Functional Griteria for the Effectiveness of Correctional work with Primary Schoolchildren with Mental Retardation Using Art Therapy

Currently, the integration of children with disabilities in terms of building a system of high-quality continuous education for them is associated with solving the problem of developing effective correctional practices aimed at the successful adaptation of children in this category to the educational process. One of the most represented groups of children with disabilities in primary school are students with mental retardation. This developmental disorder is characterized by heterogeneity of manifestations (underdevelopment of mental processes, voluntary regulation of behavior, motor sphere, etc.) depending on the qualitative originality of the primary defect. But with all variants of mental development delay, children experience immaturity of the emotional-volitional sphere and a lag in the maturation of interhemispheric interactions, which is important to take into account when creating individual educational routes for children in this category. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of art therapy in correctional work on indicators that reflect the success of adaptation to learning of primary schoolchildren with mental retardation in the inclusive education system: development of the emotional sphere, lateralization of brain functions and universal educational actions. Methodology and methods. The study involved 118 children studying in the first grade according to an adapted general educational program for children with mental retardation (option 7.2), of which 60 children were included in the experimental group, and 58 junior schoolchildren were included in the control group. Diagnostics were carried out using methods for studying universal educational actions, emotional state (M. Luscher test) and lateral profile. Correlations were identified between the studied indicators. Diagnosis of the studied indicators was carried out before and after correctional work; In the experimental group, several types of art therapeutic practices were used for this purpose. Research results. Compared to students in the control group, younger schoolchildren with mental retardation in the experimental group, after using art therapy tools in correctional work aimed at developing the emotional, motor sphere, and interhemispheric interactions, showed more pronounced changes in the indicators of personal, regulatory, communicative and cognitive universal educational actions, the formation of which is necessary for effective learning at school. Conclusion. The results of the study showed that the use of kinesiological exercises, music, color therapy, fairy tale therapy in correctional work with primary schoolchildren with mental retardation helps to increase the effectiveness of correctional work and the development of universal educational actions in students against the background of normalization of their emotional state and the development of interhemispheric relationships.