Children are a great joy for parents who are waiting for their appearance. With their arrival in this world, mothers and fathers try to provide kids with everything they can: food, clothing, shoes, full development. Of course, many problems are encountered on the path to personality formation, one of which is speech development.
Speech is formed in the first three years of a child's life. For each, this process occurs individually - some do not experience difficulties, and some children cannot learn how to speak correctly. Speech problems have recently been encountered more often in children. It depends on how the pregnancy proceeds, childbirth and whether the parents are engaged with the baby.
Why is speech therapy massage done?
Not everyone connects speech development and massage. Some are skeptical of this method of forming sounds and words. But there is no need to downplay its significance for the child. Recently, babies are often born with increased muscle tone. This affects their development in general and tissue mobility. The muscles of the face and lips also suffer from this, the tongue becomes inactive, it does not have the necessary flexibility. Speech therapy massage helps to relax the cheeks, lips, tongue, face, so that it is possible to properly form the pronunciation of sounds. In addition, it contributes to the softening of tissues, their flexibility and proper articulation.
The objectives of such a massage
If carried out correctly, this manipulation can achieve great success. Of course, exercises with a speech therapist should be carried out in case of speech formation problems. The advantage of this manipulation is also that it can be done at home. Massage is done to solve the following problems:
- correction of pronunciation of sounds when they do not correspond to the correct sound, for example, if the child cannot learn to speak hissing or the sound "p";
- when it is necessary to improve the state of the voice - this requires medical indications;
- normalization of speech breathing - sometimes a child cannot pronounce a word correctly due to confused breathing;
- decrease in emotional stress;
- correction of problems with stuttering, dysarthria, rhinolalia, voice disturbance;
- an increase in muscle tone of the vocal apparatus and oral cavity when there is no necessary tension for pronunciation of sounds;
- decreased hypersalivation (increased salivation);
- strengthening the reflex of the pharynx when speaking;
- improved articulation.
Speech therapy massage at home can also carry out these tasks. With proper training in basic movements, thanks to hard work, mothers with their children achieve maximum results.
Indications for manipulation
Speech therapy massage is not carried out just like that. Reviews of parents testify to its effectiveness in overcoming certain difficulties in the development of the child. For its use, there are specific indications that are caused by certain conditions.
- Voice dysfunction is a disorder of its function, which can have different causes: physiological and psychological. It manifests itself in insufficient voice strength, constant perspiration, tiredness when speaking, pain, and the appearance of a “coma” in the throat.
- Dysarthria is a logopedic and neurological problem in which the child has a disturbed pronunciation and articulation apparatus.
- Stuttering is a speech disorder that manifests itself in the frequent repetition or prolonged pronunciation of sounds, syllables, words. It can also be indecision in speech, stopping.
- The need to accelerate the results of the speech therapist. This usually happens before school, when parents later turned to a specialist with serious problems.
- Constant salivation.
- Weak or increased muscle tone of the articulation apparatus.
In these cases, facial and oral massage is necessary. In other speech therapy problems it can be done if there are no contraindications.
Are there any contraindications to it?
The main contraindications include:
- Infectious diseases in acute form. Logopedic massage is not done in this case, as the child is not feeling well and can be hurt.
- Skin diseases. Manipulation can also cause pain and worsen the condition of the child.
- Conjunctivitis.
- Gingivitis.
- Herpes, stomatitis. Speech therapy facial massage can be allowed provided that its lightweight form is used and there is no penetration of instruments into the oral cavity.
- Enlarged lymph nodes, as well as a strong pulsation of the carotid artery.
Conditions for a speech therapy massage
Any manipulation with the child, educational or medical, should be carried out in conditions acceptable to him. To conduct a massage, a doctor’s consultation and the definition of a speech impediment by a speech therapist are required. Then, specific methods of relaxation or toning of the muscles of the neck, trunk, facial expressions and articulation apparatus are prescribed.
Speech therapy massage at home is more appropriate, as children better perceive the familiar environment. The room must be ventilated, the duration of the entire massage in the first few days is no more than 10 minutes. Then the time increases gradually to 25 minutes. Massage is carried out 2-3 times a week, and at least 10-15 procedures should be applied. Parents note a positive trend after the 4th-5th procedure. It all depends on the severity of the damage to the nervous system and the development of facial muscles.
