Summer is full of flexibility—later mornings, vacations, less structure, and lots of play! Then suddenly...

📚 It's time for school again.

For some children, getting back into the rhythm of school can take a little practice. One way parents can help is by gradually bringing communication, listening, and structured activities back into the daily routine.

💬 Try adding short communication activities into your day:

🗣️ Practice following directions
“Get your shoes.”
“Put the book on the table.”

🔤 Talk about what happened today
“What did we do?”
“What was your favorite part?”

👀 Practice listening and responding
Ask a question, then give your child time to answer.

📖 Read together
Talk about the characters, pictures, and what might happen next.

🎤 Use ASD 123 for interactive voice practice
ASD 123 encourages children to use their voices to interact with activities rather than simply tapping through a screen. The app includes guided activities, positive feedback, and can be used at home, in therapy settings, or on the go.

The goal isn't to turn summer into school.

It's to make the transition a little smoother, a little more familiar, and a lot more engaging.

And remember, practice doesn't have to mean sitting at a desk!

A few minutes of meaningful communication during everyday activities can create opportunities to listen, respond, use language, and build confidence.

🎒 Here's to a new school year and new opportunities to find their voice!

SLPs, parents, and educators: What is your favorite way to help children transition back into their school routines?

Why Voice Matters

One of the biggest differences with ASD 123 is that the child's voice drives the activity.

Instead of completing tasks by touching the screen, children are encouraged to speak in order to make something happen.

This creates:
• Immediate reinforcement
• Increased participation
• More opportunities for speech practice
• Greater engagement during therapy

Our mission is to make speech practice feel rewarding rather than repetitive.

What happens when we give children more opportunities to use their voices?
A fascinating 2018 study by Romeo et al. looked at the relationship between children's language exposure and the development of language-related brain connections.

Researchers studied children ages 4 though 6 and found that greater adult child conversational experience was associated with stronger connectivity in brain pathways involved in language. And here's the part that really stood out, It wasn't simply about hearing more words.

Back and forth conversation mattered.

Children weren't just listening to adults talk. Their own participation in conversations was an important part of the relationship researchers observed between language exposure, brain connectivity, and language skills.
This idea is one of the reasons we're excited about the possibilities behind ASD 123.

ASD 123 is designed around the idea of making the child's voice an active part of the experience. Instead of the child simply watching or tapping through an activity, the goal is to encourage the child to use their voice to interact and participate.

Reference:
Romeo, R. R., et al. (2018). Language Exposure Relates to Structural Neural Connectivity in Childhood. The Journal of Neuroscience, 38(36), 7870–7877. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0484-18.2018.

Parents often ask, "What can I do at home to support my child's speech?"

The answer doesn't have to be complicated.

The best speech practice often happens during everyday routines:
🧸 Talk during playtime.
🍎 Describe what you're doing while preparing meals.
📚 Read together every day.
🎵 Sing songs and pause to let your child fill in familiar words.
👏 Celebrate every communication attempt, even if it isn't perfect.

Technology should never replace these moments, but it can make practice more engaging.

That's why we've developed ASD 123 to encourage children to actively use their voices while they play and learn.

Small moments every day can lead to big progress over time.

Just a glimpse into how infallible our voice technology is! This means our activities only respond to actual voice commands corresponding to our games.

Even better, you can also customize the command you want the activity to respond to! For example if you didn't want to target 'up' you can program in to target 'more' etc. instead.

At ASD 123, Accessible Speech Development (www.ASD-123.com), we've built technology that encourages children to use their own voices to interact with activities instead of simply tapping a screen.

Our goal is simple:
✅ Encourage speech through play
✅ Increase motivation
✅ Make therapy more interactive
✅ Support families and clinicians alike

Innovation in speech therapy should empower both children and the professionals who work with them every day.

Have you tried voice powered therapy activities with your students or clients? We'd love to hear your experiences!

I didn’t set out to build a startup.

I set out to help children communicate.

My journey began while studying Communication Sciences & Disorders and later Speech Language Pathology, where I became deeply interested in how speech and language shape a child’s ability to connect, learn, and grow.

I went on to work as a speech language pathologist in schools, clinics, and hospitals across Boston, New York, Los Angeles, and London, supporting children with a wide range of communication needs.

But across every setting, I saw the same challenge:

Children weren’t getting enough practice.

Speech therapy might happen once or twice a week, but progress depends on what happens in between. Families and teachers wanted to help, but often didn’t have the tools.

Then one moment stayed with me.

I was working with a young child who had little motivation to engage with traditional therapy. But when we introduced an iPad, everything changed, attention, engagement, possibility.

That moment sparked an idea:

What if technology could help children use their voice more?

That’s how ASD 123 began.

We built a voice driven platform where children learn by speaking out loud, turning words into action through play. The goal isn’t to replace therapy, but to extend it; giving children more opportunities to practice communication in everyday moments.

Building ASD 123 has been one of the most challenging and meaningful journeys of my life. It’s taken me from clinician to founder, learning how to build, test, listen, and grow.

But the mission has stayed the same:

To make speech and language support more accessible, more engaging, and more consistent for every child.

Because every child deserves a voice and the opportunity to use it.

If you’re a speech language pathologist, educator, or parent, I’d love to connect and hear your thoughts.

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/asd-123/id1577037312

I was once again featured on Venita Litvack's Speechie Side up podcast, this time for a podcourse.

It's available on most major podcast platforms.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/podcourse-self-advocacy-is-patient-advocacy-challenging/id1409431028?i=1000755748297

If you want ASHA CEUs you will have to listen to it on the Tassel CEU platform.

You can use code: Sophie

Or this link for a discount:

https://tr.ee/lSNaOAvHrC

Disclaimer, I receive a small commission if you use my referral code/link.

Please take a listen and share! It's 1 hr.

Article link: https://leader.pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/leader.RIB1.22082017.16

SLPs spend 15+ hours a week on paperwork. Caseloads of 60, 70, even 80 students. IEPs that take hours to prep, run, and follow up. Scheduling that feels like solving a Rubik's cube blindfolded. And after all that, you still have to find time to actually do therapy.

Research shows that when caseloads cross 45 students, nearly half of SLPs say their workload is unmanageable. At 60 or more, that number climbs to 70%. And 75% of school-based SLPs have considered leaving the field entirely.
We built EASI because we are SLPs, and we have lived this.

EASI is a HIPAA-secure platform that includes MySLP (My Second Look Protocol), a clinical assistant trained on every state's IEP eligibility criteria and years of proprietary clinical data. It does not think for you. It helps you verify whether your clinical decisions are sound or need a second look.

The platform also includes language sample analysis that transcribes speech in context, including filler words and disfluencies, and calculates MLU, IPSyn, percentage of consonants correct, and more. Coming soon: a record review feature that compiles your test scores, previous reports, and IEPs into comprehensive evaluations.

And yes, MySLP can help with scheduling. Put your caseload and available times in, and it generates a schedule for you.
We are looking for beta testers before our early 2026 launch. If you want early access, sign up here.

https://easi-as.com/