Using an iPad in Your Speech Therapy Sessions

Speech-language pathologists know a useful tool when they see one, and for many of us, iPads fall squarely into the category of “SLP essentials.”

As a student, I dabbled with using technology in speech therapy. While my clients and students enjoyed it, I didn’t love hauling a computer cart from room to room or waiting several minutes for the machine to boot up (this was the early 2000s, after all).

I wish I could go back in time and tell my student clinician self to hold on– better devices are coming. Since those early days, the introduction of iPads has been a game-changer for speech therapy sessions.

These digital tablets make therapy more engaging, efficient, and fun. It's almost as if iPads were designed with busy SLPs in mind. Hey, thanks, Apple! 😉

Why are SLPs Choosing iPads for Speech Therapy?

SLPs, whether tech-savvy or not, have a wide array of digital tools at their disposal, but iPads consistently come out on top (according to my recent Instagram poll).

iPads (and other tablets) are highly portable, making them easy to carry from room to room or even school to school. They don’t require a setup area, and most of the time, they don’t even need to be plugged in.

iPads also support over a million apps. While only a small percentage are designed specifically for speech therapy, many general-use apps can be adapted to support communication goals (just like how toys not originally made for therapy can still be incredibly useful in eliciting and practicing communication skills).

In short, iPads are engaging for most students, cut down on prep time, save paper (and storage space), and offer a break from traditional materials. Plus, many digital tools support evidence-based learning strategies. 🙌

How iPads Support Speech Therapy

When used intentionally during speech therapy sessions, iPads can boost speech and language development. They provide engaging and interactive activities that target specific speech and language goals.

Speech Therapy Apps

Some apps are created specifically for teaching or practicing speech or language skills in educational or therapy settings. Here are just a few:

• Articulation Station Hive by Little Bee Speech has a free version of the app plus subscriptions to target speech sounds in isolation, syllables, words, phrases, sentences, stories, and conversations. They also have the Little Stories app, which includes illustrated stories that allow you to target nearly any goal.

• Rainbow Sentences by Mobile Education Store, LLC is an app for working on syntax using visual cues and colorful pictures.

• i-Angel Sound from UCLA is a free app for auditory training and discrimination that includes audio recordings of both sounds and words.

• Boom Cards has a free iPad app that hosts thousands of digital decks created by and for SLPs. Within the Boom app, you'll find decks for working on social skills, following directions, sentence structure, and basic concepts, to name just a few. You can even find decks of digital articulation cards (that allow you to scrap your incomplete decks of ripped artic cards 😅).

Other Apps that Support Speech and Language Development

Some apps weren’t built specifically for therapy, but are still fantastic for building speech and language skills:

• My Play Home is like a digital dollhouse! Kids can move people and objects around different rooms of a house to do various tasks.

• Some of my favorite free teletherapy websites, such as ABCYa and PBS Kids, also have apps that in-person speech therapists may want to check out.

• While they require additional manipulatives, Osmo offers a great balance between digital and physical activities. Osmo Pizza Co. is one of my favorite apps for following directions and auditory memory.

Augmentative and Alternative Communication Apps

It goes without saying that using AAC apps on an iPad is an extremely valuable use of these devices. iPads can be trialed and used as dedicated AAC devices. Some examples of AAC iPad apps are:

• Proloquo2Go by AssistiveWare has 23 pre-programmed button layouts and includes 27,000+ symbols, but you can also add your own photos.

• LAMP Words for Life by Prentke Romich Company uses consistent motor planning principles to help users develop automaticity.

• TouchChat HD by Prente Romich Company is a customizable AAC app, and is also available with WordPower (a more extensive set of vocabulary, layouts, and levels).

• CoughDrop is another AAC app that allows users to create, sync, and share communication boards.

PDF Reader Apps

For older students, sharing a PDF on the iPad is a fun way to break from traditional speech therapy worksheets. Students can use a finger or a stylus to annotate the PDF by writing or drawing on the digital pages, and as a bonus, you can limit or eliminate the need to print.

There are many options for PDF apps available for the iPad. While some have a small cost, many are free. Even Apple's built-in Books app can be used to present and mark up PDFs in speech therapy.

Book Apps

• Epic hosts a huge digital library of over 40,000 children's books, audiobooks, and videos. Many books can even be downloaded to use offline if you don't have Wi-Fi access in your speech therapy room.

• Vooks includes animated and narrated books for kids 8 and under. You can also record your own narration of a story, which is a great way to model and elicit language.

Tips for Using iPads in Speech Therapy

If you're new to using iPads in speech therapy (or just looking for ways to make the most of them), these practical tips will help you incorporate technology without losing the personal, hands-on approach that makes your sessions effective.

1. Of course, an iPad should never be a replacement for an SLP in speech therapy. Instead, it should be used as an interactive tool to facilitate speech or language goals.

2. You don't have to fully abandon your hands-on therapy materials to incorporate technology. Use of an iPad in conjunction with physical materials is a great way to shake things up for your students.

3. Before using the iPad, set clear expectations for using the device.

4. If you're working with a student who might be tempted to exit the app you're using and go into a different app, use guided access to limit the device to a single app.

5. Use accessibility features (or teach students to use them) as needed. This might include things like magnifying the screen, captioning, or an external keyboard.

iPads don’t need to be earned or saved for special occasions in speech therapy. They can be powerful tools for targeting articulation, receptive and expressive language, listening skills, and more. Rather than dismissing iPads as just another screen, think of iPads as a way to meaningfully support everything from eliciting first words in young children to supporting executive functioning in high schoolers.

As with any therapy tool, an iPad isn’t a replacement for speech therapy. But when used intentionally, it can enhance your sessions by offering engaging, personalized, and evidence-based activities that meet students right where they are. Plus, SLPs can't beat the convenience!

📌 Got a speech therapy board on Pinterest? SAVE the love ❤️