Tablet Games Contributes to Speech Therapy

Technology is evolving every day and the millennial kids are exposed to gadgets since their birth. Parents are being suggested to use these gadgets in a wise way for the mental growth of their children. Speech problem is a major problem among kids these days and doctors say that one of the basic reasons is that the kids are not able to communicate properly. They are lacking those chances to hear their parents speak and adopt from their speech. In the US, working parents are unable to give adequate time to their kids where they can teach them the basic words that will help the kids in their speech. Therapists say that this is a continual process and takes time for some children to develop the skill of pronunciation. The efforts must not stop and thus therapists suggest the use of tablets to promote speech therapy. There are various educational as well as game apps that can be downloaded and customized in the desired language.

A research says that kids nowadays have better IQ and reasoning abilities that makes them easier to solve puzzles and crosswords but the pronunciation of some words are difficult for them as they might have gone through the word somewhere and that had made the word familiar to them. But they haven’t heard anyone say it loud to know how it is pronounced. The use of apps might be of help but there are certain drawbacks as per reports. The children who undergo speech therapy through apps are having issues with the accent. Some experts still believe that the traditional speech therapy involved inspiring and influencing the desire of learning in children which is not yet possible completely with apps.

Using the technology in speech therapy sessions

Andreja Istenic Starcic from Kazan Federal University in Russia conducted a study with children aged between 3-12 years, who were suffering from speech problems. He used tablet games and the results were positive. He said that “The results showed that tablets have a positive influence on social learning among children. While traditional speech therapy leans on instruction, the practitioners in the tablet speech therapy actively involved children and tried to motivate them.”

Experts believe there is an ardent need for phonological awareness related to the speech and language awareness of the child. The child with such kind of programs will have the knowledge of the sound structure of the words.

These sessions are generally not very serious and the therapists usually teach the child to open up and technological involvement here is only about making the sessions interesting. Through several activities and games, these sessions are conducted to ensure that the child is confident and tries to express his/her feelings through words. There are certain apps that will transfer a regular tablet or iPad into an AAC (Augmentative/ Alternative Communication) device. With this system, whenever a child pushes a button or follows some series of instructions, the device starts communicating with the child. These are used by children who can understand the words but is unable to use those words for communication.

Experts say that some of these apps used in speech therapy work in motivating the child at the first level to speak. They also suggest the use of receptive and expressive language apps with the conjuncture of speech therapy apps. These kind of apps are available in multidirectional forms. Some are focused on the spatial concept while the others are focused on temporal and quantitative concepts. The experts’ suggestion for the parents is that they should discuss with the therapists which would be beneficial for their child and choose the required app accordingly.

Sharing the word of caution

Technology is definitely a boon where there are serious time crunches.  But depending completely on the apps might not be a great solution to the problem of speech therapy in children. Here’s what the experts are concerned about.

Too much screen time

If your child is facing problems in speech, then spending long hours over the tablet is not a good idea. Health experts say that the children when spending time over the mobile or tablets for long hours, they tend to communicate less by talking. They do not have the urge to talk or spend time with other peers or parents as they are too engrossed in their gadgets. Parents keep the child waiting for their return or release from work and during that waiting time, they just hand over the mobile for the child to fidget with. This does not develop the child’s natural tendency to wait and they get distracted by the gadgets losing the urge to communicate later.

Choosing the target first and technology the second

Before just jumping into an app as per a suggestion, you must have a clear idea of the issues that your child is facing. The therapists ask the parents to first decide on which skill you wish to focus on your child. When you know what is to be taught, you can decide better how it is to be done, and choosing from the various app options becomes easier. Then check if the technology that you are choosing is meeting the requirements and fit for your child and then it should be handed over to the child to explore.

There’s alternate speech therapy to parents

A professional speech therapy or technology is just an alternative. No parent should rely completely on them as the first part is always the parents’ responsibility. When using an app, try to stay with your child and keep a check on how your child is trying. This will give them the inspiration to try out new technology. Be the guide of that technology they are using and that will help them remove some mental blockage of speaking as sometimes experts believe, speaking disorders are minor psychological glitches. There’s simply no better way than talking to your child, face to face and get involved in helping your child speak. No app can give your child the reassuring smile of saying the right pronunciation or the inspiration if they have failed.