Thursday, June 26, 2014

A Good App to Help with Speech Rate




Turtle Talk: by Aptus Speech & Language Therapy. I recently reviewed Keywords Understanding by this same developer. I am more impressed with Turtle Talk. This app is simple in nature but it does the job in a way I think children will respond to and enjoy. This app is designed to help children reduce their rate of speech and pace themselves. However, I would also use this with children whose speech may be too slow.

The app consists of one screen with six turtles holding cell phones.  The child presses on a turtle and says a syllable or word. Once the turtle has completely filled with color and turned around, the child moves on to the next turtle. If the child releases the turtle before the turtle has turned around, the words "Too Quick" flashes. There is a slider bar at the bottom of the screen that can be adjusted to the desired speed by moving the bar dot right or left. The turtle fills with color at a rate specific to the adjustment on the slider bar.



The app developer states that this app can be used for children who have "imprecise articulation." I was not sure what the developer meant by "imprecise articulation” so I queried the developer. Ms. Qurran wrote, "Imprecise articulation is unclear speech e.g. some sounds may not be accurate particularly if the child is talking too fast."

The app offers a selection of conversation categories. They are: Activities & Cultural Things, Family, Friends & Pets, School, Opinions, More About You, and If Questions. One can also opt for no categories or a random presentation. If a category is selected, a question or topic discussion is written at the top of the screen. 

My standard rate reduction tool had been "speeding tickets." Now, here is an app that I feel will replace those speeding tickets.
Age: 4-8
Rating:+++
Developer: Aptus Speech and Language Therapy
Cost: $4.99

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