Dear Fellow SLPs, Today, I want to take you on a deeply personal journey—a journey that revolves around one of the core elements of our profession: articulation therapy. As Speech-Language Pathologists, we know the vital role we play in helping individuals find their voices, and I want to share how Smarty Ears Online has become an invaluable ally in this quest. A Personal Connection to Articulation Therapy This journey that has its roots in the very first app I created back in 2009, which has since evolved into what we now know as Articulate Plus. This app holds a special place in my heart ..read more

A Journey Fueled by Innovation When I founded Smarty Ears in 2009, I was driven by a singular mission: to revolutionize the world of speech and communication disorders through innovative technology. Over a decade later, that mission is as strong as ever, guiding every decision and project. From Humble Beginnings to Grand Aspirations Starting with just a $4,000 investment, I was determined to break down the barriers that hinder communication. Today, that initial investment has grown into over 70 iOS apps, each designed to empower children and adults alike in overcoming their communication chall ..read more

Are you tired of fighting with your child to get them to use apps that are more educationally relevant? You may have tons on those apps on your iPad but your child will always play games when he is spending time on the iPad, right? The version 11 of iOS gave me an incredible tool to restrict my children’s iPad time. I love both the sleep time feature as well as the ability to control how much they spend on each app category ( entertainment, games, etc). I made a full video you can watch here ..read more

I have been living in the United States for the last 14 years. A lot has happened since, and now I am trying to give some of my heritage to my children. This heritage includes language and culture from Brazil. It is not easy, I shared my struggles on my latest youtube video. Here you can check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dLaMhIr6fQ      ..read more

I am an Apple fan! I absolutely LOVE apple. I think today there is only one brand I love more than Apple: Amazon. I am that person who has been switching phones every year, I own the latest and shiniest apple products: I have MacBook pros, Apple watch, iPads, etc… Heck, I give presentation on how the iPad supports learning. This post is really one those that comes out of utter frustration like you must feel when the person you love and hold with the highest regard has betrayed you. I feel betrayed and I am in utter dismay by my ongoing experience. I even googled ” Apple lost my phone” to see i ..read more

April is Autism Awareness Month, and one topic that comes to mind for further exploration is visual supports. But what exactly are they? Visual supports are tools that facilitate learning, communication, and navigation. They go beyond mere illustrations; they serve as tangible aids for understanding the world around us. For instance, the universal sign for women’s restrooms—a blue placard with a female stick figure—is a type of visual support. Visual aids are universally beneficial, but they hold particular significance for individuals on the autism spectrum. Some non-verbal individuals with a ..read more

If you are currently in school ( undergraduate, graduate or PhD student) for speech therapy/communication sciences and disorders; this was written for you. Before I tell you all about it, I have to give you some background story about the importance of paying attention to invitations from the universe that can completely change your life.  Back in 2004, I was an undergraduate student at a free public school in Brazil. My father was very sick, and I had on average $.50 to eat for the day, every day at college. I often walked to school because I didn’t have enough for the bus. On my last ye ..read more

Changing roles is always a good way to learn how the other person feels. For the last six months I have had the opportunity to change roles with parents: My son is receiving speech therapy services. I have had a lot to think, which would lend itself to a whole other blog post, if not a whole series of blog posts. I became the family of a person receiving speech therapy services; and it has instantly enlightened me. Of course, the first thought that came to my mind as my son started receiving special education services was “I could have been such a much better therapist!”. I have not actually d ..read more

  Click on the link below to watch this episode of GeekSLP TV ..read more

Teaching prepositions to young learners Prepositions can be one of the most confusing parts of speech to learn. They don’t fit into the normal rules like most of the other parts of speech which often makes them even harder for kids to understand. Are you “IN” a library or “AT” a library? Heck, as someone who has learned the English prepositions as an adult, I can confess that prepositions was the hardest part of speech for me to master.  In some situations prepositions are interchangeable and sometimes they’re not, it can be a little bit frustrating.  It’s a lot to take in. So where ..read more