From the author: Art therapy in working with children with speech development disorders and learning difficulties in the practice of the children's neurological clinic "Prognoz": report for III International scientific and practical conference "Art therapy in the practical activities of specialists in the field of psychology, education, medicine and social services" Children's neurological clinic "Prognoz" is a highly specialized center that has been working with children with alalia, autism, learning difficulties and attention disorders. Art therapy is one of more than twenty techniques that can be prescribed to child patients of Prognoz based on the results of neurological diagnostics. Since art therapy can be prescribed due to its versatility to patients of all ages, from 2 to 14 years, rooms for classes are equipped with it in all three centers of the clinic. Specific forms and methods of work within the framework of art therapy are selected individually; their determining factors are the objectives of the course, as well as the age, capabilities and interest of the child. Possible tasks solved by specialists with the help of art therapy include support for speech development (including the development dialogue speech, development of expressive speech, increasing vocabulary) and development of communication skills (including socialization, developing the ability to accept rules and established boundaries, self-regulation), changing the quality of gaming activity, developing the ability for meaningful and purposeful activity, improving concentration and perseverance , sensory stimulation and the development of fine motor skills, reducing anxiety and getting rid of fears, increasing self-esteem and, therefore, motivation. The main form of work of the center is conducting intensive short-term (13-16 days) courses, in which 2-6 individual courses are conducted with children half an hour of lessons a day. The course may also include speech therapy, music, physical therapy classes, as well as massage, hardware and other techniques. Art therapy can also be recommended for taking outside intensive courses to maintain the skills developed during the course. All classes are based on the DECO (Movement, Emotion, Communication, Education) system developed by V.L. Efimova. The techniques used by all specialists are also influenced by N.A.’s theory of level organization. Bernstein, Jean Ayres' theory of sensory integration, theory of the stages of play development according to D.B. Elkonin. This, as well as reporting in a unified system, familiarization with the results of classes with other specialists, regular general meetings and supervision ensures the integrity of the courses. While taking a course, a child can study with different specialists - in particular, six art therapists work in the network of clinics, having psychological or pedagogical education. Such a system, on the one hand, complicates the learning task, and on the other hand, allows one to achieve generalization of the acquired skills, to avoid phenomena like “desk speech”, in which the child does not demonstrate changes outside of work with a specific specialist. The entire art therapy session is in accordance with the principles of “Forecast” takes place in an unstructured play form in three main directions: the development of role-playing games, artistic activities, and sensory stimulation. Each lesson can include all three areas or be concentrated on one of them. Sensory tactile stimulation is achieved using various natural materials - sand, kinetic sand, rice and other cereals, mown grass, gravel, hydrogel, plasticine, and the use of special toys; Some toys also allow for proprioceptive stimulation, and the activity itself allows for visual stimulation. Sensory stimulation is actually included in any art therapy session, and may be the goal of the session in cases of severe neurological disorders. According totheories of N.A. Bernstein and the principle of neuroplasticity, when conducting therapy through sensory stimulation, we work at the level of the spatial field and subject manipulations, and we will be able to move on to more complex tasks after the development of the brain structures responsible for this level of action. When sensory stimulation is not the goal of art therapy, it can still contribute to solving problems of visual-motor coordination, self-regulation and the ability to accept established boundaries (due to simple feedback: too sudden movement - the material woke up), and the development of fine motor skills. Dysfunction of tactile perception is often found in children with autism spectrum disorders, and overcoming it can reduce their possible aggressiveness and anxiety. The development of role-playing games as part of the ongoing rehabilitation first of all allows solving problems related to supporting speech development: already the first level of game development , routine games allow you to teach a child to make contact, accept rules, and stimulate speech. In particular, the child’s role in a routine game created by a specialist can be a word or a whole phrase assigned for use. Since the game is created based on the current interests of the child identified through observation during the lesson, in this form the task of increasing motivation to communicate, which is common among children who do not speak for various reasons, can be solved. In addition, routine play overcomes existing problems with a socially acceptable way to initiate communication. At higher levels of play, situations that frighten the child can be played out, which also reduces anxiety. In the dialogue during the game, an active vocabulary is developed and communication skills are developed. Play activity is a leading activity in childhood, and many children with neurological disorders experience problems playing with other children; The experience gained in art therapy contributes to the further social adaptation of children. Artistic activity in art therapy classes can be aimed at reducing anxiety, both through the materials used and through psychotherapeutic techniques of modifying the created drawing about fear or emotion, discussing it in the case of , if the child’s speech and emotional development allows it. During artistic activity, the opportunity opens up to provide strong emotional support to the child and, with the help of such support, to raise his self-esteem. As a rule, a child’s artistic activity includes the desired image of the result, and moving towards achieving this result, the child develops greater attentiveness and perseverance. Often, artistic activity is the most “self-sufficient” of all areas of art therapy, that is, children can choose it who are uncomfortable with intense contact with another person. In this case, to support speech development, it is possible to use the technique of creating artificial obstacles that can be overcome if you contact a specialist conducting art therapy - for example, the inability to open paints on your own, or an attempt by a specialist to start drawing on a sheet of paper for a child and the need arises to verbally prohibit this is an action. On the other hand, as part of artistic activities in art therapy, it is possible to organize games like “repeat my drawing,” which allow you to train communication skills without intense verbal and eye contact. In some cases, an increase in self-esteem can occur due to learning new artistic techniques, finding artistic activities that bring pleasure to the child. The work of the Prognoz centers also includes providing feedback to the child’s parents after each lesson and their training during a separate course. A child’s inability to draw or play with other children is often the cause of increased anxiety among parents, and providing them with information about overcoming existing difficulties can have a positive effect on.