Speech Buddies Hits Hollywood – Appearance on Modern Family!

Speech Buddies Hits Hollywood – Appearance on Modern Family!

by Adrienne P. News

Here at Speech Buddies, we always get excited when the topic of speech and language development hits mainstream media. It raises awareness and empathy for children with speech challenges and we know that families everywhere can relate! Recently, on an episode of the hit show Modern Family, Gloria (Sofia Vergara) took her son Joe (Jeremy Maguire) to see a local speech-language pathologist. What did that savvy SLP have on her desk? None other than Speech Buddies practice guides! We couldn’t believe it. Thanks for the shout-out Modern Family! And thank you for raising awareness around the important work that speech therapists do in their community.

Gloria (Sofia Vergara) and Joe (Jeremy Maguire) practice with Speech Buddies!

Gloria (Sofia Vergara) and Joe (Jeremy Maguire) practice with Speech Buddies!

Gloria (Sofia Vergara) and Joe (Jeremy Maguire) practice with Speech Buddies!

Gloria (Sofia Vergara) and Joe (Jeremy Maguire) practice with Speech Buddies!

Gloria (Sofia Vergara) and Joe (Jeremy Maguire) practice with Speech Buddies!

 

We’re heading to ASHA 2013 this week! Stop by our booth (#1713) for live Speech Buddy demos.

by Courtenay M. Interviews News
Image Courtesy of asha.org/events/convention/

Image Courtesy of asha.org/events/convention/

Dear ASHA Attendees:

As an SLP and co-founder of Speech Buddies, I’m thrilled to join more than 7,000 of our esteemed colleagues from all over the world for this year’s ASHA 2013 convention in Chicago. Researchers, clinicians, students and parents of children living with speech and language challenges will come to share their work, absorb new information, acquire new skills, and connect with their colleagues. The theme of this year’s convention is Teamwork: how trained professionals working in concert with their peers, parents and teachers can achieve positive outcomes not possible on an individual basis. We applaud ASHA’s focus on this vital theme and we at Speech Buddies have tailored our entire approach to harnessing the power of collaboration.

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The Latest in Apps: Speak for Yourself

by Jacky G. News
Speak for Yourself App

Image source: therapyapp411.com

Educational apps can help your child expand his vocabulary, improve his articulation skills, and learn how to use complete sentences. Some apps even function as augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices, giving a voice to nonverbal children and those with limited speech. One of these AAC apps, Speak for Yourself, is in the middle of a patent dispute that threatens to eliminate this means of communication for nonverbal children.

The Basics

Who: Apple Inc., the company that produced the app, and Prentke Romich Co., together with Semantic Compaction Systems (PRC/SCS).

What: PRC/SCS have filed a patent lawsuit alleging that Apple is guilty of patent infringement and copyright infringement.

Why: PRC/SCS have taken issue with Speak for Yourself’s use of multiple meanings associated with one icon. For example, an apple could represent “red” or “eat.”

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