Features of Developing Retelling Skills in Senior Preschool Children with General Speech Underdevelopment

Автор: Нужная Елизавета Владимировна

Организация: НИУ «БелГУ»

Населенный пункт: Белгородская область, г. Белгород

Annotation

The article examines specific difficulties in developing retelling skills among senior preschool children with general speech underdevelopment. It presents a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between cognitive and speech processes during the acquisition of retelling, and reveals under‑researched aspects of the influence of multisensory perception on the development of coherent monologic speech. A modified correctional methodology is described, combining traditional speech therapy techniques with elements of art therapy, sensory integration, and digital technologies. The results of experimental implementation of the approach are presented, demonstrating positive dynamics in speech coherence, logical presentation, and speech activity among preschoolers with general speech underdevelopment. The importance of systematic interaction between speech therapist, educator, and family for consolidating the skill in natural communication is emphasised.

Keywords: general speech underdevelopment, senior preschoolers, retelling skill, coherent monologic speech, correctional pedagogy, multisensory learning, sensory integration, art therapy, digital technologies in speech therapy, cognitive‑speech development.

Аннотация

В статье исследуются специфические трудности формирования навыков пересказа у детей старшего дошкольного возраста с общим недоразвитием речи. Представлен комплексный анализ взаимосвязи когнитивных и речевых процессов в ходе освоения навыка пересказа, а также раскрыты малоизученные аспекты влияния мультисенсорного восприятия на развитие связной монологической речи. Описана модифицированная коррекционная методика, сочетающая традиционные логопедические приёмы с элементами арт‑терапии, сенсорной интеграции и цифровыми технологиями. Приведены результаты экспериментального внедрения данного подхода, демонстрирующие положительную динамику показателей связности речи, логичности изложения и речевой активности у дошкольников с общим недоразвитием речи. Подчёркивается важность системного взаимодействия логопеда, воспитателя и семьи для закрепления навыка в условиях естественной коммуникации.

Ключевые слова: общее недоразвитие речи (ОНР), старшие дошкольники, навык пересказа, связная монологическая речь, коррекционная педагогика, мультисенсорное обучение, сенсорная интеграция, арт‑терапия, цифровые технологии в логопедии, когнитивно‑речевое развитие.

Developing retelling skills in senior preschool children with general speech underdevelopment is one of the key tasks of modern correctional pedagogy. In the context of inclusive education implementation and increased requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard for Preschool Education (FGOS DO) regarding speech development level, the issue gains particular significance. Children with general speech underdevelopment face a range of difficulties: from incomplete text comprehension to violations in lexical and grammatical formulation of statements. These challenges hinder successful socialisation and create risks of academic underachievement, as the ability to retell forms the basis for mastering school subjects in primary education. [1]

The problem becomes especially acute due to the transformation of children’s information space: modern preschoolers get used to brief multimedia messages, which reduces their ability to perceive and reproduce extended speech structures. Traditional methodologies, although effective, do not fully account for the neuropsychological characteristics of children with speech disorders and the potential of innovative pedagogical technologies. The need to develop flexible approaches combining visualisation, emotional engagement, and multisensory perception makes this research topic relevant for speech therapy theory and practice.

Retelling difficulties in preschoolers with general speech underdevelopment are multilevel and affect not only speech but also cognitive, emotional‑volitional, and sensoriperceptual processes. [7]

At the cognitive level, children demonstrate fragmented text perception, weak working memory, and insufficient development of cause‑and‑effect thinking. This manifests as omission of key episodes, distortion of event sequences, and inability to identify the main idea. [6]

At the speech level, limited vocabulary is observed (particularly affecting the lexicon of attributes and actions), agrammatisms in sentence construction, stereotypical syntactic structures, and difficulties in word formation. Emotional‑volitional characteristics include fear of error, low motivation, and rapid fatigue, which reduce speech activity. Sensoriperceptual difficulties are expressed through insufficient auditory attention, poor visual‑motor coordination, and low level of tactile‑kinesthetic perception. These problems are interconnected: speech disorders exacerbate cognitive deficits, while cognitive difficulties hinder speech development, forming a vicious circle. [2]

Innovative Approaches to Developing Retelling Skills

To overcome these difficulties, a modified methodology has been developed, integrating traditional speech therapy methods and modern pedagogical technologies. Its key components are:

• Multisensory learning engages several analyzers simultaneously: auditory (listening to texts in different voice timbres), visual (colour schemes, pictograms, animation), tactile (“tactile stories” involving object handling), and motor (accompanying retelling with gestures and pantomime). This activates compensatory mechanisms and improves memorisation of text structure. [9]
• Art therapy elements (drawn retelling, plasticine graphics, theatricalisation) increase emotional engagement, reduce anxiety, and stimulate creative comprehension of content.
• Sensory integration includes the use of textured mats, aromatherapy, and tactile bags, which stabilises attention and strengthens the connection between word and image.
• Digital technologies (interactive books, mobile apps for creating visual plans, augmented reality programs) adapt the learning process to the digital environment familiar to modern children. [3]
• Next‑generation game technologies (quests, board games with hint cards, role‑playing games) build motivation and consolidate the skill in conditions close to natural communication.

Step‑by‑Step Methodology

Correctional work is structured in three stages.

Stage 1. Preparatory (2–3 weeks) focuses on developing prerequisites for coherent speech: auditory and visual attention, short‑term memory, cause‑and‑effect thinking, and vocabulary enrichment. Games such as “What has changed?” and “Remember and repeat” are used, along with synonym and antonym selection, and exercises for memorising word chains and images. [4]

Stage 2. Mastering the Structure of Retelling (4–5 weeks) includes reading short texts (3–5 sentences), identifying key words, encoding them with symbols, and creating a pictorial‑graphic plan with multisensory supports. Children retell the text using the plan and tactile hints (bags with objects from the story), which helps structure their statements.

Stage 3. Skill Automation (6–8 weeks) involves gradually reducing external supports, introducing creative tasks (inventing an ending, telling the story from a character’s perspective), and using digital tools for independent creation of visual plans. Group activities such as “chain retelling” and peer assessment develop communication skills and consolidate the ability to present thoughts logically. [5]

Results of Experimental Implementation

Testing the methodology with a group of 15 children aged 5–6 years with Level III general speech underdevelopment showed the following results after 4 months of sessions:

• retelling volume increased by 40,5% (from 8–10 sentences to 14–16);
• number of agrammatisms decreased by 52,3%;
• logical consistency of presentation improved in 87% of children.

Parents noted that children became more willing to share impressions about daily events and use complex sentences. Educators recorded an increase in communicative activity within the group. [10]

Role of Family in Skill Consolidation

To transfer the skill to everyday life, parents are offered the following strategies:

• “Evening retelling” — telling about the day’s events following a plan;
• “Story by touch” — guessing an object in a bag and composing a short story about it;
• “Animated pictures” — creating family comics with captions;
• “Digital diary” — recording audio stories on a smartphone.

These techniques help consolidate the skill in a natural communication environment.

Conclusion

The presented methodology confirms that developing retelling skills in preschoolers with general speech underdevelopment requires a comprehensive approach combining visualisation, emotional engagement, and modern technologies. Integrating multisensory learning, art‑therapeutic techniques, and digital tools not only improves speech coherence but also stimulates cognitive development, increases motivation, and creates conditions for successful school adaptation. A promising direction is the development of individual correction trajectories considering the child’s neuropsychological profile.

Sources

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