THE PROBLEM OF STYLE FEATURES OF LIFE ACTIVITIES AND THEIR DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES

Abstract

This article presents the results of a theoretical and empirical study of the style features of life activitie, a topic of relevance to both the science and practice of psychology. It reveals its essence and identifies the main research directions in various fields of psychology: 1) practical psychology, aimed at providing psychological assistance to individuals based on the stylistic characteristics of activity as a means of normalizing functional state, mitigating or eliminating manifestations of maladjustment, etc.; 2) psychology of work and vocational training, and in the case of joint professional activity—social psychology; 3) developmental psychology, educational psychology, special psychology, and corrective pedagogy. The study emphasizes the particular relevance of addressing this issue to ensure the comprehensiveness of corrective development and preparation for independent living for children with special educational needs.

This paper presents the results of an experimental study on the development of individual activity styles in children with intellectual disabilities, specifically those with mental retardation and intellectual developmental disorders. The study showed that individual style is an indicator of schoolchildren’s intellectual development: when performing tasks, students in all studied categories demonstrate a relatively stable level of this style. At the same time, it was found that the higher the level of intellectual development in children, the greater the correspondence of their individual work style to the standard, and the smaller the range and variability of its manifestations. A correlation was noted between the formation of individual style and the effectiveness of students’ performance of educational and practical tasks, as well as the development of mental qualities involved in this process.

Research has demonstrated that it is possible to help children with intellectual disabilities develop an individual style of activity that is adapted within optimal limits.A necessary condition for this development is a specialized program of vocational training that ensures: 1. The development of a rational work method in the student. 2. The development of an individual work style in stages: the student’s mastery of a standard work method; gaining experience in independently determining a work method; understanding the advantages of the standard method; and independently determining a method that is as close as possible to the standard one. 3. The development of a positive attitude toward work in the child.