SPEECH AS MAIN COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN CHILDREN WITH CONGENITAL HEART DEFECT: STUDYING THE FORMATION OF THE GRAMMATICAL STRUCTURE

Highlights This review presents the latest available literature data on cognitive and speech characteristics of children with congenital heart defects (CHD), and describes the findings regarding the formation of the grammatical structure of speech in adolescent children with congenital heart defects. Aim. To assess the development of the grammatical structure of speech in adolescents undergoing surgery for congenital heart defects. Methods . The prospective study of the formation of grammatical structure of speech included 37 adolescent children in the early postoperative period after radical surgical treatment of septal heart defects at the Research Institute for Complex Issues of Cardiovascular Diseases. Results . The grammatical structure of speech in adolescents aged 13–16 years with septal congenital heart disease after surgical intervention is not sufficiently formed, the greatest difficulties are associated with changing the form of words. The lowest average score was obtained when performing the task of selecting the appropriate preposition in a sentence (average score – 6.70) and when verifying errors in sentences (average score – 4.97). The highest success rate occurred in the tasks consisting of repeating read sentences and completing unfinished sentences (average scores 10.7 and 13.10, respectively). Conclusion . For adolescents after surgical correction of CHD to be able to freely chose profession and properly socialize, it is necessary to take into account postoperative results with an assessment of clinical and hemodynamic characteristics, and the quality of life, including neurocognitive status.