Speech therapy is a science that is at the intersection of medicine, pedagogy and psychology, and studies various speech defects, their causes, mechanisms and ways to eliminate or prevent. The special relevance of the work of a speech therapist lies in the fact that, although violations speech function and are not a deadly disease for a person, they are still able to greatly complicate his life, interfering with normal communication with others. This is especially true for children: firstly, most speech defects appear precisely in childhood when they can be most successfully treated; secondly, if adults are usually more tactful and understanding with interlocutors who have problems with pronunciation, children, alas, are distinguished by a certain cruelty towards their peers with any characteristics. This state of affairs can cause psychological trauma and complexes, which will become an obstacle to normal communication with others in childhood and adulthood. A timely appeal to a speech therapist will help to avoid such problems in life.

Who is a speech therapist: a teacher or a doctor

There are different points of view on whether a speech therapist is a psychologist, physician or teacher. The thing is that speech therapists accept patients not only in medical institutions. Today, in most kindergartens, schools and correctional educational institutions, the state provides for the position of a speech therapist. These specialists work with children directly at the place of their education. Such speech therapists are teachers - they have a higher speech therapy or defectology education, and in their work they are guided by medical data obtained from the patient's record. The work of this teacher is closely related to the medical activities of a pediatric neurologist, otolaryngologist, psychologist, since the causes of speech defects are often due to the presence of any health disorders.

Professionals working in medical institutions have higher medical education, as well as education in the field of defectology or speech therapy, additional walkthrough psychotherapy courses. Unlike educators, they can prescribe in the treatment regimen drug treatment and apply psychotherapeutic techniques to help the patient cope with speech disorders.

What does a speech pathologist do?

A common misconception is that a speech therapist only helps to “set” the correct pronunciation of specific sounds in the right way, since this is only part of the work of a speech therapist. The doctor diagnoses disorders, examines the history of his patient, if necessary, prescribes various examinations - in this way he manages to establish the cause of speech defects. After the diagnosis is made, the speech therapist decides on the appointment of specific therapeutic regimens to eliminate speech activity disorders.

For this specialist, the skills of a psychologist and psychotherapist are required, since working with speech defects is often directly related to psychological trauma and complexes, fear or other severe, stressful conditions.

The main tasks of the doctor-speech therapist are:

  • setting the correct pronunciation of sounds;
  • extension vocabulary;
  • improving speech literacy;
  • improving the clarity of pronunciation;
  • correction of speech errors and inaccuracies;
  • rehabilitation measures for patients who have acquired speech defects due to past illnesses, for example, after a stroke;
  • study of the mechanisms and causes of the appearance of speech defects, development of methods for their correction;
  • determination of organic lesions of organs speech apparatus.

What organs and mental phenomena does a speech therapist treat?

The competence of the doctor includes the entire system of organs of the speech apparatus:

  • oral cavity (jaws, teeth, gums, hard and soft palate);
  • vocal cords;
  • language.

In addition, speech therapists are engaged in the study and treatment of such a phenomenon as logoneurosis. This term refers to stuttering of various origins.

Diseases and disorders related to the competence of a speech therapist

Doctor-speech therapist works with various types speech disorders, both oral and written.

Its task is to eliminate:

  • dysphonia and aphonia (impaired sonority of speech or its absence);
  • dyslalia (problems with the pronunciation of specific sounds or combinations of sounds);
  • bradilalia or takhilalia (slow or accelerated pronunciation of sounds);
  • dyslexia and legasthenia (reading disorders);
  • speech defects and rhinophony of the voice associated with hearing loss, as well as with the surgical intervention;
  • Battarism, Hottentotism (absolute indistinctness of speech);
  • rhinolalia (speech problems that arise due to the peculiarities of the formation upper lip and palate);
  • dysgraphia and agraphia (writing disorders).

The doctor deals with the treatment of some of these pathologies together with surgeons, dentists, neurologists, otolaryngologists.

A separate field of activity of a speech therapist is speech disorders associated with organic damage to the speech centers of the brain. Such defects are usually quite difficult to correct. This is done by a speech pathologist.

