seriously hindered.

Manifestations of maladaptation at the behavioral level

The following symptoms of school maladaptation of a child at the behavioral level are distinguished:

• Outbreaks of aggression, a tendency to protest.
• Difficulties in the learning process.
• Violation of relationships with peers and teachers.
• Violations of school discipline.

The areas of maladaptation in a child are mainly associated with spatio-temporal characteristics (violations of the daily routine, lack of personal space in the family), as well as personal and semantic features (place in the school team, relationships with brothers and sisters, teachers). In the closest way, psychological difficulties are nevertheless associated with educational, collective activity. The child acts as a suffering party. And if parents do not pay attention to PSD on time and do not take any corrective measures, the student develops asthenia. This is a condition characterized by a high level of fatigue, mental exhaustion. Asthenia is manifested in sleep disturbances, nightmares, frequent headaches. They already mark the beginning of a neurotic state.

If you ignore the signs of school maladaptation of the child, a neurosis develops. This personality disorder is characterized by a violation of a person’s relationship with himself and with others. It can manifest itself in the form of enuresis, stuttering, various tics, obsessive movements, as well as aggression, rudeness.

PSA in adolescents

Among the factors that determine the characteristics of school maladaptation of adolescents, family conditions come first. The overwhelming majority of psychologists consider this factor to be the leading factor in the development of the disorder. One of the main functions of the family is to educate and socialize the child. But its implementation does not always occur properly. This generally leads to maladaptation of adolescents. As a rule, the following reasons are identified that lead to PSD at a given age:

• Incomplete family composition (leads to the development of a complex of inferiority, depression, aggressiveness, premature child fulfillment of “adult” roles - breadwinners, defenders, etc.).
• An insufficient level of pedagogical culture of mother and father, leading either to hyper-care or to hypo-care.
• Problems within the family that determine increased aggressiveness and anxiety in a teenager.
• The difference in the pedagogical approach of parents and grandparents.
• Removal of mother and father from the process of education for any reason.
• Inadequate or, on the contrary, over-secured financial situation of the family. This gives rise to negative behavioral patterns in terms of their influence on schoolchildren.

Often, instead of diagnosing school disadaptation with a specialist, parents begin to react negatively to educational failures in children. As a result, a teenager demonstrates the following reactions:

• Depressive disorders, anxiety.
• Joining the ranks of antisocial groups.
• Acquisition of destructive habits (booze, drug addiction).
• Suicidal attempts.

Researchers also identify such a factor of PSD as insufficiently high-quality organization of the educational process in an educational institution. School maladaptation is a violation that often develops as a result of:

• The inhuman nature of communication within the walls of the school.
• Features of an individual teaching style.
• Lack of conditions for personal growth.
• The low level of methodological and general culture among teachers, etc.

Prevention of PCB disorders

To prevent the problem of school maladaptation, parents are encouraged to adhere to certain rules. Firstly, they relate to the workplace of the student. It must be organized in a certain way. On the table should not be extra items that are not directly related to the learning process. There should also be good lighting.

Secondly, the child must adhere to the daily routine. Now the baby has a new status, he has become a little more like a mom or dad (depending on gender). You can say to him: “Now you have your own schedule, planned things, like your mom (dad).” This phrase will be useful, because in the personal development of a younger schoolboy motives predominate that are directly related to the adult world, the development of new activities. These motives are also related to the establishment of good relations with adults. Therefore, for the student positive feedback is so important.

Class duration

To prevent school maladaptation, the child must do the lessons in several stages. Their duration should not exceed more than 15-20 minutes. Then a short break should follow. Only more than one hour in the first grade can not be done. In the second grade - no more than two hours.

In the learning process, the baby is desirable to sit alone at the desk. This will allow you to take responsibility for the process of mastering knowledge on yourself. Also, the student will learn to be responsible for the order in his personal space.

Independent work

The purpose of teaching in primary school is not only the acquisition of knowledge - it is also important to teach the child the learning process. The kid must learn to complete the tasks of the teacher independently. During the first two months, it is advisable to do homework with the child, teach him how to complete tasks. And then - explain everything that is incomprehensible, and leave the student with homework alone. If necessary, check completed.

