FOLK TEXT AS A TOOL FOR SPEECH CORRECTION AND SPIRITUAL-MORAL EDUCATION: THE POTENTIAL OF FAIRY TALES, NURSERY RHYMES AND LULLABIES IN THE WORK OF A SPEECH THERAPIST WITH PRESCHOOLERS

Abstract

Speech disorders in senior preschoolers are almost always accompanied by emotional distress: increased anxiety, irritability, difficulties in building contacts with peers – and this forces the speech therapist to look for material that affects both speech and the emotional and moral sphere. The article substantiates the dual effect of small folklore forms in correctional work with children with severe speech disorders. Based on a six-month cycle of classes in a senior speech therapy group with a sample of 24 children aged 5.5–6.5 years, it is shown that authentic lullabies made it possible to relieve hyperactivity and hypertonus of the articulatory muscles in 67% of children; nursery rhymes with gestural and motor support ensured the automation of sonorant and hissing sounds; retelling Russian folk fairy tales reduced the average number of grammatical errors by 40% and decreased the conflict index in the group by 25%. Automation of sounds in spontaneous speech was recorded in 83% of children. The author concludes that the folklore text is not an external superstructure over correction – it is built into the fabric of the lesson and works through rhythm, intonation and play interaction, and turning to it returns semantic depth to speech therapy work, connecting clear speech and moral action.