Corrective classes for the treatment of stuttering. Exercises for stuttering in children and adults. Exercises to develop lip mobility
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Anna Vakhrusheva
Summary of a lesson on stuttering correction in children of senior preschool age “Zoo”
Subject: « Zoo»
Goals:
Educational: teach relaxation exercises, proper breathing, and develop independent speech skills.
Educational: to develop the ability to transform, to cultivate a kind attitude towards animals.
Corrective: improve gross and fine motor skills, development of the muscles of the articulatory apparatus.
Wellness: creating a joyful, comfortable environment, developing breathing, correct posture, coordination of movements.
Equipment: pictures of animals, lullaby song.
Progress of the lesson:
1. Organizational moment
Speech therapist: Hello guys, sit down.
2. Subject message
Speech therapist: Name the animals you see in the picture (squirrel, monkey, giraffe, polar bear, wolf, elephant)
Please tell me where we can see all these animals at once? (V zoo)
That's right, today we are going to zoo.
3. Dynamic exercise "Gait"
Speech therapist: I will show you a picture with an image, and you show how the one depicted in the picture moves (a boy - we walk, a bunny - we jump, a bird - we wave our arms imitating the flapping of wings, a fox - we sneak, a bear - we waddle on the outside of the foot , heron - we stand on one leg).
4. Articulation gymnastics
A) onomatopoeia. All sounds are pronounced at a slow output.
Speech therapist: I name the animal, and you depict how it makes its voice (tiger - r-r-r, snake - sh-sh-sh, beetle - z-z-z, mosquito - z-z-z, horse - clatter).
B) Exercise "Proboscis"
Speech therapist: we come to a cage with an elephant, stretch your lips "proboscis". Lips tensed. And now they have become soft and relaxed (mouth slightly open, lips relaxed).
Speech therapist: Listen and do as I do.
I imitate an elephant:
Lips "proboscis" I'm pulling.
And now I'm letting them go
And I return it to its place.
Lips are not tense
And relaxed...
B) exercise "Frogs"
Speech therapist: Watch carefully as I do the next exercise. (The speech therapist shows the movement of the lips corresponding to the articulation of the sound I. Fixes attention children on the tension and relaxation of the lips)
Speech therapist: Now listen and do as I do.
The frogs liked it:
Pull your lips straight to your ears!
I'll pull and stop
And no matter how tired I get!
Lips are not tense
And relaxed...
5. Facial massage "Komarik"
Speech therapist: a small mosquito flies and lands on our face, let's drive it away. Repeat all the movements after me. The mosquito sat on the nose, (we move our fists along the wings of the nose, the mosquito sat on the forehead (run all fingers across the forehead from the middle of the face, the mosquito sat on the cheek (stroke the cheeks from top to bottom with your fingers 4 times, the mosquito sat on the ears (grind palm your ears) . The mosquito flew away.
6. Game "Say the word"
Speech therapist: I’m asking a riddle, and you have to finish the word.
*Who is in the forest in cold winter
Walking around angry and hungry?
Who knows a lot about bunnies?
Did you guess it? This … (wolf)
*This beast is kind of strange,
Neck like the arrow of a crane.
To reach the herbs with your mouth,
It will be double... (giraffe)
*A horn grew on his nose,
And everyone calls him... (rhinoceros)
*A log floats down the river,
Oh, and it’s furious!
To those who fell into the river,
The nose will be bitten off... (crocodile)
7. Relaxation.
Speech therapist:
We walked for a very long time
And we're a little tired
We're leaving the yard
For both animals and children
It's time to sleep, it's time to sleep. (A lullaby sounds)
8. Summary classes:
Speech therapist: Thank you very much, guys. The animals were pleased to meet you, and you? (answers children) .
As already indicated, impermanence manifestations of stuttering gives rise to the hope among specialists of finding a means or a way to retain, consolidate and expand the possibilities of free speech that every stutterer has: be it in a certain form of speech activity or in a certain speech situation. Hence the goal is to find techniques, methods, and means that would allow people who stutter to transfer the rudiments of free speech from the area of narrow, special conditions for them into an environment of natural communication with people around them. This explains the attempts to create different systems of gradual, successively more complicated speech exercises that would serve as a transition bridge from easy speech conditions for a stutterer to more difficult ones. Therefore, combining different techniques speech therapy sessions With people who stutter, we can consider a common desire to implement the principles of systematicity and consistency in practice. Different approaches to the choice of speech activities and speech situations, the use of different aids or techniques; The different ages of people who stutter are what distinguishes different methods of speech therapy for people who stutter.
