The use of the “Talk To Me” application in the therapy of speech development delays

Abstract

Introduction and aim. Computer techniques are increasingly used in speech therapy. The aim of the work is to present the results of the preliminary evaluation of the new “Talk To Me” application and its functionality in the treatment of speech development delays. Material and methods. The study was conducted in 3 groups of children: the study group with the use of the “Talk To Me” application, the conventional therapy group and the control group - in the case of both groups with the intervention, additional reinforcements were used. All children included in the project showed delays in speech development. The recorded age of children in all analyzed groups ranged from 2 to 6 years. In order to verify language progress, the Scale of Language Skills Acquisition in the Field of Communication Competence was used. Results. Acquisition of language skills varies depending on the group affiliation. The analysis of simple main effects for the time of measurement showed that in each group the differences between successive measurements turned out to be significant. In the study group, the increase in language skills differs from the other two groups (p<0.001). However, there is no difference between the groups with conventional and control therapy (p=1.00). Conclusion. Analysis of the research results allows us to conclude that the “Talk To Me” application is a tool that significantly affects the speed of therapy progress in the case of speech development delays concerning communicative competence.