Speech4Good

App: Speech4Good

What It Is: A multi-purpose app featuring a digital speech graph, delayed auditory feedback, and recording options by Balbus Speech.

Price: $19.99 (or $4.99 for the lite version)

OS: Apple

Version: 1.4

How It Works: Turn on the speech graph to see a visual representation of speech. If choosing to use delayed auditory feedback, plug in headphones and set the desired delay. Press record. After you’re finished, stop recording and you will automatically be taken to a page where you can name the session, take notes on it, and save it. While saving it, you can choose to email or share it on Facebook or Twitter. You can view all previous sessions in the “Library,” see all shared sessions in “Sharing,” or go to “Account” to change account settings, get support, or read more about the app and its developers.

Therapy Applications: The app developers suggest using this app for everything from dysfluency to articulation to aphasia. When I was first contacted about reviewing this app, I was hesitant for a couple reasons. 1. I have very limited experience with fluency. 2. The long-term benefits of delayed auditory feedback has sparked some debate in our field. However, after using the app, I have found that it can be helpful for much more than fluency, and I use the non-DAF features quite a bit.

In fact, the number one way I have used this is for volume control (too loud and too soft). The visual graph makes sense to kids but is also completely age-appropriate for adults. In addition, being able to attach notes to the audio file makes it easy to compare behaviors/thoughts/emotions over time for ANY therapy goal. (This is especially great for when the client is having a rough day and is frustrated by his/her “lack” of progress.) In other words, I have found the app most beneficial for biofeedback and recording/presenting progress over time.

Pros: 1. Other than headphones, no extra equipment is needed.

2. Versatile–as you can see, I’ve found it useful in ways it was not originally intended.

3. Great visual representation of speech.

4. Easy to use.

5. Option to turn off the visual graph if it is distracting. 🙂

Cons: 1. It’s not possible to create separate accounts, so you cannot view a single client’s recordings/notes at one time. I suggest methodically labeling each session (e.g. “AK-01/27/2013”) so that it is easy to find them later by student and date.

2. The share via Facebook/Twitter thing makes me a little nervous. Perhaps someone who was using this for themselves would want to do this; however, I could see it causing trouble if a therapist connected his/her accounts to the app. My advice: just don’t set up your accounts within this app.

The Take-Away: Take the time to research DAF and if/how it is appropriate to use with your clients. Regardless of whether you choose to use the app for this purpose, it has several great features that can be used for a variety of purposes with a range of populations. However, given the price, if you are only using the app for biofeedback/recording purposes, you may want to consider less expensive options.

My Questions for You: Do you use DAF with your caseload? Would you use the DAF feature in this app or just the speech graph and/or recording options?

Looking for more expert reviews of this app? Check it out on YappGuru.com!

Disclosure: Balbus Speech provided me with a free copy of this app to review. I was not compensated in any way for the review, and they were aware that I would be discussing the app’s strengths and weaknesses.