POSSIDILIES OF “RUDRAKSHA THERAPY” IN THE CORRECTION OF FINGER PRAXIS IN CHILDREN WITH GENERAL SPEECH UNDEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Long-term difficulties observed in the political, economic, and social spheres in Ukraine have negatively affected overall demographic indicators. Today, there are three deaths for every newborn child. The health status of children has also deteriorated. The number of children with various psychophysical developmental disorders has increased. One of the most widespread groups is children with general speech underdevelopment. Among other issues, such children often exhibit impaired fine finger praxis, which negatively affects their overall psychological and speech development. This situation has created the need to search for innovative approaches to correcting finger praxis in preschool children with general speech underdevelopment. This determines the relevance of the chosen topic. The purpose of our study is to define the methodological foundations and methodological directions for using M. M. Yefymenko’s “Rudraksha Therapy” technique to improve the psychological and speech development of preschool children with general speech underdevelopment. This can be achieved by utilizing the unique physical properties of dried fruits of the rudraksha tree: variations in their sizes, shapes, surface relief patterns, durability, lightness, unique tactile sensations when touched, and a wide range of possible combinations of beads with different characteristics within a single rosary, etc. Considering the special projection representation of the fingers in the cerebral cortex, the development and correction of finger praxis in preschool children with general speech underdevelopment should be regarded as promising. In this context, the use of the potential of rosary therapy (rudraksha therapy) is based on neurophysiological, neuropsychological, and neuropedagogical principles that are still insufficiently utilized in speech therapy. The unique physical properties of rudraksha beads have significant corrective potential for their application in speech therapy practice, particularly for improving finger praxis in preschool children with general speech underdevelopment.