To conduct a speech therapy massage for children at home, it is necessary to prepare some means:
- massage oil;
- sterile gloves (if done to infants);
- protective mask (if a massage therapist is suspected of having a viral infection).
Gloves and a mask are also necessary when massaging the mucous membranes of the oral cavity.
Speech therapy massage for hands
The nerve endings on the fingers are very closely related to the condition of the internal organs. Therefore, some speech therapists advise starting a speech therapy massage for children with pens, especially since it has no contraindications. Parents' reviews indicate that children are happy to perceive finger massaging. But this must be done according to certain rules:
- massage should begin with the little finger, it is necessary to massage, starting from the nail to the base of the finger, do this with each joint several times;
- several times you need to press on each fingertip, first weakly, then stronger;
- massaging of the palm of the hand like magpie-white-sided type;
- do a spiral several times from the edge of the palm, ending it in the center;
- if at home, you need to take a rubber ball with spikes, then move them gently from the wrists to the fingers;
How to massage the tongue?
Speech therapy massage of the tongue already requires some training of a massage therapist. First you need to relax the muscles of the cervical, mandibular, shoulder girdle. This is necessary so that the muscles of the root of the tongue also become relaxed. All of them are closely related. All movements should be directed from the tip of the tongue to its root.
Sometimes you may experience cramping in the throat when massaging. In this case, the speech therapy massage of the tongue for children begins with massaging only the tip so that it is inside the oral cavity. Then you can gradually bring the tongue out of the lips, increasing the area of massage.
The main movements:
- take the tip of the tongue and swing it in different directions, forward, backward;
- stroke the tongue with the thumb, while supporting the bottom of the index finger of the other hand, all movements go from the center to the periphery and from the tip to the root;
- grab the tongue from above with the thumb, with the index and middle fingers, strengthen it from the bottom, in this position rub the surface on both sides of the center;
- then they go on to vibration: the tip is captured, it shakes up and down a little, the surface of the tongue slams a little.
Speech therapy massage of the tongue is done subject to the elimination of problems with salivation. There are also several tricks for this.
- Chewing with head bowed.
- The child must learn to swallow saliva the first time, without accumulating it in the mouth.
- Rotate the tongue around the lips with the mouth open and closed, then swallow the saliva the first time.
Lip massage
How to do speech therapy lip massage? There is nothing complicated about it. The same movements here are repeated many times - up to 50. They need to be changed in direction. Key actions:
- at the right wing of the nose and lips you need to put the index and middle finger, make several circular movements, repeat the same on the left side;
- set two index fingers in the middle under the lower lip, then over the upper one, in this position of the fingers make circular movements in different directions;
- the same setting of fingers, making tingling in this area;
- then pinch with three fingers around the baby’s lips.
The complex of such actions must be repeated 2-3 times in one massage session.
Speech therapy massage with spoons
This method is also effective in the process of forming a child’s speech. The child is interested in such a massage. Basic exercises include such actions:
- warming up the lips - stroking the spoons of the lower and upper lips with slides;
- circular movements with the back of the kitchen utensils on the lips;
- shallow pressing with the tips of a spoon throughout all nasolabial folds;
- scraping movements with the tips of this item on the lower and upper lip;
- frequent pressing the ends of the spoon on the lips;
- warming up with a circular motion of a spoon of chewing and chin muscles.
Massage for dysarthria
With this speech impairment, massage is necessary, since there is a need to influence not only the muscles, but also the nerve endings. That is why it covers a large area for manipulation. When it is necessary to conduct a speech therapy massage for dysarthria, the child undresses halfway, lays on the table, and the massage therapist does a warm-up of the entire back, abdomen and above. In the event of such a serious deviation, the procedure should only be carried out by a qualified specialist. He knows what movements are being made, their sequence, what they are aimed at, and can cope with unpredictable situations (for example, cramps or cramps).
The ritual of the end of speech therapy massage
Specialists pay special attention to how speech therapy massage ends. Parents' reviews confirm that for the child’s mood to continue such manipulation, it is important to be able to finish it.
After doing massaging movements, you need to caress and praise the baby for patience and obedience. You can play a little with him. After such an interaction, the baby will no longer be afraid of the next procedure, and he himself will substitute the tongue.