Speech Therapy Apps

Ever since iPads and devices came on to the scene about a decade ago, our kids have been benefiting from apps. If you own a device or if your child has one on loan from the school, now is a great time to get in some extra practice. Many times when I have to get work done, I can sit K next to me and he works on a speech therapy app while I do what I need to do.

Several years ago, an SLP contacted me because she had just developed some great apps for kids. This post has been revised so many times, I no longer remember which ones were hers, but suffice to say, they’ve all been recommended to me by either a teacher or SLP.

Language and Vocabulary Apps

1. Syntax Workout– Syntax Workout app was created by a certified speech and language pathologist for preschool and elementary school-age children who struggle with English grammar. Children will have fun practicing numerous syntax activities thanks to the built-in reward system and game. Children are welcomed by a bowling coach, who encourages them to work hard. Children earn a bowling ball for each correct response, and when they accumulate enough balls, they are rewarded with a game.
2. Sentence Workout– Sentence Workout was created by a certified speech and language pathologist for students ages 6 and up to practice sentence structures in both oral and written forms.
3. Real Vocabulary– Real Vocabulary app is a comprehensive and flexible language program created by a certified speech and language pathologist for kindergarten-5th grade students targeting core curriculum vocabulary.
4. Seasonal Directions– Seasonal Directions app targets auditory comprehension of increasingly longer one step and multi-step unrelated directions. Students will practice their listening skills with vocabulary related to seasons. The ability to introduce background noise during listening exercises makes this an ideal app for students with auditory processing disorders.

Speech Therapy Apps-Articulation and Phonology

1. Articulation Carnival-The Articulation Carnival app is a comprehensive and flexible articulation program to practice the pronunciation of ALL English phonemes at the word, phrase, and sentence levels.
2. Articulation Vacation-The Articulation Vacation app is built around a vacation theme and activities. Children will have fun practicing the articulation of various phonemes while “on vacation” and playing different built-in summer games.
3. Articulation Games-Articulation Games is a comprehensive, flexible, and fun speech-therapy, iPad app that was created by a certified speech and language pathologist for children to practice the pronunciation of over forty English phonemes, organized according to the placement of articulation. It includes thousands of real-life flashcards, accompanied by professional audio recordings and capability of audio recording.
4. Phonological processes-The Phonological Processes app was created by a certified speech and language pathologist for children ages 4 and up who exhibit phonological disorders or delays. This research-based app implements a linguistic approach for treatment of phonological disorders by engaging users in minimal pair contrast therapy.

Speech Apps-Auditory Processing Disorder

1. Auditory Workout–Auditory Workout was created by a certified speech and language pathologist for students ages 4–10 who exhibit auditory processing disorders or other related disorders (e.g., receptive language disorder or autism). Auditory Workout is research-based and focuses on improving auditory attention and memory and auditory processing of verbal directions. 
2. Auditory Processing Studio-Auditory Processing Studio was created by a certified speech and language pathologist for adults and children ages 7 and up who exhibit Central Auditory Processing Disorder or other auditory processing disorders. This research-based app implements the bottom-top approach to treatment of auditory processing disorders and focuses on improving auditory processing through auditory discrimination, auditory closure, and phonological awareness activities. Users can also introduce background noise to help children or adults practice their listening skills in a noisy environment.
3. School of Multi-Step Directions-School of Multi-Step Directions app is built around the theme of school and allows children to follow increasingly longer and more complex multi-step unrelated directions in three different “classroom” settings such as English, Math and Chemistry Lab. The children are welcomed by the professor, who encourages them to work hard as they will be rewarded with “recess,” during which they can play a game of pong.
4. Auditory Reasoning-The Auditory Reasoning app was created by a certified speech and language pathologist for students, ages 6 and up with central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) or other related disorders (e.g., receptive language disorder or autism), to improve auditory processing requiring reasoning and high-level thinking. All the tasks are presented orally so the students can work solely on their auditory skills and processing.
5. Auditory Memory Ride-Auditory Memory refers to the ability to retain and recall what was heard. Functional auditory memory is critical for following increasingly complex directions, acquiring and expanding vocabulary and knowledge, and for becoming literate. Children with auditory processing disorder struggle with tasks involving auditory memory. They have difficulty retaining auditory information, such as verbal directions or recalling stories.

Apps for Apraxia

Apraxia Rainbowbee-The Apraxia RainbowBee app is a multi-step, multi-modality program with colorful graphic, photo, audio, and video targets and fun engaging games. The program is designed to help enhance motor planning for children with an apraxic component that impacts their speech production.