As speech pathologists we are always looking for new tools to add to our bag and certainly the iPad has become a favorite for all of us, including the kids! Sifting through the thousands of apps takes time but is worth it to have a stash of great apps to enrich our therapy sessions.

Articulate It! by Smarty Ears is a welcome addition to our world of apps. Designed by one of the leading developers in speech and language apps, Barbara Fernandes, it starts with a complete video tutorial so you can learn all the features available. Besides providing over 1,000 images to practice all the consonants in the English language, you have options to select specific sounds (Phonemes) or Phonological Processes or Manner of Articulation which gives broader options than just practicing specific sounds. Words can be practiced at the Word or Phrase (sentence) level with options to hear a recorded production of each task as well as record your client’s attempt. Percentage of accuracy, words attempted, recordings and notes can all be accessed in the child’s Report Card and shared through e-mail or printed to inform parents or teachers.

What I liked:

  • Great 5 minute tutorial explaining all the features
  • Ability to use in a group session, easily selecting the target sounds for each child and setting up taking turns with appropriate tasks for each child–even the ability to rotate the image on the screen to face children around a table
  • Easy collection of data including recordings from the session as well as words attempted
  • Ability to select your goals from the last session and pick up where you left off last session without going through the selection process again
  • Variety of images–photographs, drawings and stick figures –to portray nouns, verbs and adjectives for various language options
  • Flexibility to adjust settings
  • Aimed at an older audience than preschool such as Thebes is a city in Egypt” or “Lori was thereby declared the winner,” which will keep the interest of adults too.

Kids loved to be involved with recording and listening to their attempts as well as rate their response, pressing the check mark! I know this app is constantly being improved and revised so would suggest that some games be added for some variety to keep kids engaged.

I highly recommend this app for speech therapists and parents so kids and adults can become more proficient in their articulation.

The opinions above are solely those of the author. Articulate It! was provided for review by Smarty Ears.