The role of the parents in correcting children’s speech disorders

Abstract

An increase in the number of children with various speech development disorders requires more effective correction methods and determines the relevance of this paper. The article discusses speech disorders in children of preschool and primary school age and hereditary factors (particularly those affecting the delay of speech development, stuttering, and dysgraphia) based on the clinical and psychological-pedagogical classification. The authors highlight the adverse effects that social factors may have upon speech development and impediment and link the success of correctional and developmental efforts to the active and competent participation of the parents in this process.

Traditionally, preschoolers’ parents are engaged in the process of correcting their child’s speech disorder. There is, however, a lack of parental involvement in the case of children with dysgraphia and dyslexia in primary schools. The system of family group logopsychotherapy developed by Yulia B. Nekrasova and Natalia L. Karpova (mixed-age groups for people with stuttering) is presented in the paper as an example of parents’ and other relatives’ active involvement in the correctional process.

This system functions as a complex unity of psychology, pedagogy, speech therapy and non-medical psychotherapy. One specialist — a family logopsychotherapist, carries out the entire complex of social rehabilitation measures aimed to help an individual suffering from speech communication impairment. Studies of family logopsychotherapy groups presented in the article review attitudes to the defect based on the analysis of parent-child relationships; patterns in parent-child relationships, contributing to the emergence, consolidation and resilience of a speech defect; the role that a parent’s individual characteristics and speech patterns may play in the onset of stuttering. The results suggest the existence of specific psychological mechanisms for the emergence, consolidation and further development of a speech defect that transfer of pathological behavioural patterns from parents to children.

The authors suggest adapting the family group logopsychotherapy system to preschool age in kindergarten and using mixed-age groups experience in classes with younger students who struggle with mastering written language at school. In such conditions all work should be based on the principles of the universal significance of social rehabilitation, a family-oriented approach to speech recovery in children, etc.; a single speech regime for the entire family should be established and a positive mentality should be induced and maintained by all family members.