Communication as an indicator of socialization of children aged 6–7 years old in an inclusive educational environment

Abstract

Background. The article highlights the problem of communication and socialization of older preschool children with severe speech impairments and with normal speech development, attending preparatory groups of combined kindergartens for school. In recent years, in kindergartens, groups of a combined orientation that are inclusive are increasingly functioning, which necessitates the search for effective ways of psychological and pedagogical work. Objectives. The purpose of the work is to study the state of communication of preschoolers 6–7 years old with severe speech impairments in comparison with peers with normal speech development, in relation to indicators of their socialization in inclusive educational conditions. Sample. In total, the study involved 60 children aged 6–7 years who attended preparatory groups of a combined orientation of Irkutsk kindergarten No. 153. Of these, 30 preschoolers had normal speech development and the same number with severe speech impairments. Methods. The following methods were used in the study: “Studying communication and the nature of interpersonal relationships” (Aizman et al., 1994); the method of expert scale assessment of the development of social forms of behavior in older preschoolers by A.M. Shchetinina and L.V. Kirs (Shchetinina, 2000). Results. It was found that children aged 6–7 years with speech disorders have significantly lower communication and socialization rates than their peers with normal speech ontogenesis. It was shown that studying the level of communication of preschool children can serve both as a reliable indicator of their preschool socialization and a basis for determining the conditions of psychological support for children with severe speech disorders in an inclusive environment. Conclusions. Data were obtained on the communication of preschoolers studying in inclusive conditions. Firstly, the constant communication of 6–7-year-old children with normal speech development with peers with severe speech disorders in conditions of inclusion does not influence their communicative and social development. Secondly, despite the fact that severe speech disorders in children aged 6-7 years cause imperfection in the formation of communication skills and, in general, their socialization, an increase in the frequency of communication with peers has a positive effect on their social development for all preschoolers.

Keywords

• combined groups
• severe speech disorders
• communication skills
• social development
• inclusive educational environment