Development of speech in children: stages, methods of forming speech skills

22.07.2021

In this article:

The development of speech in children is the most important indicator that the physical and mental state corresponds to the age norm. There are numerous methods for improving speech abilities, but the main condition for the successful development of the crumbs is parental communication with him from the first days of life.

It is important to know the main milestones in the development of speech in a baby and control their timeliness.

Why is speech development so important?

Speech is the highest cortical function, a form of communication between people using sounds and signs.

Speech is formed in parallel with thinking, a violation of its formation affects the overall development of a person, including the following points:

cognitive abilities;
mental development;
features of behavior and character;
communication success.

The developing functions of writing and reading are closely related to the development of motor and sensory speech.

What determines the development of speech

Speech development disorders can be caused by the following factors:

pathology of pregnancy and childbirth;
birth trauma with brain damage;
anomalies in the structure of the oral cavity, respiratory system, hearing organs;
lag in psychophysical development;
chronic stress due to poor family relationships;
frequent illnesses;
multilingual social environment;
lack of full-fledged verbal communication with the baby in the family.

The development of speech in children of primary preschool age largely depends on social adaptation. Visiting a kindergarten, various developmental circles, active communication with peers, interest in reading books contribute to the normal development of the baby.

The main condition for adequate speech development is the daily language communication of parents with a child of any age.

Stages of speech development

The speech development of a child goes through several important periods.

First period - preparatory

It lasts from the moment of birth until the baby reaches the age of one year. It is at this time that the formation of verbal speech begins.

The first sounds are deprived of the function of speech. The whimpering baby publishes immediately after birth. It is a typical cry of a baby in response to negative external stimuli and internal discomfort. The sounds of the outside world and their own crying are important for babies, as the auditory cortex of the brain develops.

The development of speech in newborns from two to three months has the following features:

the baby pronounces vowel sounds (ah-ah-ah, s-s-s);
combinations of vowels and consonants appear (bu-u, ge-e).

All sound combinations are pronounced only on exhalation. For children, this is a training of the respiratory apparatus.

From three to five months, the active speech development of the baby begins. Hearing a voice, he looks for the speaker with his eyes, turning his head in the direction of the sound. Often children unconsciously imitate the intonation and rhythm of adult speech addressed to them.

The babble stage begins at five months of age. The child's speech at this time contains vowels and consonants connected in short syllable chains (ma-ma, ba-ba). At seven to nine months, the number of spoken syllables increases.

At 10 months, a child understands spoken speech better. What should a 10 month old baby say? If the development of the baby proceeds normally, he responds to the name, imitates the sounds that he hears from adults.

How many words does a 1 year old baby say? With normal development, the baby says from five to ten words. For children of 1 year of age, a doubling of syllables with an emphasis on the first (ma-ma, doo-du) is typical. When trying to pronounce polysyllabic words, a child at the age of 1 skips or changes some sounds. This is due to the imperfection of the articulatory apparatus and auditory reactions in a one-year-old baby. Children at this age can easily follow simple instructions (come to me), use gestures and sounds to attract the attention of adults.

Second period - initial language acquisition

Lasts until the age of three. Period features:

words are always associated with certain actions, objects;
when pronouncing a word, the child skips sounds or syllables, swaps them;
one word names different things;
the sentence includes one word, more often a noun;
no abstract concepts;
knows and shows different parts of the body on himself and dolls.

These features refer to the first part of the second period, when the child uses sentence words.

Closer to the age of three, sentences pronounced by children already consist of two or three words that are used in different cases, numbers, adverbs and pronouns, prepositions and conjunctions appear in speech. The number of spoken words reaches 200-300. Kids name household objects, recognize various animals in pictures and when watching television programs.

The development of a child’s speech at the age of 3 involves the gradual mastery of the pronunciation of whistling and hissing sounds, the letters “r” and “l”, there are attempts to say something that is not related to the current moment.

