The article describes the results of a study of the resilience of adolescent children in comparison with normotypical peers as a phenomenon that contributes to successful adaptation and socialization. The hypothesis about the presence of differences in hardiness indicators was tested, which may be due to manifestations of dysontogenesis. To obtain diagnostic data, a set of techniques was used: a modified “Resilience Test” by S. Maddy; “Stress Coping Questionnaire”; questionnaire “Style of self-regulation of behavior”; five-factor personality questionnaire “Big Five”; questionnaire “Scale of psychological intelligence” and methods of mathematical statistics. The results of the analysis of hardiness indicators are presented, which indicate the absence of statistically significant differences in mental retardation and conditional norm. It is assumed that the conditions of the correctional environment in the educational model of a specialized school contribute to the optimal compensation of personal deficits by adolescence with mental retardation.