COGNITIVE AND SPEECH DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN WITH DOWN SYNDROME

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to outline and analyze modern scientific research, effective developmental technologies and ways of practical provision of corrective assistance to children with Down syndrome. Particular attention is paid to the study of the features of the development of cognitive processes and speech, which contribute to the development of educational competencies and ensure the gradual integration of the child into the educational and social environment.The research methodology is based on a combination of several approaches: analytical-synthetic, which is aimed at studying and generalizing modern foreign and domestic experience in the implementation of correctional and developmental tasks; systemic, which considers the correctional orientation of the educational process as a single holistic model; and activity, which determines the priority of the formation of practical activity skills in such children as a basic, key condition for the development of children with Down syndrome.The scientific novelty of the study lies in identifying an integrated multidisciplinary approach in the correctional and restorative process as the most effective, which is based on the principles of medical-psychological-pedagogical interaction and maximum individualization of the educational and correctional approach.Conclusions. Down syndrome is one of the most common genetic anomalies, characterized by the presence of specific physical and cognitive developmental features. Children with this syndrome have delays in psychomotor and intellectual development, which are manifested in motor, speech, hearing, vision disorders, as well as in a reduction in the volume of short-term auditory memory. They experience difficulties with abstract thinking, generalization, as well as with the acquisition and formation of new skills and abilities. Modern scientific research and the experience of practicing teachers demonstrate the extraordinary importance of early detection, diagnosis, and the provision of comprehensive corrective care aimed at correcting existing developmental disorders and preventing the occurrence of secondary disorders in preschool and primary school children with Down syndrome.