Third period - improvement of speech practice

It lasts from the age of three until the baby enters the first grade. Here, speech develops in the process of verbal communication, and not in connection with a specific situation, emotion, action, and contributes to the development of the baby's intellect.

In preschool children, speech development includes the ability to pronounce long phrases. Gradually, the number of words used increases and grammar improves. Characteristic is the predominance of a passive vocabulary over an active one, that is, he knows more words than he can pronounce and does not always correctly understand their meaning. The speech development of preschool children largely depends on the family surrounding adults.

Fourth period - mastery of written language

There is a further expansion of vocabulary and deepening of language knowledge. Before school, kids master speech in the process of practice, entering into dialogues with adults. Having entered school, they begin to learn the language, speech becomes more conscious. Written language develops, contributing to the development of oral.

How speech develops at home

The development of the child's speech activity occurs gradually and only in the process of communication. Experts will tell you what simple methods will help improve speech skills in different age groups.

From birth to one year

The development of a child's speech up to a year should be monitored by parents, an observing pediatrician and a pediatric neurologist.

In an infant, the development of speech is determined by the environment, the information that he perceives by ear: rattles, the sounds of music, nature, the voices of loved ones. It is important that the mother verbally comment on all her actions - feeding, swaddling. Parents should show and name the names of loved ones, toys and objects.

The development of the baby's speech will be faster with gentle handling, free swaddling, light massage and gymnastics. The development of speech can be stimulated by naming new products introduced into the diet: cottage cheese, porridge, juice. In parallel, the mother should tell that milk is given by a cow that says “MU” and eats green grass. This expands the knowledge of the baby about the world around him.

How to teach a child to speak at 9 months? It is necessary to stimulate the desire of the baby to say something. In the tenth month, games such as "magpie", "palmies", "hide and seek" will be useful.

From one to two years

How to teach a child to speak at 1 year? The speech development of a child in a year will go faster if you read interesting books with bright pictures to him every day, sing together, repeat words.

What should a child say at 1 year old? At this age, the baby knows the names of many surrounding objects and body parts, pronounces individual words-sentences. The development of speech in a child at 1 year old can be stimulated by frequent walks, visits to the circus, the zoo. Mandatory outdoor games and the development of fine motor skills (hand massage, finger games). It is necessary to gradually and tactfully replace the simplified words in the baby's vocabulary with the correct designation of objects (“woof-woof” for “dog”).

From two to three years

The speech development of young children can be stimulated by developing self-care skills in them: teach them to wash their cups, brush their teeth regularly, fasten buttons and zippers on clothes on their own, lace up shoes and sneakers.

A baby who speaks in short sentences needs to be gently corrected, contributing to the enrichment of his speech with new words. Mutual contact between parents and the child is obligatory: any question of the baby must be answered and always listen to his answer to the question asked.

At preschool age

The speech therapist advises teaching the baby to follow the instructions in sequence: go to the kitchen and call your grandmother. For a job well done, he must be praised.

In preschool children, the development of speech is closely related to the acquisition of new information, and not only to their own experience. Therefore, the methodology for the development of speech of preschool children includes the following activities:

active communication with the child;
reading fairy tales, children's books and discussing them;
to accustom to talk about their impressions, the events of the past day.

The development of coherent speech in preschool children occurs not only through the reproduction of already known words, but also through the rapid assimilation and repetition of what they hear from adults. Therefore, it is necessary that others speak competently, clearly, avoiding obscene words.

At preschool age, the speech development of children according to the Federal State Educational Standard implies fluency in the language as a means of communicating with adults and peers.

What to do with a developmental disorder?

A child of any age category develops at its own pace, this also applies to the formation of speech.

If the child has not spoken by the age of two or three, it is necessary to undergo a full examination by a pediatrician and narrow specialists. Then the baby should be examined by a speech therapist and defectologist. If a speech development disorder is diagnosed in children, the specialist will select the optimal method for the formation of speech skills.

Language development classes should be carried out from the first days of life. Poems for babies for the development of speech should be short and rhythmic. Mom needs to recite them with an affectionate intonation, stroking the baby, accompanying bathing and feeding with verses.

