As A Leading Activity, Play Holds Special Significance For The Speech Development Of Preschool-Aged Children With Intellectual Disabilities

This article explores the role of play as a leading activity in the development of speech in preschool children with intellectual disabilities, with particular emphasis on the pedagogical potential of didactic games in correctional and educational practice. Early childhood is considered a critical period for the formation of personality, cognitive processes, voluntary behavior, and especially speech development. However, for children with intellectual impairments, these developmental processes require specially organized pedagogical support. The study highlights that play activity serves as the primary natural environment in which children acquire communication skills, expand vocabulary, and develop coherent speech. Among various types of play, didactic games are identified as especially effective, as they combine learning objectives with engaging and emotionally rich activity. Through structured game situations, children are encouraged to actively participate in speech interactions, practice sound pronunciation, develop phonemic awareness, and improve grammatical structures of language. The article also analyzes different types of didactic games, including verbal, sensory, and motor-based activities, demonstrating their role in stimulating cognitive functions such as attention, memory, perception, and logical thinking. Special attention is given to the importance of adult participation in guiding play, modeling correct speech behavior, and creating communicative situations that motivate children to express themselves. Furthermore, the research emphasizes that didactic games contribute not only to speech development but also to the correction of developmental delays by fostering motivation, emotional engagement, and social interaction. They help children with intellectual disabilities gradually transition from nonverbal communication to active verbal expression, from isolated words to structured speech.

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