Authors of the first domestic method speech therapy work with people who stutter children of preschool and preschool age - N.A. Vlasova and E.F. Rau built an increase in the complexity of speech exercises depending on the varying degrees of speech independence of children. Hence the sequence they recommended: 1) reflected speech; 2) memorized phrases; 3) retelling based on the picture; 4) answers to questions; 5) spontaneous speech. At the same time, the authors recommend mandatory rhythmic and musical classes with children and conducting explanatory work with parents.
N.A. Vlasova distinguishes 7 “types of speech”, which, in order of gradualness, must be used in classes with preschool children: 1) conjugate speech; 2) reflected speech; 3) answers to questions based on a familiar picture; 4) independent description of familiar pictures; 5) retelling a short story heard; 6) spontaneous speech (story based on unfamiliar pictures); 7) normal speech (conversation, requests), etc.
E.F. Rau sees the task of speech therapy work as “to, through systematic planned lessons, free the speech of stuttering children from tension, make it free, rhythmic, smooth and expressive, as well as eliminate incorrect pronunciation and cultivate clear, correct articulation.” All speech retraining classes children who stutter distributed according to the degree of increasing complexity into 3 stages.
The first stage - exercises are conducted in joint and reflected speech and in the pronunciation of memorized phrases and rhymes. Recitation is widely used.
The second stage - exercises are carried out in the oral description of pictures in questions and answers, in composing an independent story based on a series of pictures or on a given topic, in retelling the content of a story or fairy tale that was read by a speech therapist.
The third stage is the final stage, children are given the opportunity to consolidate acquired fluent speech skills in everyday conversation with surrounding children and adults, during games, activities, conversations and at other moments in a child’s life.
The methods of N.A. Vlasova and E.F. Rau are characterized by a certain similarity - they are based on different degrees of speech independence of children. The undoubted merit of these authors is that they were the first to propose and use a step-by-step sequence speech exercises in working with young children, we developed instructions for the individual stages of a sequential system for correcting the speech of preschoolers who stutter.
For many years, the proposed technique was one of the most popular in practical work with children who stutter. And currently, many of its elements and modifications are used by speech therapists.
A unique system of correctional work with stuttering preschoolers in the process of manual activities was once proposed by N.A. Cheveleva. The author proceeds from the psychological concept that the development of a child’s connected speech proceeds from situational speech (directly related to practical activities, with a visual situation) to contextual (generalized, related to past events, to missing objects, to future actions). Therefore the sequence speech exercises is seen in the gradual transition from visual, lightweight forms of speech to abstract, contextual statements. This transition is achieved in the child, according to the author, in a sequence that provides for a different relationship of the child’s speech to his activity over time. Hence, the “main line of increasing complexity of independent speech” includes the following forms: accompanying, final, and preceding.
On the other hand, the system of consistent complication of speech here follows the line of “gradual complication of objects of activity” through the complication of the number of “individual elements of work into which the entire labor process in the manufacture of a given craft breaks down.”
This system overcoming stuttering in children it includes 5 periods.
1) Propaedeutic (4 lessons). The main goal is to instill in children the skills of organized behavior. At the same time, children learn to hear the speech therapist’s laconic but logically clear speech and its normal rhythm. The children themselves have temporary speech restrictions.
2) Accompanying speech (16 lessons). During this period, children’s own active speech is allowed, but only in relation to the actions they simultaneously perform. Constant visual support ensures the greatest situationality of speech. At the same time, there is a constant complication of children’s speech due to a change in the nature of the speech therapist’s questions and the corresponding selection of crafts (identical, repeatedly spoken answers, variant answers for children; monosyllabic, short and complete, detailed answers).
3) Closing speech (12 lessons). In all classes of this period, children use accompanying and final speech (in the latter case, they describe the work already completed or part of it). By adjusting (gradually increasing) the intervals between the child’s activity and his response to what he has done, varying complexity of the final speech is achieved. At the same time, by gradually reducing visual support for the work performed, it becomes possible to make a gradual transition to contextual speech.
4) Preliminary speech (8 lessons). Here, along with accompanying and final speech, a more complex form of speech is activated - preliminary, when the child tells what he intends to do. Children’s ability to use speech without visual support develops. Children learn to plan their work, name and explain in advance each action that they still have to do. Phrasal speech becomes more complex: children learn to pronounce several phrases related in meaning, use phrases of complex construction, and construct a story independently. During this period, they are required to be able to think logically, express their thoughts consistently and grammatically correctly, and use words in their exact meaning.
5) Consolidation of independent speech skills (5 lessons). During this period, it is planned to consolidate the previously acquired skills of independent, detailed, specific speech. Children talk about the entire process of making this or that craft, ask questions, answer questions, speak out of their own free will, etc.
