The iPad in Therapy

One of my relatives, a speech therapist, mentioned to me recently how enthusiastic her students were about the iPad. It turns out she’s not alone.

In a Wall Street Journal article in October, I wrote about how the rise of mainstream tablet computers is having unforeseen benefits for children with speech and communication problems — and how it has the potential to disrupt a business where specialized devices can cost thousands of dollars.

The story involves a subject that I find fascinating — the way kids use technology. They seem to take to new gadgets more quickly than adults and are less afraid to experiment. But during the course of researching this article, I also found that there are seemingly simple things they have particular trouble understanding — like volume controls, or the proper use of the “home” button on the iPhone.

If you’re looking for more information on software and devices for speech therapy, I’m afraid I’m not an expert. (I’ve been getting a lot of requests along these lines.) But a good place to start is the American Speech Language Hearing Association.