The main causes of speech defects

Determining the nature, etiology of the appearance of certain disorders in the functioning of the speech apparatus is the first step towards overcoming them. Theoretical knowledge in this matter allows you to take certain preventive measures in order to prevent the occurrence of a problem in those people who are at risk. Of course, each case is individual, and, for the convenience of speech therapists, the most basic and most common factors that provoke the appearance of defects speech activity, were combined into a generalized classification. Distinguish:

  • congenital features of the development of the speech apparatus: intrauterine pathologies of fetal development, genetic mutations, hereditary predisposition, acute or chronic fetal hypoxia, birth trauma;
  • organic disorders in the cerebral cortex obtained during life: acute infectious diseases affecting the membranes of the brain, traumatic brain injury, diseases affecting the cerebral cortex (for example, circulatory disorders);
  • psychological problems - these include pedagogical neglect, the absence of people around, an unfavorable situation in the family, psychological trauma, for example, fear or the consequences of violence.

Reasons to see a speech pathologist

Many people believe that a speech therapist, whether a doctor or a teacher, works only with children, and it makes no sense for an adult with speech defects to visit him. This point of view is not true. Of course, adult age is a factor that complicates work with problems of speech activity. Many defects can no longer be eliminated completely, but it is quite possible to achieve a certain improvement.

It is necessary to contact a speech therapist in such cases:

  • after surgery to remove the larynx or vocal cords: in such cases, the doctor helps the patient learn how to use the glottis to extract certain sounds;
  • in the order of rehabilitation after a stroke: if the brain damage affects the centers responsible for speech, paresis or paralysis of the muscles of the larynx and facial muscles may occur. In this case, the doctor offers a special set of exercises that help to achieve improvement;
  • if speech disorders appeared after suffering mental disorders: the work can be carried out in conjunction with a psychiatrist or psychotherapist.

In addition, people who want to improve their oratory skills and improve their diction also come to a speech therapist. They work with a speech pathologist.

When to Take Your Child to a Speech Pathologist

Due to the fact that in children the process of development of speech centers has not yet been completed, and reading, diction, pronunciation skills are actively developing, work on speech problems with a child will have more significant results than in the case of adults.

Parents should not make excessive demands on their child. This is especially true when the baby begins to speak. For example, by a year and a half, a baby should pronounce at least a few words, and, starting from the moment of birth, make single sounds. With regard to clear and coherent speech with absolutely correct pronunciation, it is difficult to say exactly when exactly it should appear in a child.

Among the objective reasons for visiting a speech therapist by a child under one year old is the lack of pronunciation of sounds by an infant. Usually the baby reacts to words, touches, toys with elementary cooing, babble, smile. If this does not happen, you should not postpone the visit to the doctor.

Between the year and three years parents need to bring the baby to a speech therapist if he is diagnosed with "children's cerebral paralysis”, if there is a hereditary factor (late speech development in one of the parents), also if the child is diagnosed with problems with hearing, vision, or a shortened frenulum of the tongue.

From three to five years, parents monitor the appearance of such signs of violations. speech development:

  • incorrect pronunciation of words or individual sounds;
  • violation of the speed of pronunciation and swallowing of sounds;
  • the child confuses prepositions, conjunctions, cases, and does not respond to corrections;
  • the inability to clearly and consistently describe the picture, make sentences.

Rehabilitation after operations involving the speech apparatus also falls within the competence of a speech therapist, and can be relevant at any age.

Parents need to clearly understand all the consequences of the situation when a child’s speech problems take their course:

  • in children with speech impairments, it is usually less well absorbed educational material, because of which school performance fluctuates between low and average;
  • speech hearing impairment interferes with the study of foreign languages;
  • violation of the coherence of speech makes it difficult to study oral subjects: biology, literature, history, and others;
  • speech defects are the cause of problems with communication, the appearance of an inferiority complex, psychological discomfort.

What diagnostic and treatment methods does a speech therapist use in his work?

Speech problems are diagnosed primarily by hearing. The doctor, carrying out consultation and reception, first interrogates the patient, and already by the sounds of his speech, by its coherence, he can draw preliminary conclusions about the defects in speech activity. In addition, the doctor conducts specific testing, if necessary, appoints consultations with related specialists: an otolaryngologist, a neurologist, a neuropathologist, a psychiatrist.

After diagnosing and establishing the problem, the speech therapist determines whether it is within his competence, or whether it is necessary to refer the patient to another specialist.

The whole system of treatment by a speech therapist for children and adults is different in the sense that in the first case it will have a playful form. The doctor applies complex methods of influencing both the defect itself and the cause of its appearance (if possible). The effectiveness of treatment directly depends on the passion and perseverance of the patient, since only repeated training and repetitions give noticeable results. Classes are held according to the scheme of complication, and, basically, are sets of exercises. In some cases, the doctor prescribes medication.