Thus, the methodology proposed by N.A. Cheveleva implements the principle of consistently increasing the complexity of speech exercises in the process of one of the types of activities of a preschool child. The author methodologically substantiates and describes the stages of this sequential work. It clearly shows the possibilities of how, in one section of the “Program of Education and Training in Kindergarten” (namely, in the process of manual activities), correctional work can be carried out to overcome stuttering in children.
S.A. Mironova suggested system for overcoming stuttering for preschoolers in the process of completing the entire program of the middle, senior and preparatory groups of kindergarten. Corrective influence on children who stutter is carried out in classes (as the main form of educational work in kindergarten) in the following sections: “Familiarization with the surrounding nature”, “Speech development”, “Development of elementary mathematical concepts”, “Drawing, modeling, application, design” .
Work with children in all sections of the “Program” is subject to the goal of re-education speeches of people who stutter. Therefore, the author sets two tasks for the speech therapist: programmatic and correctional, which are distributed across academic quarters (or, accordingly, into four stages of progressively more complex correctional work).
When completing the program with children who stutter in the mass kindergarten, some of its changes are proposed, related to the speech capabilities of children. These include: using material from the previous age group at the beginning of the school year, rearranging some program tasks and topics, extending the time frame for studying more difficult classes, etc.
The correctional tasks of the first quarter consist of teaching the skills of using the simplest situational speech in all classes. Vocabulary work occupies a significant place: expanding the vocabulary, clarifying the meanings of words, activating passive vocabulary. The speech therapist himself is expected to be particularly demanding of the speech: specific questions, speech in short, precise phrases in different versions, the story is accompanied by a demonstration, the pace is leisurely.
The correctional tasks of the second quarter consist of consolidating the skills of using situational speech, a gradual transition to elementary contextual speech in teaching storytelling based on questions from a speech therapist and without questions. Much attention is paid to working on phrases: a simple phrase, a common phrase, constructing variants of phrases, grammatical design of phrases, constructing complex constructions, moving on to composing stories. The selection of program material and the sequence in its study are also changing. If in the first quarter, in all classes, children come into contact with the same objects, then in the second, the objects are not repeated, although objects are selected that are similar in terms of the general theme and purpose.
The correctional tasks of the third quarter consist of consolidating the skills of using previously learned forms of speech and mastering independent contextual speech. A significant place is devoted to work on composing stories: using visual support and questions from a speech therapist, independent storytelling, and retelling. Children's speech practice in complex contextual speech increases. In the third quarter, the need for slow study of the program, characteristic of the first stages of education, disappears, and the topics of classes approach the level of mass kindergarten.
Corrective tasks of the fourth quarter are aimed at consolidating the skills of using independent speech of varying complexity. Working on creative stories plays a big role. Along with this, vocabulary work and work on phrases, begun at the previous stages of training, continue. In speech, children rely on specific and general questions from the speech therapist, on their own ideas, express judgments, and draw conclusions. Visual material is almost never used. The speech therapist’s questions relate to the process of the upcoming work, conceived by the children themselves. During this period, correctional training is aimed at maintaining the logical sequence of the transmitted plot, at the ability to give additional provisions and clarifications.
All correctional working with children who stutter carried out throughout the year by a speech therapist and a teacher.
As we can see, the methods of N.A. Cheveleva and S.A. Mironova are based on teaching children who stutter to gradually master the skills of free speech from its simplest situational form to the contextual one (the idea was proposed by Professor R.E. Levina). Only N.A. Cheveleva does this in the process of developing children’s manual activity, and S.A. Mironova does this in the process of developing children’s speech when going through different sections of the kindergarten program. The very principle of the necessary combination of correctional and educational tasks working with children who stutter should be considered absolutely correct in speech therapy practice.
Methodology of Seliverstov V.I. primarily designed for speech therapy work with children in medical institutions (in outpatient and inpatient settings). In essence, it is a comprehensive system of speech therapy sessions with children, as it involves modification and simultaneous use of different (known and new) techniques speech therapy work with them. The author proceeds from the basic position - the work of a speech therapist should always be creative and exploratory. There cannot be strict deadlines and identical tasks for all people who stutter without exception. The manifestations of stuttering are different for each child, and his abilities in speech therapy sessions are also different, and therefore, in each specific case, a different approach is necessary in finding the most effective methods for overcoming stuttering.
In the scheme proposed by the author of successively complicated speech therapy sessions with children three periods are distinguished (preparatory, training, consolidative), during which speech exercises become more complicated depending, on the one hand, on the varying degrees of independence of speech, its preparedness, the structure of complexity, volume and rhythm; and on the other hand, from the varying complexity of speech situations: from the situation and social environment, from the types of activities of the child, during which his speech communication occurs.
