When Natalie Weiss was 2 and trying to speak, she practiced her letters and words with traditional flash cards used by her speech therapist.
Born with the genetic disorder Down syndrome, Natalie had made a little progress working with a local speech language pathologist, but she still struggled to communicate.
Then her father, Gregg Weiss, saw his daughter using his iPad — effortlessly swiping and tapping her way to her favorite shows like “Dora the Explorer” — and the Wellington Web developer realized he had an opportunity:
He developed an interactive app that teaches Natalie, and other kids with speech problems, basic letters and words through repetition and pictures that go with each sound.
The Speech Therapy for Apraxia app currently ranks No. 16 on the Top Paid Apps charts for iPad, which means it is among the top 50 most downloaded apps purchased within the medical category, Apple Corp. spokesman Ted Miller said. A second, more advanced version ranks 41.
Apraxia is a speech disorder in which a person has trouble saying what he or she wants to say correctly and consistently, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.
In developing his app, Weiss consulted with Bob Doman, founder of the National Association for Child Development, who provided the content. Doman also had been working with Natalie on her speech on a quarterly basis.
Doman said the ability for parents to use the app to work with their child on a daily basis and the visual nature of the app is helping to produce change in children with speech problems worldwide. The intense practice “accelerates the development,” he said.
Weiss said when the child taps a letter and repeats the sound, the parent celebrates with a “good job!” or applause. “That’s what the kids respond to,” he said. His wife Evelyn uses the app with Natalie every day.
Natalie, now 6, has progressed in her speech so much that Marci Chaves, her speech pathologist, is using the app only to help Natalie clarify her words.
Chaves, owner of Marcimouth Speech & Language Services Inc. in Wellington, who began working with Natalie at 2 years old said, “She would try to say a word, and she couldn’t say it, which is apraxia. It’s like a synapse is not connecting. It’s neurological.”
Chaves said Weiss’ app is “extremely easy to use” with colorful illustrations that children enjoy. “It gets their interest quicker,” said Chaves, who said she uses the app to work with children from age 2 to 8.
Weiss said the app also is useful for autistic children who have speech issues and adults who have had an accident or stroke and are learning how to speak again.
The app, which Weiss created through his firm, Blue Whale App Development, is sold in Apple’s iTunes app store for $4.99, which Weiss said is a less expensive than traditional speech cards. Of course, the parent would also need to buy a tablet. Beside the iPad app, Weiss also has created versions of the app for Kindle Fire, Nook and Google Play.
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
(c)2013 the Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)