Don’t Be Misunderstood, Use Apps for Speech Impairment

4 min read

Young african american women standing over a purple background shocked covering mouth with her hands.

Speech impairment is a condition that affects millions of people worldwide, making it difficult to communicate effectively.

Whether it is a stutter, a lisp, or difficulty pronouncing certain sounds, speech impairment can have a significant impact on an individual's daily life, affecting their ability to express themselves and interact with others.

Fortunately, individuals with speech impairment can benefit from technological aids and access a range of apps designed to improve their communication skills and enhance their quality of life.

A communication disorder

Speech impairment is a broad term that encompasses various difficulties in the perception of speech sounds. It is a type of communication disorder that can affect the intelligibility and fluency of an individual's speech.

Common manifestations of speech impairment include pronunciation errors (e.g., substituting "rabbit" for "wabbit"), problems with articulation, abnormal voice quality or pitch, and disturbances in the rhythm and timing of speech.

In particular, speech impairment may result in difficulties creating sounds, adjusting speech volume appropriately, articulating words clearly, maintaining fluent speech, and producing accurate sound patterns.

Mostly affects children

Speech impairment can affect people of all ages, however, it is commonly diagnosed in children, who have developmental disorders such as autism or Down syndrome. Particularly between the ages of 2 and 6 years, as this is a critical period for speech and language development.

Adults may also experience speech impairments such as apraxia, which is the difficulty in planning and coordinating the movements necessary for speech, or dysarthria, which is the difficulty in controlling the muscles used in speech.

These conditions, along with other speech disorders, can be caused by factors such as stroke, brain injury, neurological conditions, or vocal cord disorders.

If left untreated, these health issues can have a major impact on quality of life. Therefore, early intervention can help improve communication abilities and minimize the negative effects of the disorder.

Apps help address challenges

Apps can be useful tools for individuals with speech impairment in a variety of ways. For instance, they offer speech therapy exercises and activities to enhance speech production and language development.

They also provide practice exercises for specific sounds or words and give feedback on pronunciation and speech patterns.

Moreover, some apps can translate written words and images into speech, which helps people with speech impairment communicate more easily.

In addition, apps can aid individuals in recognizing non-verbal cues, taking turns in conversation, and expressing emotions, improving their social skills and communication abilities.

Finally, mobile accessibility allows for convenient and portable access to apps, making them an excellent resource for daily communication practice.

Here are some suggested apps

Let’s chat

Individuals who require assistance in improving their conversational abilities due to developmental delays or medical conditions may find the Q&A approach of the Conversation Therapy app helpful. Users can begin by selecting one of the 11 categories of interest, such as health, current events, or hobbies. Once the image appears on the screen, they can tap any of the 10 buttons to view a range of questions, including simple sentence starters and more complex questions that demand advanced answers.

application icon
Conversation Therapy
Tactus Therapy Solutions Ltd.
apple is available for this applicationandroid is available for this application
US$24.99

Talk for me

Proloquo2Go provides users with an alternative way to communicate using symbols and recorded voices. It offers a selection of 100 natural-sounding text-to-speech voices that can be used by both children and adults. For those who are relearning how to speak, this app can serve as a bridge to maintain communication while they undergo speech therapy or rehabilitation to build their skills.

application icon
Proloquo2Go AAC
AssistiveWare
apple is available for this application
US$249.99
In-app purchases

Speech assistant

Apraxia Therapy provides video-assisted speech therapy, allowing users to watch a model's mouth movements on video and repeat what they see and hear. Users are encouraged to tap along in rhythm and speak in unison, providing a tactile and verbal learning experience. The app features three different speeds and conversational phrases for daily use, making it customizable to individual needs. It also records the user's voice as they speak along with the video, allowing for progress tracking and improvement assessment.

application icon
Apraxia Therapy
Tactus Therapy Solutions Ltd.
apple is available for this applicationandroid is available for this application
US$24.99

Slow Down

DAF Pro is designed to help individuals with neurological conditions such as Parkinson's who tend to speak too quickly. Users can record their voice and listen to it played back with an altered pitch, prompting them to adjust their rate of speech. By slowing their speech down, users may find that they are better able to communicate with others and enhance their overall quality of life.

apple is available for this applicationandroid is available for this application
US$4.99

Show me how

Speech Tutor provides animations that guide users through the process of selecting a sound, watching how it's made, and practicing how to make the sound themselves. It records the user's practice sessions with target sounds and plays back the recording before and after a correctly modeled production. It also includes advice from licensed speech-language pathologists (SLPs). This app is a useful tool for individuals who want to improve their speech production and pronunciation skills.

application icon
Speech Tutor
Synapse Apps, LLC
apple is available for this application
US$24.99
In-app purchases

Speak Up

In conclusion, speech impairment apps can offer a wide range of benefits to individuals with speech difficulties, providing them with tools to improve their communication skills and enhance their quality of life.

With the convenience and portability of mobile devices, these apps can be accessed and used at home or on the go. They can be a valuable complement to speech therapy, enabling individuals to continue practicing and improving their communication skills outside of therapy sessions.

Your health care professional can help you choose

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