Depending on the level of free speech and features manifestations of stuttering in each specific case, the tasks and forms of speech exercises differ for each child in the conditions of speech therapy work with groups of children.
A prerequisite for speech therapy classes is their connection with all sections of the “Program of Education and Training in Kindergarten” and, above all, with play as the main activity of a preschool child. Speech therapy classes are based on the active consciousness and participation of children in the process of working on their speech and behavior. Visual aids and technical teaching aids (in particular, a tape recorder) are widely used in classes. The child’s parents are placed in the position of obligatory and active assistants to the speech therapist in the classes.
In modern techniques speech therapy sessions with children who stutter In recent years, more and more attention has been drawn to the possibility of using various games for correctional purposes. Games known in the practice of preschool education, modified or even invented by speech therapists.
In particular, G.A. Volkova developed a system for using games (didactic, singing, moving, dramatization games, creative games) with children who stutter 4-5, 5-6, 6-7 years at different stages of successive speech therapy sessions: at the stage of silence (4-6 days) and whispered speech (10 days); conjugate (4-5 weeks) and reflected speech (4-5 weeks); question-answer speech (8-10 weeks); independent speech (8-14 weeks) and at the stage of consolidating active behavior and free communication of children.
In the proposed system of various games, according to the author, “children learn the rules of behavior in game, imaginary situations, but reflecting real, life phenomena and relationships of people. And the learned forms of relationships contribute to the restructuring of the behavior and speech of stuttering children and the elimination of the defect.”
Interesting games and gaming techniques are also offered for speech therapy sessions with stuttering children I.G. Vygodskaya, E.L. Pellinger, L.P. Uspenskaya. Games and gaming techniques in accordance with the objectives of the successive stages of speech therapy classes with children here contribute to relaxation exercises (relaxation), a regime of relative silence; education of correct speech breathing; communicating in short phrases; activation of an expanded phrase (individual phrases, story, retelling); re-enactments; free speech communication.
The manual proposes a system of targeted game techniques and situations, which, according to the authors, “form children’s independent speech skills, helping them move from communicating with words at the first stage of work to detailed statements at the end of the course.”
IN AND. Seliverstov "Stuttering in Children"
Most people who stutter experience feelings of anxiety, uncertainty, and fear in the process of verbal communication. They are characterized by an imbalance and mobility between the processes of excitation and inhibition, and increased emotionality. Any, even minor, stressful situations become excessive for their nervous system, cause nervous tension and intensify the external manifestations of stuttering. Many people who stutter are known to speak freely when they are calm. A state of calm is mainly ensured by general muscle relaxation. And vice versa, the more relaxed the muscles, the deeper the state of general peace. Emotional arousal weakens with sufficiently complete muscle relaxation.
Good diction is the basis for clear and intelligible speech. Clarity and purity of pronunciation depend on the active and correct functioning of the articulatory (speech) apparatus, especially on its moving parts - the tongue, lips, palate, lower jaw and pharynx. To achieve clarity of pronunciation, it is necessary to develop the articulatory apparatus with the help of special exercises (articulatory gymnastics). These exercises help create a neuromuscular background for the development of precise and coordinated movements necessary for the sound of a full voice, clear and precise diction, prevent the pathological development of articulation movements, as well as relieve excessive tension in the articulatory and facial muscles, develop the necessary muscle movements for free use and control of parts of the articulatory apparatus.
In its manifestations, stuttering is a very heterogeneous disorder. It is naive to believe that it concerns only speech function. In the manifestations of stuttering, attention is drawn to disorders of the nervous system of stutterers, their physical health, general and speech motor skills, speech function itself, and the presence of psychological characteristics. The listed deviations in the psychophysical state of children who stutter manifest themselves differently in different cases. Nevertheless, one is closely connected with the other, feeds each other, and the complication of one of the listed deviations inevitably aggravates the other. Therefore, when eliminating stuttering, it is necessary to influence not only the speech of the stutterer, but also his personality and motor skills, nervous system and the body as a whole. In our country, influencing different aspects of the body, speech and personality of a stutterer using different means is called a comprehensive therapeutic and pedagogical approach to overcoming stuttering.
According to R.E. Levina, there is no speech disorder in itself; it always presupposes the personality and psyche of a particular individual with all its inherent characteristics. The role of speech deficiency in the development and fate of a child depends on the nature of the defect, its degree, and also on how the child relates to his defect.
Understanding their speech defect, unsuccessful attempts to get rid of it on their own, or at least to disguise it, often give rise to certain psychological characteristics in people who stutter: shyness to the point of timidity, a desire for solitude, fear of speech, a feeling of oppression and constant worries about their speech. Sometimes it’s the other way around: disinhibition, ostentatious looseness and harshness.
