Yefimenko M. M. - Pedagogical stringing as an innovative direction of correction of hand subject praxis in children with special educational needs

Contact: YEFIMENKO Mykola, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor, Professor of the Department of Applied Psychology and Speech Therapy, Berdyansk State Pedagogical University, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. In the circle of scientific interests: problems of development and correction of all types of praxis in children with special educational needs by means of adaptive physical education and speech therapy.

The article presents an innovative direction of development and correction of hand (finger, visual-motor, object) praxis in children of early, preschool and junior school age with special educational needs. The essence of the pedagogical stringing technique is to use the possibilities of different types of ropes, cords, braids, harnesses and special exercises with them to correct existing violations of hand functions that are correct for children. Pedagogical stringing allows you to successfully correct the main types of hand praxis: strength, coordination and speed. In particular, this applies to the following typical violations of hand praxis in children: increased muscle tone, stiff mobility in the joints of the hand and forearm, decreased strength of the hand and hands, impaired coordination of hand movements, hypotonia of muscles, hypermobility in the joints, weakness of subject-practical hand muscles manifestations, general weakness of the shoulder girdle and hands, etc.
A confirmatory pedagogical experiment with the participation of 24 children of preschool age with OOP has previously shown positive changes in the indicators of their manual (hand, finger) praxis. First of all, this refers to a noticeable increase in the power capabilities of the hands, fingers and hands in general in children with a hypotonic type of impaired hand functions. Pedagogical observations made it possible to reveal improvement in the manipulation of various objects in such children due to an increase in strength in the distal parts of the upper limbs. In children with hypertensive type of hand disorders (spasticity and stiffness in the joints), some reduction  of these problems was observed. A decrease in spastic manifestations in the flexor muscles of the fingers of the problem hands was visually recorded.

Key words: pedagogical stringing, innovative technique, correction, hand subject praxis, children with SEN.