Logopedic care for the stimulation of language and communication in infants with special educational needs

Atención logopédica para la estimulación del lenguaje y la comunicación en infantes con necesidades educativas especiales

Abstract

The term language refers to the system of symbols and rules shared by human beings and to all types of communication where gestures, postures, facial expressions, sound, linguistic codes are transmitted in their oral and written form. However, not all infants develop in the same way and sometimes there are alterations that require specialized attention. One of the most frequently identified problems are those related to language development, which on multiple occasions can generate or are associated with other special educational needs. Speech therapy care for infants with special educational needs is of vital importance, therefore early identification, care and follow-up in order to correct or compensate for these alterations has a positive impact on personal, school and social development from childhood. In order to verify how speech therapy influences the development of language and communication, it was applied to 30 infants with special educational needs during a period of 2 cycles of speech therapy treatment (56 days) of treatment and a frequency of one hour daily. An experimental study, initial and final speech therapy exploration was carried out, applying the Oral Expression and pronunciation Assessment scale as an evaluative battery to verify the delay in language development. The initial and final results were compared calculating the percentage of improvement. The applied logopedic intervention positively influenced the development of language and communication in the group of infants investigated.