Speech therapy apps
It’s amazing how quickly children these days start using technology. Put a smart phone in the hands of a baby and soon enough they’re watching Ryan’s World.
There’s a time and a place for everything, even entertaining your child with a smartphone or a tablet. But with so much free time now, it’s best that your child uses apps that are both educational and entertaining.
Disclaimer time
There are tons of speech therapy apps out there: here’s a short but effective list to help you get started.
The disclaimer from the other blog on apps we wrote still applies: we don’t claim to be authorities on apps, and we don’t profit financially in any way in advocating these or any apps. Finally, these apps are most effective when you are present and engage with your child as well.
Articulation Station Pro
Articulation Station Pro was recommended in several sites we looked at. Using six activities, this app is designed to help children with speech sound delays. You can use Articulation Station to teach your child 22 different sounds through 1200 hundred target words, high quality images, flashcards, etc. Normally it costs $59.99 on the App Store but currently it’s a steal at $29.99.
Apps for children with autism
Children with autism can also benefit from Articulation Station Pro and other speech therapy apps. But autistic children learn best using apps that were created for them specifically. Keyword Understanding ($9.99 for the iPad) helps children improve their comprehension. iSequence ($2.99 on the iPad and requires iOS 8.0 or later) helps children who have difficulty ordering events by following along with the routine of the app’s main character.
One of the most important topics for parents of children with autism is social skills. Let’s Be Social Pro ($9.99 on the iPad) gives some examples of the expected, atypical responses when it comes to social relationships, school behavior, handling change, etc.
Free apps
Last but not least, there are also free apps that your child can use. Examples are: 100 Words for Babies & Toddlers, Talking Pierre The Parrot and Speech Tutor. There are countless other apps: have fun testing them out, keep what works, and toss the rest!