A speech therapist is a specialist thanks to whom people with speech problems get a chance for full communication with the outside world. This question is relevant for both children and adults. Speech defects can become a serious obstacle to a normal life, study, work, building relationships.

Depending on what kind of education a speech therapist has received, he can engage in pedagogical work, or to carry out medical activities on the basis of clinics, hospitals, specialized correctional centers.

The experts of the Children's Academy of Speech and the Center for Speech Neurology "DoctorNeuro" tell the story.

For every parent, the birth of a baby is that amazing and incomparable moment when communication with the baby once and for all turns from absentee into mutual. First, the first tactile, and then the first eye contact, the first focused look, the first reaction (what a wide range of emotions!), The first smile, the first cooing and, finally, the first speech. A child is not born with a developed speech, he goes to it gradually: he learns to pronounce sounds correctly and clearly, move from syllables to words, linking words to each other, build phrases, express thoughts clearly and consistently.

But sometimes it happens that time is running, but the first words are still missing and missing. Or speech appears, but illegible, incomprehensible, one can only guess about the meaning of words. And these advancing on different stages the life of a child, deviations in speech, of course, cause anxiety in parents.

And in most cases, the first, and sometimes the only thing that comes to mind for such parents is to seek help from a speech therapist.

But the question is - is a speech therapist able to help in each case? Can he always solve the problem of speech impairment on his own? Let's try to figure it out.

What is a speech pathologist? What does this specialist do? What tasks does it solve?

A speech therapist is a correctional teacher involved in the identification, elimination and prevention of speech disorders. That is, judging by this definition, a speech therapist works with an already obvious manifestation of the problem: he corrects incorrect speech.

This manifestation - a speech disorder - may be to some extent an individual feature of the baby, or it may be a symptom of some disorder that has a medical reason - something that happened to the child's body and caused a failure in the development of speech .

What does it mean?

And the fact that a speech therapist is not a doctor, and he does not treat the cause of speech disorders.

If a violation of speech development is a symptom, a manifestation of a disease, then in this case the speech therapist needs the help of other doctors and specialists. By itself, without an integrated approach to eliminating the cause of the violation, a speech therapist will not help. What, by the way, a good, competent specialist will always tell parents.

How to understand that in addition to contacting a speech therapist, consultation and involvement of other specialists in treatment is required?

It is no secret that the normative process of speech formation in all children proceeds according to the same scenario. And there are age norms for this process - at certain points in life, a child must have certain speech skills.

Non-compliance with these norms indicates that something in the development of the child is going wrong.

But, on the other hand, children are still different and one cannot demand that they all develop as if on command. Despite the fact that there are age norms for the development of speech, some variable fluctuations are allowed around the key indicators of these norms in one direction or another.

The problem is that up to 2.5 years it is rather difficult to unequivocally state whether speech disorders are based on any medical reason or whether they are acceptable variations of the norm (development occurs fully, but with a delay: brain structures mature a little later).

What does it mean? That in the second case, the help of a speech therapist may be quite enough, and in the first case, it is necessary to involve other doctors and specialists in the process of correcting speech disorders.

What should parents do if the baby has speech problems and the speech therapist does not help?

If up to 2.5 years the child's behavior does not cause anxiety (the baby is active, sociable, plays with other children, recognizes loved ones, he has a pronounced reaction of revival), and corrective classes give results, then most likely the help of a speech therapist will be enough - a specialist " will adjust the child's speech to age norms.

But if classes with a speech therapist do not have positive dynamics or along with speech problems some other warning signs appear, it is appropriate to talk about the presence of organic causes of speech impairment.

In this case, it is dangerous to rely on the help of a speech therapist alone and it is definitely worth going through a comprehensive diagnostic examination.

And here's why: the closer the time comes to 2.5-3 years, the lag in the child's speech becomes more significant and noticeable. It is increasingly difficult to interpret it as an individual feature of development.

Most likely, impaired speech development will not be the only manifestation of the problem.

The baby may have certain behavioral features (the specialist may see them earlier, but by this age they become more convex).

For example, a child, against the background of speech difficulties, may not respond to speech addressed to him, not look into the eyes, not try to make contact with other children, not show interest in other people, show monotony in games, motor awkwardness. Such behavioral features indicate that the baby may be on the autism spectrum and he needs help not only and not so much from a speech therapist, but from a neurologist, neuropathologist, speech pathologist, neuropsychologist, and sometimes genetics.