Stuttering (logoneurosis) is a type of speech disorder in which fluent, continuous pronunciation of words is impossible. Depending on the speech, speech can be distorted - from minor repetitions of individual syllables to the complete inability to pronounce the word to the end.
Stuttering is most often caused by psycho-emotional reasons, but can also be caused by injuries, infectious and organic lesions.
The earlier the disorder is detected and the more timely its treatment is started (both stuttering and gymnastics), the more favorable the prognosis. Below we will look at what exercises can be recommended to overcome stuttering.
Types of exercises for stuttering
Important! Since in logoneurosis, mainly the rhythmic-respiratory component of speech is impaired, it is necessary to select a set of exercises for stuttering that specifically eliminate this defect.
The following types of training are distinguished:
- voice exercises (the main goal is to learn not to be afraid to speak, to be able to control your voice);
- articulation exercises - help strengthen the muscles of the lips and tongue for clearer pronunciation of words;
- - aimed at regulating breathing during speech, strengthening the diaphragm);
- muscular gymnastics - strengthens the muscles of the resonator system, diaphragm;
- rhythmic exercises - aimed at developing the rhythmic side of speech.
Muscular gymnastics
As already noted, emotional disturbances are often the basis of logoneurosis. They leave an imprint not only on speech activity and voice intonation, but also on the muscular frame: so-called muscle clamps are formed, which, in turn, only aggravate the situation. A person who stutters cannot take a proper breath; the muscles of the neck, throat, and shoulder girdle are constantly tense. Complex therapy for stuttering should include exercises that relieve excessive muscle tension:
- Alternate tension and relaxation of different parts of the body.
- Holding your breath for 20-30 seconds develops the lungs and activates blood flow, improves muscle strength.
- Protrusion of the abdomen like a ball.
- Various yoga elements (suitable for adults).
- Chanting vowels.
- Singing in any form.
- Pronouncing words with different intonations.
- Voice imitation of various sounds (birds singing, the sound of a ball hitting the floor, the clatter of hooves, etc.).
Rhythmic gymnastics
Logorhythmics in stuttering are often disrupted. Exercises that allow you to better feel the rhythmic side of speech should definitely be included in the complex:
- Tapping the rhythm on the table and then repeating it.
- Clapping your hands while reciting poetry or singing songs.
- Pronouncing words to the beat of music. The music needs to be changed more often, and the patient must have time to adjust the tempo of speech to the changing rhythm of the music.
Are there any contraindications to exercises to correct stuttering?
As such, there are no general contraindications to exercises for logoneurosis. Since there are quite a lot of chargers, you can always choose the one that you like best and does not cause discomfort. For example, if a child has back problems, then the “Cat” and “Pump” exercises can be replaced with other breathing practices that do not require active bending of the body.
Getting rid of logoneurosis is a long process. It should be understood that when working with children, especially younger ones, keeping the classes entertaining is of great importance. The child should not be bored and feel like he is being interrogated, or think that he is being coerced. A friendly environment and good overall health are important.
In no case should you force a child to do exercises if he does not want to, this can only aggravate the disorder. It is also not recommended to do exercises at the expense of proper rest or communication with other children: exercises should be carried out as naturally as possible and as if in passing, while playing.
It is advisable to use funny songs and nursery rhymes; performance should be accompanied by your favorite toys. Articulation exercises must be performed in front of a mirror so that the child can control how correctly he is doing everything (“Let’s play making faces”).
Systematic training also plays an important role. It would be nice to quietly introduce exercises into the child’s daily ritual, for example, do breathing exercises when brushing teeth, do muscle exercises when bathing, etc.
It is important that the child gets used to repeated actions, and there is no need to force him to sit down every time.
Attention! Results in the treatment of logoneurosis occur no earlier than after 2-3 months, subject to constant daily training. It is important to be patient and strictly observe the frequency of classes. It is not necessary to undergo treatment only from a speech therapist; home gymnastics for stuttering will also bring positive results and help consolidate the achieved effect.
Little babies begin to make some intelligible sounds as early as 6 months. Gradually, the vocabulary increases and the child speaks in syllables, and then in words. However, sometimes parents notice problems with speech, this is especially noticeable at an older age. Stuttering brings the most discomfort to children and adults. At the same time, complexes appear, which can significantly affect attitudes in society. It is important to notice the problem in time and use anti-stuttering exercises daily.
Causes and types of stuttering
Speech problems in children and adults become a serious barrier to communication. This is especially hard for children at school, when you can often hear ridicule from their peers. Also, this difficulty prevents an adult from communicating, defending his point of view, and actively getting involved in a conversation. Complexes appear that are incredibly difficult to eliminate.
