The verbal component of the speech behavior of primary school-age children with mental retardation

Abstract

The concept of speech behavior of children with mental retardation and various points of view on this phenomenon are discussed. The issue of understanding speech behavior in domestic and modern psychology is considered. Separately, attention is drawn to the specific features of speech behavior of children with mental retardation. There is also highlighted a structure of speech behavior, consisting of six components: verbal, semantic (cognitive), emotional, ethical (moral), motivational, prognostic. Theoretical grounds that served to highlight this structure are also given in the article and correlated with the author's. The aim of the study is to reveal the hierarchy of verbal orientations in the speech behavior of children with mental retardation. Therefore, in the conducted special research, special attention is paid to the verbal component of speech behavior of children with mental retardation. The method of the study was a preliminary conversation, a free letter, which was processed by the method of content analysis. The verbal component was analyzed from the perspective of the diversity of verbal themes. Particular attention is drawn to the frequency of using each verbal topic in speech as a lexico-grammatical characteristic, and the importance of these topics for children of primary school age with mental retardation. In addition, the main verbal orientations, reflecting the system of value orientations, a picture of the world and the relationship of children with mental retardation, are highlighted. The results singled out and analyzed the main trends in speech behavior of children with mental retardation. The article attempts to explain the results obtained from the point of view of modern culture and the generality of children with mental retardation.