Or, for example, another variant of the manifestation of a violation of speech development: the child does not withdraw, he is willing to communicate, he is intellectually developed, but his speech is incomprehensible. He speaks in gibberish, adding paralinguistic means to the "words" for persuasiveness - facial expressions, gestures, intonation.

Most likely, this is a neurological disorder of alalia. The parts of the baby's brain responsible for his speech are damaged.

Such a child definitely needs the help of a speech neurologist, along with a neuropsychologist and a speech therapist.

The child may generally withdraw, refuse to talk in principle. And while his intelligence is also preserved, besides there are no organic pathologies. This is a classic neurosis. This behavior is based solely on psychological reasons, and a psychologist should cope with such speech negativism.

Hearing problems are definitely the cause of impaired speech quality! Of course, one cannot do without the help of an audiologist. And in case high degree hearing loss, a child needs classes not so much with a speech therapist as with a teacher of the deaf.

The lack of speech in a child or his inability to master the articulation of simple sounds may be the basis for examining his organs. articulation apparatus(oral cavity, soft and hard palate, bone structure skull, jaws). And without correcting any defects, the help of a speech therapist is impossible.

The age of three years is a border line.

If speech has not improved by the age of three, develops incompletely or does not develop at all, it is worth contacting the help of a speech neurologist even if a comprehensive diagnostic examination did not reveal any pronounced pathologies and developmental disorders in the child.

Speech lag after three years becomes the reason for the lag in the development of the mental.

The fact is that the human psyche, up to a certain age, goes through mandatory phased stages of development. Normal mental development occurs only if each step is successively passed. Speech is one of these steps.

As soon as the child speaks (namely, begins to communicate through speech), his psyche begins to develop in his development based on this ability to speak, on this acquired ability to communicate. Speech is not given to man to simply pronounce words. The meaning of speech is in communication! And without connected to certain moment experience of communication, the psyche cannot develop fully further.

That is why, starting from 3-3.5 years, the child's speech should return to normal as quickly as possible.

One of necessary conditions for the normal development of the child - these are speech therapy classes. They can be carried out either with parents or with a specialist - a speech therapist. Eat simple ways find out if the child needs professional help. Correct speech It is formed in childhood, so do not ignore the signs of the development of defects.

When to See a Speech Pathologist: Signs of a Speech Disorder

Speech problems will not go away on their own if they are not addressed. Speech therapy classes for children are necessary:

  • if the child does not pronounce simple sounds, speech is fuzzy, words are swallowed;
  • replaces one sound with another;
  • knows few words regarding the norm of his age;
  • at 2-3 years old, many “own” words are used and few correct ones;
  • the child understands everything, but for some reason does not want to speak;
  • if after 4-5 years a soft pronunciation is preserved: “kisya”, “drank” instead of “drank”, etc.
  • if there are hesitation, stuttering, repetition, especially - frequent;
  • if there are problems with memorization and retelling;
  • in words, letters and syllables are reversed;
  • at 5-5.5 years old, the child does not pronounce "p" or pronounce it in the French manner;
  • by the age of 7, problems with writing are noticeable.

Advice
If the child does not say “r” at all, it is usually easier to put on the sound than to relearn from “French”. In the second case, you often have to contact a specialist.

The most common violations that require professional help:

  1. Dyslalia - incorrect pronunciation of sounds in children 4-5 years old. At the same time, words are used in the correct genders, numbers and cases, the vocabulary corresponds to the age, phrases and sentences are built correctly.
  2. General underdevelopment of speech. Signs: Difficulties in word formation, a small vocabulary for his age, violations in pronunciation.
  3. Failures in the pace and rhythm of speech - acceleration or deceleration of the pronunciation of words and sentences.

At what age is a preventive consultation with a speech therapist recommended?