Causes of stuttering can be:
- Experienced stress.
- Poor social living conditions for the child.
- Frequent beatings and insults suffered by children.
- Hereditary speech diseases: the presence of relatives who stutter, underdevelopment of the speech apparatus (malocclusion of teeth, cleft lip, cleft palate).
- The desire of parents to retrain their left-handed child to write with the right hand.
- Heavy workload at school, attending several extracurricular classes during the week.
- Harsh conditions of upbringing at home.
- Birth injuries.
- Lack of communication in the family, when parents do not pay enough attention to their offspring - they read little, do not talk about different topics, do not play.
- Lability of the nervous system, when a person’s emotions can be influenced verbally. In this case, the nervous system reacts by inhibiting speech activity, anxiety sets in, and the words sound intermittently and inaudibly.
It is quite rare for adults to develop stuttering. The nervous system at this age is quite well developed and rarely undergoes changes. However, in adulthood, stuttering can occur due to the following reasons:
- After suffering the death of a loved one.
- After being in the epicenter of hostilities.
- After suffering a severe brain injury.
- Following a strong fear, such as attempted robbery or harassment.
Important! Any stressful situation should not remain “inside” a person. You always need to talk it out with your loved ones, then the effect on the nervous system will sharply decrease
At 3-4 years of age, it is difficult to understand whether a child will continue to stutter or whether this is an age-related problem. Parents should pay close attention to this situation and promptly contact a speech therapist. The doctor can determine one of the following types of stuttering:
- Reactive - detected after suffering nervous and mental illnesses.
- Evolutionary - appears in children during the developmental period of 3-5 years.
- Symptomatic - occurs after injuries, organic brain damage, neuroinfections.
Each type of stuttering needs to be treated in a variety of ways. The best results appear after systematic daily training.
Speech therapy exercises
Treating a person who stutters presents some difficulties for the doctor. A specialist who eliminates this problem is called a speech therapist. Many methods have been developed to quickly and permanently relieve a person of speech problems. One of these methods is speech therapy exercises. Some of them are done as follows:
- Children need to be presented with everything in a playful way. First, you should ask the child to inflate a balloon, rubber ball, or lifebuoy. You can also try making a paper boat, launching it into the water and blowing on it to make it float.
- Tongue exercises are quite fun for children. You should ask to puff out your cheeks and twirl your tongue in your mouth so that your tongue “walks” over your teeth. Rhythmically stick your tongue out and quickly hide it back in your mouth. Try to place the tongue under the upper and lower lip. You can also curl your tongue into a “tube”. This is repeated up to 10-15 times.
- We ask the child to puff out his cheeks and with a sharp, not strong blow to the cheek with his fist, knock the air out of his mouth.
- Imitation of the “speech” of fish. The child should put his lips together and then sharply tear them apart, making sounds.
You can also add the following to these exercises:
- Playing orchestra and conductor. The doctor waves his wand and for every movement of the doctor, an adult or child shouts out any word. This is repeated for 2-3 minutes in a playful way.
- Scene "funny chicks". The exercise is more suitable for children. You need to walk in a circle and shout: “Top-clap-clap! Up-tap-tap! Tap-tap-rop-rap-tick-tick!”
- The doctor should liberate the adult and give him the opportunity to speak out. You need to come up with an interesting topic and simply make the patient talk and talk.
- Play with children and adults in the capitals of the world. The doctor must name the country, and the patient must shout out the correct answer, as early as possible.
- Invite the child and adult to read a poem or fairy tale. In this case, you need to turn on rhythmic, but not fast music and do all this to a given melody.
- It is also necessary to read tongue twisters of varying complexity.
- You should reread books out loud as much as possible, preferably in front of an audience. You can also do everything with your family and friends.
It is important for the patient to relax and not feel disadvantaged in front of the doctor. A relaxed person pronounces syllables and words better, stops worrying, does not swallow letters and pronounces speech clearly.
Breathing exercises
In children who stutter, you should not only focus on speech, but also be sure to train your breathing. This approach increases the chances of resuming correct speech in a shorter time. Breathing exercises can be done both at home and in special classes. Adults and children perform the following exercises:
- Adults are asked to lie on their back and place an object weighing 2-3 kg on their stomach. You need to inhale and exhale rhythmically with your stomach, lifting the load up and down. For children, you can use a soft toy instead of a weight. Perform the exercise for 1-2 minutes 5 times a day.
- Place a long, hollow tube in a bottle of water and let the patient blow as hard as he can. This should continue for 1-2 minutes.
- Both children and adults can inflate balloons.
