Children's speech disorders and their impact on learning

Автор: Карпушина Алина Андреевна

Организация: БЕЛГУ

Населенный пункт: Белгородская область, г. Белгород

Abstract: Speech disorders in children are one of the most common problems in modern education, significantly affecting learning success and social adaptation. The article examines various types of speech disorders, analyzes their impact on the formation of learning skills, and suggests ways to provide corrective assistance to overcome learning difficulties. Special attention is paid to the relationship between the state of speech and academic performance in the main subjects of the school curriculum.

 

Keywords:speech disorders, general speech underdevelopment, dysgraphia, dyslexia, educational activities, correctional work, school failure.

 

The problem of speech disorders in children is currently becoming particularly relevant. According to modern research, up to 60% of children entering the first grade have some form of speech development disorder. At the same time, many parents and teachers underestimate the impact of speech problems on the success of a child's education, believing that speech is only a means of communication that is not directly related to the acquisition of knowledge.

However, as R.E. Levina rightly points out, speech is a complex functional system that participates in all types of human cognitive activity. Speech disorders inevitably lead to difficulties in mastering reading, writing, numeracy, as well as in understanding educational material. In this article, we will look at exactly how various speech disorders affect the learning process and what measures can help a child overcome these difficulties.

Types of speech disorders and their characteristics

Before talking about the impact of speech disorders on learning, it is necessary to define what is meant by speech pathology. In modern speech therapy, the following classification of the most common disorders is accepted:

1. Phonetic and phonemic speech underdevelopment (FFNR) is a violation of the processes of formation of the pronunciation system of the native language due to defects in the perception and pronunciation of phonemes. Children with FFNR pronounce sounds incorrectly, mix them up, and do not distinguish enough by ear. This creates serious obstacles to mastering the sound analysis of words necessary for literacy.

2. General speech underdevelopment (OND) is a complex speech disorder in which the formation of all components of the speech system is disrupted: phonetics, vocabulary, grammar. T.B. Filicheva and G.V. Chirkina distinguish three levels of OND, each of which is characterized by specific difficulties. With ONR, not only oral speech suffers, but also the prerequisites for violations of written speech are formed.

3. Violations of written speech:

• Dysgraphia is a partial specific violation of the writing process, manifested in persistent repetitive errors unrelated to ignorance of the rules.

• Dyslexia is a partial violation of the reading process, manifested in difficulties in recognizing letters, merging sounds into syllables and words.

4. Stuttering is a violation of the tempo-rhythmic organization of speech caused by the convulsive state of the muscles of the speech apparatus. Stuttering affects not only communication, but also the emotional state of the child, his self-confidence, which inevitably affects academic performance.

The impact of speech disorders on reading and writing skills

The influence of speech disorders is most evident in literacy training. As A.N. Kornev notes, successful mastery of reading and writing requires a certain level of development of phonemic perception, sound analysis and synthesis, which often turns out to be unformed in children with speech pathology.

Difficulties in learning to read:

• Long memorization of letters, confusion of similar letters.

• Letter-by-letter reading instead of syllabic reading.

• Distortion of the sound-syllabic structure of words when reading (omissions, substitutions, permutations).

• Slow reading speed.

• Misunderstanding of what was read due to the focus on the technical side of the process.

Difficulties in learning to write:

• Replacing letters corresponding to acoustically or articulatively similar sounds (b-p, d-t, s-sh).

• Omissions of letters and syllables, underwriting of words.

• Violations of coordination and management (agrammatism in writing).

• The combined spelling of words or, conversely, their break.

R.I. Lalaeva emphasizes that these errors are not accidental, but persistent, specific in nature and require not simple memorization of rules, but purposeful speech therapy correction.

The influence of speech disorders on the assimilation of other subjects

The impact of speech disorders is not limited to Russian language and reading lessons. They have a significant impact on academic performance in all subjects.

Mathematics: Children with speech disorders often have difficulty solving problems. They cannot understand the condition, highlight the main thing, and establish logical connections between the data. This is due to a lack of understanding of grammatical constructions expressing spatial, temporal, and cause-and-effect relationships ("na... more", "in... less", "as much as"). In addition, the violation of optical and spatial representations, which often accompanies speech disorders, leads to difficulties in assimilating geometric material and mirroring numbers.