Children master speech gradually, and for each age there are norms. Of course, some deviations are possible, but a significant difference from the general indicators in development is a reason to contact a speech therapist. Norms of pronunciation and understanding of sounds, words and phrases:

  1. By 1 year should be different simple words and gestures, 3-4 words are pronounced.
  2. By the age of 2, the vocabulary expands to 50 words, children speak in simple constructions of 2-3 words. A two-year-old child must correctly pronounce the sounds b, m, f, c, t, d, n, k, g.
  3. At 2.5 years old, elementary phrasal speech is formed.
  4. At the age of 3, children begin to use case forms, the only and plural, simple prepositions, conjunctions.
  5. By the age of 4, a child should be able to pronounce hissing and whistling.
  6. The most complex sounds l and r are mastered by 5-5.5 years. By this age, all parts of speech are already used, all sounds are pronounced clearly, do not change places in words (except for complex and new words, for example, “tortuar”, some “wrong” words remain from more early childhood, have been learned incorrectly and are pronounced in the usual old way - you need to be patient in relearning).

From the moment the baby's speech is formed, you can start classes with a speech therapist. Serious deviations will come to light already by 2-3 years, in this case it is not necessary to wait 5 years. If the articulation disorders are minor (for example, the baby does not say “r” at 4.5 years old), it is better to focus on articulation gymnastics - the teacher will tell you all the basic exercises in kindergarten where speaking classes are held in without fail. If you do not take your child to the garden and notice some delay or abnormal development of articulation, contact a speech therapist for preventive advice.

Especially in consultation with a speech therapist, a baby who was born as a result of a problem pregnancy and was observed by a neurologist needs to be consulted.

When do you need to consult a neurologist?

In some cases, one speech therapist is not enough. So, if in early age(up to a year) the child does not make the simplest sounds “gugu”, “boob”, etc., then an urgent consultation with a neurologist is required. Speech disorders may be the result of a lag in the physical and mental development. In such cases, the help of a defectologist is required.

Advice
Even if the baby does not have noticeable developmental abnormalities, it is recommended to visit a neurologist every six months from 1 year to 6 years.

First meeting with a speech therapist and diagnosis of pronunciation problems

Speech therapy examination should reveal the structure of the defect, so it is carried out in a complex way:

  1. First, the speech therapist offers to fill out a questionnaire: does the baby have diseases that interfere with the development of speech.
  2. Next, the condition of the teeth, bite, lips, tongue, hard and soft palate is determined.
  3. The state of general motor skills is determined by the movements of the child - how he walks, jumps, runs, performs various tasks.
  4. Then the doctor finds out the child's passive vocabulary. At this stage, the child's ability to distinguish between numbers, cases, interrogative sentences is determined.
  5. Next, the active dictionary is defined. The kid is asked to recite a poem to detect problems of diction, pronunciation speed, tempo and expressiveness of speech.
  6. Lexical and grammatical structure speech: changing words by numbers, forming diminutive forms, the ability to name the color of an object, etc.

Depending on the severity of the task, the speech therapist prescribes a plan individual lessons
for the development of speech. It is different for each child, so it is impossible to say with accuracy how quickly this or that problem will be solved. It can take from 2-3 lessons to several months to set up one sound.

How are the classes and what tools are used?

What is the usual speech therapy session:

  1. Finger games. They improve fine motor skills. It has been established that there is a close connection between the part of the brain responsible for speech and the hands. When a child learns a text using finger games, he develops attention, memory, speed of reaction, emotionality, and spatial thinking. In addition, the development of fine motor skills in speech therapy classes contributes to the coordination of movements of both hands.
  2. Articulation gymnastics. With its help, the muscles of the cheeks, tongue, lips, and palate are strengthened. The specialist will select exercises to correct a particular sound. Gymnastics is performed in front of a mirror so that the child sees all the movements.
  3. Poems to build vocabulary, such as rhyming tongue twisters. They help not only to replenish vocabulary, but also to quickly master a particular sound.
  4. Games for onomatopoeia and development of hearing. They are necessary for the correct perception of speech. The more clearly the baby perceives what he heard, the easier it is for him to repeat it.

Speech therapists also use staging probes to stage sounds. Such a device affects the position of the organs of articulation, thereby correcting the pronunciation.

Advice
It is good if the child has a personal set of probes. They must be sterilized before use.

Is it possible to study at home and when to start speech therapy games

Some parents prefer to work with their children at home on their own. This requires patience and understanding. You need to start classes from 2-3 years old, when the child can consciously repeat the tasks after the parents. The duration of the lesson should not exceed 15-20 minutes. It is important that it takes place in game form so the material is easier to digest.

