CORRECTIONAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL FACTORS INFLUENCING THE FORMATION OF INTELLECTUAL OPERATIONS IN CHILDREN WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY

Abstract

The article is devoted to the theoretical and methodological substantiation of correctional and developmental conditions that ensure the effective formation of intellectual operations in children with Developmental Delay (DD) within the context of modern requirements for special and inclusive education. The relevance of the study is driven by the increasing role of the competency-based approach, child-centeredness, and the individualization of the educational process. These principles necessitate that educators not only compensate for specific developmental impairments but also create optimal prerequisites for the development of the child’s cognitive activity and the formation of their capacity for analysis, synthesis, comparison, generalization, and classification. Purpose. To define and scientifically validate the correctional and developmental factors influencing the effective formation of intellectual operations in children with mental developmental delays, and to identify pedagogical mechanisms for improving the overall effectiveness of this process. Scientific novelty. The research emphasizes that children with DD are characterized by uneven development of the cognitive sphere, the imperfection of the operational component of thinking, attention instability, insufficient motivation for cognitive activity, and the fragmentation of mental images (representations). This leads to deformations in visualfigurative, visual-motor, and verbal-logical thinking, creating barriers to mastering academic skills, transferring knowledge to new situations, and completing tasks according to instructions or models. Particular attention is paid to characterizing the impairments in perceptual activity, speech insufficiency, and the limitations of visual-spatial representations, which result in low productivity of analytical-synthetic operations and a weak integrative function of thinking. Conclusions. The authors systematically reviewed and synthesized the results of contemporary research on the typology of children with DD based on their readiness level to perform intellectual tasks. This approach allows for the determination of their developmental potential and the boundaries of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). It is stressed that the formation of intellectual operations is only possible under the condition of purposeful, scientifically sound correctional and developmental work that integrates specifically organized object-practical, play, constructive, and symbolic-modeling activities. The study proves that the active engagement of children in various types of sensomotor and cognitive activities facilitates the development of mental representations, enhances thinking flexibility, and expands the possibilities for generalization. The obtained results demonstrate that the implementation of the specified correctional and developmental conditions improves the quality of cognitive activity in children with DD, promotes the formation of a holistic thinking structure, and creates pedagogical prerequisites for the successful adaptation of learners in the inclusive educational environment.