The first class at school is the most important, just like the first year of life, some psychologists relate to the first year of adulthood. During this period, parents should make every effort and spend as much time as possible with the baby. In September and October, you should be near, complete tasks with a first grader. In November, as a rule, the tension in children rises to the limit, there is a risk of developing school maladaptation of the younger student.

You should not give the child additional tasks or force them to rewrite poorly performed work in the classroom (homework written poorly needs to be redone). If the behavior of the parents is correct, then by the end of the first class, even if mom and dad are at home, the child still does the homework.

Prevention: Tips for Parents

Consider a few recommendations that will avoid the manifestation of PSD in a child.

• It is important to remember that the skills that the child will receive during his first year of study will remain with him for his whole life.
• If he can develop the habit of learning clearly and in an organized manner, this will help him cope in the future with the most serious academic workloads.
• The habit of working out is developed in the baby only through positive emotions. Therefore, it is extremely important for parents and teachers to find the keys to how the child could receive an emotional reward.
• If the baby pulls the parent with or without, this does not mean that he does not understand the material all the time. He just lacks attention.
• The child must be supported in his desires, strong-willed manifestations. Even if these initiatives are not entirely convenient for adults, they should be encouraged. Do not do something instead of a child, but create the conditions for independent action. Again, the "zone of proximal development."
• You can not compare the baby with other children. You can evaluate it only in relation to yourself in the past.
• A first grader must learn to evaluate his work. This will help him not to depend on the opinions of others, and no one will be able to injure his psyche with an extra remark.
• Be sure to express sympathy for the child. When communicating with him, it is necessary to use certain phrases: "I understand you very much", "I would like to consult with you."
• Teaching the baby any personal or behavioral aspects should occur only through personal experience, and only then should any explanations follow (it is allowed to demonstrate only behavior without explanation).

The importance of praise

The best way to prevent school maladjustment is to praise. During this period, the baby is dominated by motives of personal achievements, the desire to achieve success. Therefore, the assessment of an adult is extremely important for him. Parents need to instill confidence in themselves. This will help him move on. "Loser" does not need to be educated. It is necessary to develop the installation "I am good, and the world is also good." If it is necessary to express criticism, then it should concern not the personality of the child, but his actions. The behavior of the child must be evaluated by the parent personally from himself. He talks about the feelings that the baby’s act aroused in him (“I am very upset by your behavior, which the teacher talked about”). The child should have a “credit of trust”: “I am sure that you will succeed.”

You can not speak insulting or insulting words to the child. It is necessary to avoid an ordered tone. A child in primary school age is inclined to generalize his achievements and failures. If one thing does not work out, it seems to him that the whole world has collapsed, and nothing else will come of it. If there is success in a certain area, then everything else will turn out.

Corrective measures

The correction of school maladaptation is selected taking into account its main symptoms, the so-called “center of gravity” of the child’s difficulties. If the main difficulty lies in the psycho-emotional sphere (it can be fears, increased anxiety, depression), then work with a child psychotherapist comes to the fore. If fears have a real basis in the form of a hostile children's group or teachers, work with other children, parents, and teachers is mandatory. It is necessary to change this attitude, as well as conduct therapeutic work to change the response of the child.

• When a baby’s fears come from early childhood, a general mistrust of the world can also result. Therefore, work will be required to change the student’s response, work with a psychologist. For example, a specialist may apply the symbol-drama method.
• Depressive state in children, as in adults, can be characterized by a lack of resources for growth and development. In other words, the baby is not ready for mental stress, personal growth. In this case, you can not do without consulting a pediatric neurologist.
• Anxiety is an essential companion of any unpleasant situation. Prevention of school maladaptation often includes measures to reduce it. This is possible by introducing the baby into a situation of success in a specially created environment for this.But if anxiety is caused by such a personality trait of the baby as increased sensitivity, then it is often not possible to reduce it below a certain threshold. Increasing the level of stress resistance should be associated with training the baby in effective interaction that will correspond to his individual style.
• In the event that the problem of PSD is directly related to the insufficient formation of brain structures, the resolution of these difficulties can be achieved through the use of cognitive training methods and various developmental programs.
• If the main reason for school maladaptation is the social lack of education of the student’s personality, difficulties in communication, then it is necessary to work with a psychologist using communicative social and psychological training.

The listed methods can be used in combination, as part of the compilation of an individual correctional program.