Sample lessons for studying sounds:

  1. Pronounce the sound clearly.
  2. Find out how the tongue and lips work.
  3. Invite the child to find words that begin with this sound.
  4. Draw a letter, sculpt it or cut it out of paper.
  1. Stretch your lips into a smile.
  2. Smile, show teeth.
  3. With the tip of the tongue, walk along the teeth in a left-right movement - along the lower jaw, then along the upper.
  4. Pull your lips into a tube.
  5. Open your mouth and put a relaxed tongue on your lower lip.
  6. Lift the upper and lower lip without unclenching the teeth.
  7. Open your mouth wide, rest the tip of the flat tongue against the "tubercles behind the teeth."
  8. Push the tongue of the cheeks from the inside.
  9. Open your mouth and move your tongue from one corner of your mouth to another.

In addition, attention should be paid breathing exercises, mindfulness games (clap your hands when the desired sound or word is pronounced), outdoor hand games.

If, without contacting a specialist, classes are conducted for more than a month and to no avail, then it is definitely necessary to show the child to a specialist. Ineffective classes will only discourage the child from working on pronunciation. You need to understand that if there are strong speech defects, then you cannot cope with them on your own.

For classes to be effective, they must take place in a playful way every day in the morning and evening. The child must be in a good mood.

What homework do speech therapists give

To consolidate the results, the speech therapist gives homework. The fact is that the participation of parents largely determines the success of pronunciation correction. By doing homework adult assistance is needed.

What can a speech therapist advise for doing at home:

  • gymnastics for the tongue;
  • exercises for the fingers, the development of fine motor skills;
  • selection of appropriate stickers or patterns;
  • lexical - grammar tasks by type: affectionately name, combine objects in one word, answer a question, etc .;
  • outline, draw, shade, paint over - exercises to prepare for writing;
  • make a sentence and a story based on a series of pictures.

Children under 6 years of age unconsciously copy the speech of their parents, so working with a speech therapist alone will not be enough. It is imperative to monitor your own speech, whether sounds and words are clearly pronounced, whether phrases are correctly lined up. That is why parents are not recommended to “lisp” with children and copy their inept pronunciation. At integrated approach you can significantly improve the child's speech or completely get rid of problems with it.

This article will tell you about the first meeting of a speech therapist with a child, about the process of getting to know each other and establishing communication, which is very important for further fruitful cooperation.

Acquaintance with a speech therapist plays a decisive role in establishing communication and becomes the first step in fruitful cooperation. It is “collaboration”, because the result depends on the efforts of several parties: a speech therapist, parents and the child himself.

Unfortunately, most of today's children have one or another deviation in the development of speech. Even if all sounds are pronounced clearly and correctly, other difficulties arise: limited vocabulary, inability to build sentences correctly. When the kid comes to school, hidden problems make themselves felt. Reading the best literature and “conscious parenting” will not replace timely consultation with a qualified speech therapist. The specialist will not only identify deviations in speech, but also show parents the direction in which it is necessary to develop the child. Some difficulties can be overcome by doing at home on your own.

The kid is two years old, and he is silent? We strongly recommend that you consult a specialist. Yes, Einstein also did not speak until he was three years old, and then he became a genius. But why take risks and hope for a miracle if you can clarify the situation with a speech therapist? Until the age of two, speech therapy classes are not conducted. It will be much more effective to read books to the baby, visit, play finger games, communicate more and show less cartoons ... even “educational” ones. Speech therapists who specialize in early childhood recommend bringing the baby to the first consultation no earlier than 2 years. The specialist will tell you how to make the process of speech development more efficient, and, if necessary, refer you for a consultation with other specialists. The problem with the pronunciation of sounds in children over 5 years old is a clear signal to visit a speech therapist. Most often, it is during this period that parents begin to worry and seek help. The signal that the child needs to go to a speech therapist as soon as possible is the appearance in the baby’s speech of the so-called “distorted” sounds, that is, sounds that are not in their native language. For example, throat [R]. If the child replaces or skips sounds, then this may be a variant of the age norm.

At what age should a child clearly pronounce certain sounds?

* Up to 4 years, the softening of sounds should completely disappear, and words that have [L] and iotized vowels should sound in accordance with the norms of the native language, sounds [C], [Sh], [Z] and [Zb] appear.

* Up to 5 years, the sounds [W], [W], [H], [Sh] should be fully formed.

* Up to 6 years, sounds [P], [Pb], [L] are formed.

How is the first session with a speech therapist?

