SPECIFICS OF PSYCHOMOTOR DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN WITH DIFFERENT OUTCOMES OF PERINATAL HYPOXIC BRAIN INJURY

Abstract

Aim. To analyse the psychomotor development of children with different outcomes of perinatal hypoxic brain injury and to assess the effectiveness of nootropic therapy in terms of formation of speech skills and cognitive activity. Materials and methods. The study included 136 children having suffered from asphyxia during labour and/or intrauterine hypoxia. The analysis of the neurological pathology and psychomotor development in the children was carried out during the first two years of their life. Neurological deficit was formed in 55 (40.4%) children; the remaining children exhibited functional disorders of the nervous system. The evaluation of the children’s psychomotor development was carried out using the Clinical Adaptive Test/Clinical Linguistic and Auditory Milestone Scale (CAT/ CLAMS). The level of motor development in the children with cerebral palsy was determined using the System for Assessing Global Motor Functions. Results. Functional disorders of the nervous system were manifested in the hyperactivity syndrome, tempo-retarded development and dissociation of speech, cognitive and motor functions. The global nature of hypoxic brain damage in children with neurological deficit determined the predominance of severe disorders in motor functions, cognitive activity and speech development. According to the study, neurological deficit was more often formed in premature babies, but severe impairments in motor functions due to pronounced destructive changes in the brain prevailed in mature babies. The study showed the effectiveness of nootropic drugs in children with functional disorders of the nervous system, as well as in children with neurological deficit without pronounced structural changes in the brain. Conclusion. An analysis of psychomotor development and assessment of the effectiveness of nootropic therapy in young children with perinatal hypoxic brain damage allows the adequacy of the rehabilitation for correction of the revealed violations to be determined.