- Every 1-2 hours you need to take breaks for breathing exercises. You need to stand on your feet and inhale deeply through your nose, slowly raising your arms up. Then slowly lower your arms and exhale through your mouth. This is done 10-15 times per session.
Breathing exercises are useful because in this way the muscle groups of the chest, larynx, and pharynx are trained. Such exercises promote the development of smooth speech and proper breathing when pronouncing sounds and words.
Muscular gymnastics
The nervous system, as well as the muscles of the body, play a significant role in the formation of the voice. The structures of the vocal apparatus work together with the respiratory muscles, as a result of which a person can produce almost any sounds. Correction of stuttering in adults and children can be done in many ways. One of the important ones is muscle gymnastics. The main organ responsible for proper breathing is the diaphragm. The following exercises allow you to achieve the desired result:
- Body position - standing. Take a deep breath as much as you can, increasing the volume of your chest. Then exhale quickly and rhythmically, making a “hoooo” sound. Repeat this 15 times in one cycle. In total, you need to do 10-15 such exercises per day.
- The body position is the same. You should make rhythmic and frequent movements of the anterior abdominal wall. At the same time, the abdominal muscles increase pressure in the abdomen and affect the diaphragm. These sets of exercises increase the strength of contractions of the diaphragm during breathing movements.
- Holding your breath for 30-40 seconds also improves muscle strength and promotes better lung ventilation.
- Daily jogging for 15 minutes increases chest excursion, increases the body's adaptive abilities, and improves blood flow in the lungs.
- Yoga perfectly helps to master your body, calms the nervous system, calms your breathing and tones the muscles and diaphragm. These activities are only suitable for adults.
Physical exercise has a positive effect on the functioning of the lungs, vocal cords and the entire speech apparatus.
Voice gymnastics
You can learn to speak confidently and without hesitation through voice training. Play forms are suitable for children, acting lessons and singing for adults. Speech therapists suggest the following exercises for stuttering:
- Turn on a soundtrack or familiar music with words and start singing. This is the easiest way to learn to pronounce sounds smoothly. It is desirable that songs have more vowels, such as A, O, I, Ya, Yu.
- For children, you should play a skit or a famous fairy tale so that the child takes part and talks a lot.
- Choose any sonorous word, for example, “sun” and try to pronounce it affectionately, rudely, with anger, with kindness, changing the intonation each time.
- You can throw objects with your child and make sure that the child pronounces the given word for each throw.
- It is also necessary to ask the patient to first slowly and then quickly pronounce the following syllables: “but-but”, “well-well”, “na-na”, “pa-pa”, “sho-sho”,
“tsa-tsa”, etc. This should be done rhythmically, then speed up and pronounce the sounds loudly and clearly.
Doctor's advice. The patient must remember that only their own efforts and patience will give a positive result and relieve stuttering
Rhythmic gymnastics
A sense of rhythm plays a huge role for a person who wants to get rid of stuttering. It is best to manage speech with the help of music or rhythmic sounds. Such training pacifies the nervous system, the game form allows you to liberate a person and increase his self-esteem. Classes are held as follows:
- Choose easy-to-understand poems and texts. A person should read poems while simultaneously tapping his hand on the table. Everything is done to the beat of reading.
- In a similar way, you can ask the patient being read to pronounce words to the beat of selected music. Change the tune every time, regardless of anyone's preference.
The presented methods for treating stuttering are quite simple and can be practiced even at home. If parents notice problems with their child’s speech, they should seek help from a speech therapist. Only an experienced doctor will relieve such unpleasant problems.
An article about an integrated approach to the correction of stuttering in adults and adolescents, used in the Center for Neurological Neurosurgery in the Department of Logoneurosis.
The article includes a general work plan. In the future, I intend to send material that will tell more specifically about developments in this area.
Speech therapy work to correct stuttering in adults and adolescents
Stuttering is not always eliminated in childhood. Every adult who stutters and decides to get rid of a speech disorder will have to face more established pathological stereotypes of the speech act and more pronounced psychological problems.
A neurodefectologist-speech therapist, working with adults who stutter, needs to help the patient coordinate breathing, vocal and articulatory processes, “feel” this coordination and bring it to automaticity. There are a number of benefits to speech therapy work for adult patients. They study meaningfully and consciously. They can use the will to achieve their goals. At the same time, everyone understands that stuttering is a very complex speech disorder that requires systematic, consistent work.
Speech therapy work is considered as a system of correctional and pedagogical measures aimed at the harmonious formation of the speech of people who stutter, taking into account the need to overcome or compensate for the defect.
Speech therapy influence in the Center for Logoneurosis in the Department of Logoneurosis is carried out in two directions: direct and indirect.
