Listen Close Articulation [iPhone]

*Featured in 10 Speech & Language Apps to Gift this Holiday Season by Sublime Speech

Created by Erik X. Raj, M.S., CCC-SLP, Listen Close Articulation is a unique speech therapy game that challenges players to memorize and repeat an ever-increasing string of articulation word sequences. It features a comprehensive collection of over 600 sound-specific articulation words designed for speech-language pathologists to use with individuals who exhibit difficulty producing the following speech sounds: S, Z, R, L, S/R/L Blends, SH, CH, and TH.

Listen Close Articulation has been compared to the classic electronic game of memory skill called Simon. If you love Simon, then this speech therapy game is just for you!

Features:

-Tons of words: with just a tap of a finger, players can discover and practice over 600 sound-specific articulation words that are perfect for the speech therapy setting.

-Hear the words: each new round consists of exciting cartoon faces that verbalize the articulation words in a manner that keeps all players engaged.

-Remember the words: each new round provides a new string of articulation word sequences that will keep all players on the edge of their sears.

-Child-friendly interface: simple, intuitive, and NO in-app purchases or external links.

Information:

With tons of fun and exciting articulation word sequences to memorize and repeat, Listen Close Articulation will trigger a tremendous amount of smiles in your speech therapy room. The ever-increasing string of articulation word sequences are intended to aid in the remediation of articulation impairments, as well as auditory memory difficulties because clients often need practice in more than one area of communication.

Listen Close Articulation is both challenging and exciting. Traditional speech therapy that focuses on improving articulation abilities can usually get stale and boring, but through this game, speech therapy can easily become an enjoyable competition that strengthens students’ listening ears, talking mouths, and thinking brains. A round of Listen Close Articulation consists of buttons (faces) saying articulation words in a random order, after which the student must reproduce that order by pressing the faces in the correct sequence. As the game progresses, the number of faces to be pressed increases. It is the hope of this speech-language pathologist that by encouraging students to participate in this game, they will be able to practice their pronunciation in a way that can lead to fabulous gains toward mastering their speech therapy goals and objectives.

The structure of Listen Close Articulation is a departure from traditional articulation drill work and is effective for students ages 6 and up. With this game, clients have a blast challenging their friends and classmates outside of the speech therapy room, further practicing their articulation skills and thereby facilitating the sometimes difficult stage of carrying over newly-acquired skills. By playing Listen Close Articulation with the client, paraprofessionals in the classroom and/or parents at home can reinforce the client’s skills while sharing a fun activity. Practicing communication skills in environments outside the speech therapy setting increases opportunities for generalization of communication skills.

So, what is the longest sequence you can hold in your head? Keep the pattern going as long as you possibly can and try to hit a new high score! I invite you to use Listen Close Articulation to spice up your speech therapy sessions. Regardless of when, where or how this game is used within the speech therapy session, one thing is certain, children (as well as clinicians) will have a blast giving this game a try . . . and in the process, your students will continue to practice the correct pronunciation of their sounds at the word level.