Journal archive

Abstract: The programme of early psychological intervention in children’s homes of St. Petersburg is described in the article; the results of approbation, which have positive effect on mental development of children, are stated. The issues on the restructuring of children’s homes and the need of early psychological intervention aimed at training and supervision of employees and structural changes in children’s homes are discussed. The priority directions of psycho-pedagogical assistance to infants and toddlers brought up in children’s homes are revealed. The research was conducted in 2016-2018, the sample was based on 126 children, and the average age is 1.9 years old. The research included primary and total diagnostics of mental development of children and implementation of the programme. The aim of the programme was to create psycho-pedagogical conditions for activisation of children’s mental processes in the conditions of children’s homes. The main directions of work of the educational psychologist were identified: interaction with the teaching staff (provision of information, preventive measures, counseling, workshops, lectures); interaction with children (diagnostics at the beginning and at the end of the academic year, correction- and development-training, examination — a psycho-medical-pedagogical consultation, execution of the reports on the development level and formulation of recommendations); cooperation with administration of children’s homes and parents or legal representatives of children (counseling). The obtained statistical data confirm the hypothesis that mental development of infants and toddlers in the conditions of children’s homes is promoted by psycho-pedagogical assistance, which includes the programme of early psychological intervention: formation of sensory standards, coordination of movement and attention concentration, development of fine and gross motor skills, development of active and receptive vocabulary, development of cogitative activity, development of game-related activity. The offered programme is of practical significance and can be applied in various orphanage institutions for infants and toddlers.