Direct speech therapy intervention is implemented during group and individual sessions with people who stutter. These classes provide for the development of general and speech motor skills, normalization of the tempo and rhythm of breathing and speech, and activation of verbal communication.
In classes, psychological deviations in behavior are eliminated for people who stutter, and the correct attitude towards the defect is developed. Individual lessons are conducted if additional exercises are needed to develop correct speech skills.
Indirect speech therapy is a system of speech therapy for all routine moments for patients. The speech regime of adolescents and adults involves their selection of the necessary speech exercises, their understanding of the requirements of correct speech, and the systematic training of correct speech skills in different conditions.
The speech aspect of speech therapy classes includes the regulation and coordination of respiratory, vocal and articulatory functions, and the education of correct speech.
Based on the position that “stuttering is a discordinative convulsive speech disorder that occurs in the process of communication through the mechanism of systemic speech-motor neurosis, and is clinically represented by primary, actual speech, and secondary disorders, which often become dominant in adults. As with other neurotic disorders, psychological, socio-psychological and biological factors take part in the mechanisms of this speech motor neurosis. In many cases of stuttering, the so-called organic “soil” is noted in the form of cerebral deficiency of various origins.” At the Center for Stuttering, a comprehensive treatment system was developed, which combines speech therapy classes and active psychotherapy, combining various variants of the suggestive method with the work of restructuring disturbed personal relationships, including through the use of modern group psychotherapy. All work is carried out in close contact with a speech therapist, psychologist, psychotherapist, psychiatrist, neurologist, specialists in physical therapy, massage and other methods.” book V.M. Shklovsky “Stuttering”. M. 1994. p. 8., p. 176.
Speech therapy work in a day hospital consists of: a diagnostic period and a period of restructuring pathological skills in the system of a comprehensive method of treating stuttering.
Diagnostic period
In order to establish a final diagnosis and outline a treatment plan, it is necessary to conduct a thorough examination of the patients by all specialists in the department (psychiatrist, psychotherapist, neurologist and speech therapist).
The examination of speech function in people who stutter is carried out according to methods generally accepted in speech therapy (L.I. Belyakova, E.A. Dyakova, E.V. Oganesyan, I.A. Povarova). The scheme of speech therapy examination includes the study of the state of the structure and mobility of the articulatory apparatus, speech breathing, voice, speech rate. When studying speech and motor disorders, the localization and form of speech spasms, the duration and frequency of their manifestation, the presence of accompanying movements, verbal, motor and psychological tricks, the attitude of the subject to stuttering, and the degree of fixation on it are considered. Anamnestic and clinical data are studied that determine the possible causes of stuttering, and the group to which the patient can be classified according to V.M. Shklovsky’s classification is determined:
Group 1 - patients who did not have persistent neurotic disorders. The speech defect (it can be very pronounced) of these stutterers did not significantly affect the development of their personal and social status.
Group 2 - patients with persistent neurotic disorders. The speech defect (it can be very pronounced) of these stutterers influenced the development of their personal and social status.
Group 3 - patients who have even more pronounced neurotic disorders, combined with anxious suspiciousness and an insurmountable fear of speech.
The period of restructuring of pathological speech skills consists of three stages:
- preparatory stage
At this time, speech therapy classes are conducted to develop speech techniques according to the plan:
1. Removing muscle tension. Establishment of diaphragmatic breathing. Practicing long, uniform speech exhalation on sounds, a standard, automated series, in a phrase.
2. Work on the soft attack of sound, on unity, smoothness of voice, flight, height, strength of voice, prolonged pronunciation of vowel sounds, expanding the range of voice modulations, intonation of speech.
3. Normalization of speech rate.
4. Rhythmic speech with the support of the leading hand, gradual collapse of the external support, transition to the internal rhythm.
5. Pausing speech.
6. Work with articulation.
7. Use of facial expressions and gestures in verbal communication.
- the stage of consolidating rhythmic speech techniques on simple speech material.
1. Reading poetic texts with a short and a longer line.
2. Reading the roles of fables.
3. Reading aloud prepared and unprepared texts of varying complexity.
4. Retelling the texts read.
5. Dialogues based on the material read.
The stage of automation of rhythmic and prosodically colored speech techniques on complicated speech material.
1. Automation of speech technique skills with their introduction to all types of speech activity and various situations.
2. The transition from prepared forms of speech to independent improvisations.
3. Formation of readiness for verbal communication in various life situations.
4. Developing resistance to speech and psychological difficulties that arise in life situations after completing the course of treatment.
Three months of systematic training is the minimum that will allow a stuttering teenager or adult to understand, feel and consolidate the acquired techniques in speech. Further automation of continuous and fluent speech will require at least another year of supervision by a specialist.