The world around us, literature, history: To successfully master these subjects, you need a sufficient vocabulary and the ability to build a coherent statement. Children with speech disorders have difficulty retelling texts, cannot identify the main idea, and their answers are characterized by poor vocabulary and primitive syntactic constructions. As a result, there is a decrease in grades even with knowledge of the actual material.

The influence of speech disorders on the emotional-volitional sphere and motivation of learning

An equally important aspect is the influence of speech disorders on the child's personality and his attitude to learning. O.N. Usanova's research shows that children with speech pathology often experience:

• Self-doubt, anxiety, especially in situations requiring an oral response.

• Decreased learning motivation. Constant failures form a negative attitude towards school and learning in general.

• Communication difficulties that lead to isolation in the children's team, problems in communicating with peers and teachers.

• Formation of negative character traits: closeness, negativism, aggression as a defensive reaction.

All this creates a situation of school maladaptation, the way out of which requires not only speech therapy, but also psychological help.

Ways to overcome difficulties in teaching children with speech disorders

Taking into account the systemic nature of the impact of speech disorders on learning, correctional work should be carried out in a comprehensive manner.

1. Early detection and correction. The earlier the speech disorder is detected, the more effective the help will be. It is optimal to start correctional work at preschool age.

2. Close cooperation of specialists. Teachers, speech therapists, psychologists, and parents should work as a team. The teacher should know the child's characteristics and create a successful situation in the lesson, the speech therapist should eliminate the speech defect, and the psychologist should work with emotional problems.

3. Special teaching methods. Children with speech impairments need special methods of presenting material:

• Extensive use of visual aids.

• Breaking down complex instructions into simple steps.

• Repeated repetition and consolidation of the material.

• Using game-based learning techniques.

4. Individual approach. It is important to take into account the pace of the child's work, his individual characteristics, and the zone of immediate development.

5. Prevention of writing disorders. At preschool age, it is necessary to purposefully develop phonemic hearing, sound analysis skills, fine motor skills, and visual-spatial representations.

Speech disorders in children are a serious problem that has a multifaceted impact on the learning process. They make it difficult to master reading and writing, reduce academic performance in other subjects, and negatively affect a child's emotional state and motivation to learn. However, with timely identification, properly organized comprehensive correctional care and the creation of special learning conditions, these difficulties can be overcome.

It is important for teachers and parents to understand that poor academic performance of a child with speech disorders is not a consequence of laziness or lack of abilities, but a manifestation of objective difficulties that require professional help and support. Only by joining forces can we help every child realize their potential and successfully adapt to the school environment.

 

List of literature:

1. Volkova, L.S. (ed.). Speech therapy: A textbook for students of defectological faculties of pedagogical universities / Edited by L.S. Volkova. — 5th ed., revised and add. — M.: VLADOS, 2009. — 703 p.

2. Kornev, A.N. Reading and writing disorders in children / A.N. Kornev. — St. Petersburg: Speech, 2003. — 336 p.

3. Lalaeva, R.I. Reading disorders and ways to correct them in younger schoolchildren / R.I. Lalaeva.  St. Petersburg: SOYUZ Publ., 1998— 224 p.

4. Levina, R.E. Fundamentals of the theory and practice of speech therapy / R.E. Levina. — M.: Prosveshchenie, 1968. — 367 p.

5. Mastyukova, E.M. Therapeutic pedagogy (early and preschool age) / E.M. Mastyukova. — M.: VLADOS, 1997. — 304 p.

6. Sadovnikova, I.N. Violations of written speech and their overcoming in younger schoolchildren / I.N. Sadovnikova. Moscow: VLADOS, 1997— 256 p.

7. Usanova, O.N. Children with mental development problems / O.N. Usanova. — M.: NPC "Correction", 1995. — 208 p.

8. Filicheva, T.B., Chirkina, G.V. Elimination of general speech underdevelopment in preschool children / T.B. Filicheva, G.V. Chirkina. Moscow: Iris Press, 2008. 224 p.