NACD-APRAXIA is a popular mobile application that helps therapists and parents treat children with apraxia. NACD’s services are based on neurodevelopmental assessments for each of its clients.
Under the direction of founder Robert J. Doman Jr. for the last thirty years, the National Association for Child Development (NACD) has worked with more than 30,000 clients. It wanted to develop a novel approach to speech therapy that would benefit children and adults with apraxia.
Digital Experience Design, Persona Development, Mobile App Development
Swift, iOS, Invision, Wireframe
NACD wanted an apraxia app that would provide users with different phonemes they could target. The client would then move through a progression of challenging levels related to speech motor planning.
The app needed to allow users to choose from 9 different word groups to target. Words would be categorized according to the place of articulation of the phonemes and pattern of articulation within the word. An illustration and audio would also need to be provided for each word, along with an option to repeat levels, reset, or move to the next level. Some additional requests are listed below:
Blue Whale Apps worked with NACD and a team of certified speech-language pathologists to develop a series that consists of four apraxia apps: Speech Therapy – Apraxia, Speech Therapy – Apraxia Words, Speech Therapy – Apraxia 2 Syllable Words and Speech Therapy – Apraxia Endings. All the apps work for multiple age groups, and allow users to move through each level at their own pace. The apps are a convenient, effective tool for children to overcome apraxia and dyspraxia. Some additional groups who benefit from the apps are listed below:
The Apraxia apps provide choices of different phonemes to target and move through a progression of levels that challenge motor planning for speech.
Speech Therapy for Apraxia – 2 Syllable Words is intended to be the next step in a progression after the one-syllable words of our previous app, has been mastered. Targeting specific patterns of articulation within 2-syllable words and ending, these apps are a fun way to practice basic speech sounds and motor planning. Because the emphasis is on the individual’s production, the parent or therapist should be an active participant, providing the user with feedback, reinforcement, and additional modeling. These apps are not intended for independent use by the child/student.