CHARACTERISTICS OF VEGETATIVE REACTIONS I N EDUCATIONALLY DISABLED AND NORMAL-CHILDREN

Present research is devoted to psychophysiological study of the mechan isms of functional state control in normal and educationally disabled children using EEG, neuropsychological, and heart rate data obtained d uring different types of mental activity, including performance of rai thmetic, verbal, spatial, and time-perception tests. Attention index a nd one-minute time interval production in the group of educationally d isabled patients were found to be statistically lower than in the norm al children. Heart rate level in this group was also lower than in the normal children of the same age. Increase of heart rate indices durin g perception of instruction and transition to its realization was stat istically higher in the group of normal children. The differences betw een the groups can be explained by disfunction of the functional state regulation mechanisms, deficit of sympathetic influence and prevalenc e of parasympathetic ones, as well as by the weakness of the functions of the nervous system which causes desadaptation in educationally dis abled children.