Many parents have heard fairy tales about how a magician-speech therapist at the very first meeting “put” all the sounds on the baby. Well, if your case is just as happy. However, you should not make hasty conclusions without seeing changes in 1-2 sessions. After all, how quickly you can see the result from speech therapy classes, depends on a number of factors, and first of all - on the mechanism of impaired sound pronunciation (is it dyslalia or dysarthria). With dyslalia, the sound can be delivered at the very first lesson, but with dysarthria, the correction of sound pronunciation can take more than one year. The fact is that with dysarthria, the muscle tone of the articulation apparatus is disturbed and its restoration will require connection, in addition, the tactics of conducting articulation gymnastics are changing, the stage of setting sounds is becoming more complicated, the stage of automation of sounds is lengthening and qualitatively changing.

At the first meeting, the speech therapist sets himself several tasks: to arrange the child to himself; diagnose and identify problems; introduce the baby to the structure of the speech apparatus; teach elementary speech therapy exercises and games, chart rough plan upcoming remedial work.

Each speech therapist has his own arsenal of tools and techniques by which he works with children. The "patient" requires an individual approach. One is motivated by praise, another will do everything for a sticker, a third needs discipline, a fourth is motivated exciting game. At the first lesson, the presence of parents is desirable so that they themselves can see how the child performs tasks, to which the speech therapist pays special attention.

Because of physiological characteristics the child cannot hold attention for more than 15 minutes, so a qualified specialist does not forget about changing activities during the lesson. Articulation gymnastics is carried out in the form of a game: it is easier to remember and more interesting to do even at home. The use of visual materials, speech therapy fairy tales, constructors, games and songs helps to keep attention. Do not be upset if you see that the baby is tired. He didn't just play, he worked. Some begin to yawn during articulatory gymnastics and this is also normal.

He specializes in the correction of speech disorders in both children and adults.

In modern practice, pedagogical, psychotherapeutic methods of correction, listening (listening to audio recordings) and much more are used.

Treatment with a speech therapist should be started as early as possible, since it becomes more and more difficult to correct such disorders with age.

What is the competence of a speech pathologist

His task is to comprehensively assess the state of the child's speech.

This means that it is necessary to find out whether the child pronounces the sounds of speech correctly for his age, whether he knows enough words (experts call this “volume of the dictionary”), whether he builds phrases correctly, and whether he knows how to communicate well enough using speech. If your child school age, then in addition to the above, the ability to write correctly and read fluently is assessed. In addition, it usually becomes necessary to assess the state of the child's non-verbal abilities.

It is necessary to find out how developed figurative thinking is. The ability to navigate in space, the ability to design, draw, think logically and consistently express one's thoughts are assessed. It is important to know how and what the baby can play, how rich and varied his games are.

Contrary to popular belief, a speech therapist does not only “put” sounds. The work of a speech therapist in correctional group begins with the development in children of attention, visual and auditory perception (recognition and discrimination), memory and thinking. Without this, it is impossible to establish a full-fledged educational process. The tasks of a speech therapist include expanding and enriching the vocabulary of children, developing coherent speech and teaching literacy, correcting grammatical errors.

In addition to mastering the methods of correcting oral and written speech, a speech therapist is familiar with the basics of neuropathology, psychopathology, pathology of the hearing and speech organs.

If some deviation in the development of speech from the age norm is found, then the task of the speech therapist is to understand the causes and mechanisms of this deviation, to decide who and how can help the child, whether the child needs long-term remedial training with the participation of a speech therapist, treatment and other therapeutic and rehabilitation measures.

What diseases does the Speech Therapist deal with?

- violations of the pronunciation of sounds (dyslalia and dysarthria);
- violations of the rhythm and pace of speech (stuttering, reactive stuttering);
- speech disorders associated with hearing impairment;
- underdevelopment of speech or loss of speech (alalia, aphasia);
- wrong bite.

What organs does a speech therapist deal with?

Speech therapist corrects speech defects.

When to See a Speech Therapist

- late development of speech;
- impaired understanding of speech or defective sound pronunciation;
- stuttering.

The main sign-symptom of stuttering is cramps in the muscles of the face, lips, tongue, respiratory apparatus of the child.

By nature, they are clonic, when the child repeats one sound or one syllable (“po-po-po-let's go”). And there are more severe convulsions - tonic - when the child simply cannot begin to speak, as if stuck on a word. There may also be convulsions of a mixed type.

