5 stars for this ‘start’ app
Every SLP has had that dreaded moment when you've hit a dead end working on ‘r’ with a child (who’s probably been working on ‘r’ for a solid 3 years). We’ve all wished there was a way for the kiddo to just see what he was doing wrong with his tongue. Well, now that’s kinda/sorta possible.
Enter the staRt app. It’s full name is the Speech Therapist's App for /R/ Treatment (staRt), designed to aid SLPs in treating the challenging /ɹ/ sound in children. The app offers real-time visual biofeedback through an LPC spectrum as the child speaks into a microphone. The app includes a structured practice option with syllable and word targets, along with a "free play" option for spontaneous practice. Despite being designed for in-person use, a pilot study was conducted via telepractice due to COVID, targeting four 9–10-year-olds with /ɹ/ errors.
During 60-minute sessions, clinicians provided articulatory cues and drill-like practice using the app. The study demonstrated substantial gains in accurate /ɹ/ productions in single words after 16 sessions, combining traditional methods with biofeedback. Although the article notes the difficulty in conclusively comparing traditional and biofeedback methods, the results suggest that both approaches can be effective. The app is currently free, accessible on iPads with a recommended plug-in microphone. While the study is small, the potential for free biofeedback access is exciting for tech-savvy SLPs, and the app's website provides details on downloading and usage, along with additional materials for treating the /ɹ/ sound.
So in case you missed when this app first came out, download it now and try it out! It could make a world of difference.
Source: Peterson, L., Savarese, C., Campbell, T., Ma, Z., Simpson, K.O., & McAllister, T. (2022). Telepractice treatment of residual rhotic errors using app-based biofeedback: A pilot study. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_LSHSS-21-00084 [available to ASHA members]
