UDC 376.3:372 ON THE ISSUE OF SPEECH DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN WITH DOWN SYNDROME

DOI : https://doi.org/10.51706/2707-3076-2024-11-11

Abstract

The review article theoretically substantiates the peculiarities of the speech development of children with Down syndrome. Emphasized the importance of speech development as a key tool of socialization and cognitive activity of a child with Down syndrome, which helps to become part of a social group, improve self-esteem and reduce alienation. It is noted that the peculiarities of the speech of children with Down syndrome are manifested in a noticeable lag in the development of the child's active speech, which is accompanied by an insufficient level of understanding of the speech of others. The main characteristics of the speech of children with Down syndrome are revealed: physiological and anatomical features (muscle hypotonia, peculiarities of the structure of the oral cavity, difficulty breathing), delay in speech development (late speech development, difficulty in constructing sentences), pronunciation and articulation (problems with the articulation of sounds , monotony of speech), cognitive and communicative features (cognitive impairments, difficulties in understanding and reproducing speech, well-developed visual-spatial memory), individual progress. The main problems of speech development in children with Down syndrome are indicated, which are associated with a delay in both expressive and receptive speech, which affects the ability to learn and social interaction; peculiarities of articulation and phonetics (due to the hypotonia of the muscles of the face and oral cavity, children often have difficulties with the pronunciation of sounds and words, which makes it difficult to understand their speech), cognitive difficulties (intellectual disabilities can reduce the ability to master complex grammatical constructions and expand vocabulary), sensory integration. Prospects for further research are outlined: improvement of individualized approaches to a child with Down syndrome, taking into account his strengths; development of innovative technologies for speech development; research of alternative and additional communication; working out the algorithm and tools of early intervention in the speech therapist's work with a child with Down syndrome.