How to develop a child's speech in 1 year? Classes for the development of speech in children of 1 year include a few simple tricks:

encourage repeating the words spoken by the mother;
ask to finish the learned rhyme;
name the seen objects, toys;
together with mom sort out small items (peas, cereals).

Classes with a child for the development of speech should be accompanied by eye contact with him, you should always speak with a little man clearly and clearly, without simplifying the words. Exercises for the development of speech in children include various techniques for developing the mobility of the tongue and improving articulation. Any developmental techniques are effective only if they are regularly performed.

Methods for the development of the speech of preschool children are aimed at complicating phrases, forming correct pronunciation and the emergence of abstract concepts. The development of children's speech is effective through theatrical activities: playing scenes with toys, reading poems and fables with expression, monologues. It is necessary to encourage the theatrical "practice" of the baby, as this contributes to the development of the emotionality of speech, teaches empathy.

The method of developing the speech of preschool children implies not only an increase in vocabulary, but also an improvement in diction. Therefore, tongue twisters are widely used for the development of speech for children. Excellent means of developing the speech of preschool children are modeling, designing, drawing, compiling applications and herbariums. In the process of teaching a child any skills, you can not scold him for mistakes, inaccuracies.

Early speech development of a child is more likely if parents praise the baby for any attempt to say something, welcome his desire to communicate.

Diagnosis of speech development

Diagnosis of speech development of children differs depending on the age of the patient. The use of speech therapy methods for diagnosing the development of speech should be preceded by a thorough study of the characteristics of the state of health of the child. This is important, since any disorders of the somatic, neurological and mental spheres can cause speech problems.

In infants and young children, it is extremely important to identify the slightest violation of the organs of speech. To do this, a speech therapist determines the mobility of the tongue and soft palate, the presence of anomalies in the structure and malformations of the organs of hearing and vision. Voice reactions are also assessed: the emotional coloring of crying, babble, its variability depending on the situation.

All examination methods have one goal - to determine whether the child knows how to use speech. To do this, the speech therapist must do the following:

establish contact with a small patient;
ask to name objects, images in drawings;
compose a short story based on the proposed picture or tell about something interesting.

To analyze the sound pronunciation, a speech therapist offers a small patient to repeat a phrase containing many sounds. For example, "The black puppy was sitting on a chain near the booth"; "The old grandmother knitted woolen stockings."

Adequate development of the speech of young children involves the following points:

show on yourself or on the doll items of clothing, body parts;
answer what clothes you need to wear on the legs, what on the head;
do what mom said (bring a cup, give me a pen);
to distinguish a large object from a small one;
navigate in time and space relationships (today or yesterday, right or left).

The speech therapist determines the development of the speech of children up to three years old, analyzing the child's understanding of the words addressed to him, the correctness of his answers to the questions asked and the fulfillment of the tasks given to the baby. For this, various methods of speech therapy and defectological examinations have been developed.

Signs in the behavior of the baby, which should alert parents:

does not cry, experiencing discomfort;
after three months there is no cooing;
at 5-7 months does not respond to music, intonations, voices of relatives;
no babbling at 9 months;
at 12 months does not utter a single word and does not understand the speech addressed to him;
at the age of 2 he cannot perform the simplest tasks, does not recognize close people;
at the age of 3 he cannot retell short stories, read poetry.

The correct development of the speech of children of primary preschool age involves the understanding of complex sentences and the correct execution of multi-stage tasks. A primary school child should understand metaphors, proverbs and be able to interpret their meaning, write the names of objects or a short story.

Speech development of a child is an important indicator of his health. Like any function, speech can be trained and should be practiced daily. Numerous methods have been developed by specialists for different ages to promote the acquisition of speech skills. A speech therapist will help you choose the appropriate method after consulting a pediatrician and a neurologist. It is necessary to follow the recommendations of the doctor and patiently deal with the baby. Then the child will talk and develop normally, bringing joy to loved ones.