ИСТИНА

Psychosocial adaptation of young people with disabilities, in particular, through their inclusion in general education schools, is an important task of the modern educational environment. However, these children and adolescents can experience difficulties in performing various motor tasks during the educational process. Our aim was to study the features of psychomotor coordination in adolescents with neuropsychiatric pathology during performing unusual hand movements. The study included students of a specialized school for patients of mental health clinics in remission (n=63), and mentally healthy adolescents from a general education school (n=70). The samples from both schools were divided into 2 age subgroups: 12-14 and 15-17 years. Parameters of psychomotor coordination (speed, accuracy, and smoothness of movements and reaction time) were evaluated during performance of motor tests on a "computer motion meter" device that consisted in hand movement in the horizontal plane (from the elbow). The first test consisted in cyclic movement (right-left) of the cursor within the range marked by light markers with maximum possible speed and accuracy. During the test, the examinee has to change the amplitude and direction of movement in response to switching from external to internal markers and back to external, which corresponded to changes in the angular distance from 50° to 25° and back (change of the motor stereotype). These movements were unusual for children. During the second test, the latent periods of sensorimotor reactions to light and sound stimuli were measured. It was found that adolescents with neuropsychiatric pathology demonstrated better speed parameters (movement cycle duration, time to change movement amplitude) than healthy children. However, high speed of test performance was accompanied by lower movement accuracy (errors in sensory correction of different muscle groups during changing the movement amplitude) and smoothness of movements. This regularity was observed in both boys and girls in both age subgroups. In addition, age dynamics consisting in a decrease in the duration of the movement cycle with age typical of healthy children was absent in schoolchildren with neuropsychiatric disorders. No significant differences in the sensorimotor reactions, as well as by the indicators of motor asymmetry were revealed between the groups of adolescents. Our study revealed some features of psychomotor coordination, in particular, imbalance between the speed and accuracy of movements in children and adolescents with neuropsychiatric disorders. The method used by us can be useful in evaluating the effectiveness of rehabilitation programs for schoolchildren with neuropsychiatric pathologies.