In addition to seizures, parents may notice other signs of stuttering - these are motor tricks. Before starting to speak, the child performs some action: twitches his earlobe, taps his hand.

Speech tricks - a person, in order to start talking, pronounces a sound for a long time or repeats the same word over and over again (“uh-uh-uh”, “And I ... and I ... and I ...” ).

Child's personality changes.

Children with stuttering worry about their speech, they may refuse to communicate even with loved ones. And in the future, in adolescents, such a speech pathology can even make it difficult to choose a profession. Not to mention that stuttering lowers a child's self-esteem. Although often experiences are not always adequate to the severity of stuttering. It is not for nothing that speech therapists believe that when stuttering, it is not speech that suffers, but the personality of a person as a whole.

Another important sign of stuttering is the so-called logophobia. Fear, fear of speech and situations in which stuttering may occur, for example, answering a lesson in front of the whole class, asking for to a stranger on the street.

When and what tests should be done

Physical and speech examination child, in order to identify speech defects.

What are the main types of diagnostics usually performed by a Speech Pathologist?

A physical and speech examination of the child is carried out in order to identify speech defects. Very often, children who speak poorly for their age also eat poorly.

As a rule, it is a whole problem for them to eat an apple or a carrot, not to mention meat. This is caused by weakness of the jaw muscles, and it, in turn, delays the development of movements of the articulatory apparatus.

Therefore, be sure to force your child to chew crackers and whole vegetables and fruits, bread with crusts and lumpy meat. To develop the muscles of the cheeks and tongue, show your child how to rinse his mouth. Teach you to puff out your cheeks and hold the air, "roll" it from one cheek to another.

Do not forget to develop fine motor skills as well - that is, the baby should work as much as possible with his naughty fingers. No matter how tedious it may seem to you, let the baby do up the buttons, lace up the shoes, roll up the sleeves. Moreover, it is better for a child to start training not on his own clothes, but first to “help” dress the dolls and even parents.

As children's fingers become more agile, his language will become more understandable not only to his mother.

It is very useful for kids to sculpt. Just do not leave the baby alone with plasticine in order to stop his desire to taste the molded ball in time.

Many mothers do not trust their child with scissors. But if you stick your fingers into the rings of scissors along with the children's and cut out some figures, you get an excellent workout for the hand.

The source of the formation of speech sounds is an air stream leaving the lungs through the larynx, pharynx, oral cavity or nose.

Proper speech breathing ensures normal sound formation, creates conditions for maintaining normal speech volume, strict adherence to pauses, maintaining speech fluency and intonation expressiveness.

Violations speech breathing may be the result of general weakness, adenoid growths, various cardiovascular diseases, etc.

Such imperfections in speech breathing as the inability to rationally use exhalation, inhalation speech, incomplete renewal of the air supply, etc., which negatively affect the development of children's speech, may be due to improper upbringing, insufficient attention of adults to children's speech.

Toddlers who have weakened inhalation and exhalation tend to speak quietly and find it difficult to pronounce long phrases. With the irrational use of air, the smoothness of speech is disturbed, since children in the middle of a phrase are forced to get air. Often such children do not finish the words and often pronounce them in a whisper at the end of the phrase. Sometimes, in order to finish a long phrase, they are forced to speak while inhaling, which makes speech fuzzy, convulsive, and choking. A shortened exhalation forces you to speak phrases at an accelerated pace, without observing logical pauses.

Starting the development of speech breathing in a child, it is necessary first of all to form a strong smooth oral exhalation. At the same time, it is necessary to teach the child to control the time of expiration, to use air sparingly.

Additionally, the child develops the ability to direct the air stream in the right direction.

During the games described in the article, constant monitoring of the correctness of breathing is necessary.

Remember the parameters of the correct oral exhalation:

Exhalation is preceded by a strong breath through the nose - "gain a full chest of air";
- exhalation occurs smoothly, not jerks;
- during exhalation, the lips fold into a tube, do not compress the lips, puff out the cheeks;
- during exhalation, air exits through the mouth, air should not be allowed to exit through the nose (if the child exhales through the nose, you can pinch his nostrils so that he feels how the air should come out);
- breathe out until the air runs out;
- while singing or talking, you can not get air with the help of frequent short breaths.

When conducting games aimed at developing a child’s breathing, it must be borne in mind that breathing exercises quickly tire the child, can even cause dizziness.

Therefore, such games must be limited in time (you can use an hourglass) and be sure to alternate with other exercises.

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