Formation of social competence in senior preschoolers with severe speech disorders

Abstract

Introduction. Social competence, which is also a key characteristic at all stages of individual growing-up, is a priority for a socially active person. Its specificity in preschool age is argued by the intensity of the mental development process, in which the foundations of an active and cognitive attitude to reality are determined. The process of formation of social competence in senior preschoolers with severe speech disorders is accompanied by both a decrease in cognitive motivation, emotional manifestations and communication and speech difficulties. Materials and methods. The experimental study involved eighty senior preschoolers with severe speech disorders. The diagnostic study was based on the works of T.N. Zakharova, E.O. Smirnova adapted to the experimental conditions. The criteria for assessing social competence in senior preschoolers with severe speech disorders were as follows: individual profile of social development, self-assessment, assessment of ideas about the world around, social experience, communication and speech capabilities (they were also components of social competence). The assessment of the formation of social competence in the study group of children was carried out on a five-point scale. Results. Processing of experimental data of social competence indicators by the method of mathematical statistics using Student's t-test made it possible to identify differences in indicators of the studied parameter at the control and ascertaining stages of the study in the experimental group. The average values of social competence indicators in this sample are considered to be significantly different from each other: on the scales “Individual profile of social development” (t = 3.386; p = 0.001), “Self-assessment” (t = 5.117; p = 0.000), “Assessment of ideas about the world around” (t = 2.731; p = 0.008). Conclusion. The developed system of experimental influence on senior preschoolers with severe speech disorders, aimed at correcting communication and speech skills, ensures the process of successful formation of their social competence.