The Journey of Speech Blubs

Since its inception in 2016, Speech Blubs has become a trusted companion for parents seeking to support their children’s speech development. With over 5 million downloads, the app has proven to be an engaging and effective tool that complements traditional speech therapy. Designed for parents to use with their children between therapy sessions, Speech Blubs offers interactive exercises that capture kids' attention and make practicing speech fun.

Expanding Our Vision: Engaging with Speech-Language Pathologists

From the beginning, we always envisioned working more closely with speech-language pathologists (SLPs). Our goal was to have SLPs incorporate Speech Blubs into their therapies, offering them a powerful digital tool to engage students and practice speech in an innovative way. This vision led us to the ASHA Convention in New Orleans in 2022, where we sought to connect with the SLP community and showcase what Speech Blubs had to offer.

New Orleans 2022: Listening and Learning

At the ASHA Convention in New Orleans, we were thrilled to present Speech Blubs to a community of dedicated speech therapists. The response was overwhelmingly positive—therapists loved the interactive exercises and the engaging nature of the app. However, they also shared some crucial feedback: while Speech Blubs was effective, it was too open-ended for use in structured therapy sessions. SLPs needed a tool that allowed them to target specific words and tailor exercises to the unique needs of each student.

This feedback was invaluable. We left New Orleans inspired, armed with insights that would guide the development of a new, more versatile tool for SLPs.

The Birth of Speech Blubs Pro

Back at the drawing board, we embarked on a new project to create an app that would meet the specific needs of speech therapists. Speech Blubs Pro was developed as a comprehensive speech therapy app, building on the strengths of Speech Blubs but incorporating features that would make it an ideal tool for clinical settings. To ensure we got it right, we collaborated with industry experts like Erik X. Raj, a respected SLP, and Nicole Druckman, a well-known SLP on TikTok. Their input was instrumental in shaping Speech Blubs Pro into a product grounded in both experience and expertise.

Boston 2023: A Warm Welcome for Speech Blubs Pro

In November 2023, we proudly introduced Speech Blubs Pro at the ASHA Convention in Boston. This time, the feedback was nothing short of amazing. Clinicians appreciated the app’s ease of use, the robust categorization system for finding target words, and the extensive library of flashcards. What stood out most was the ability to assign digital homework and monitor students’ progress—features that made Speech Blubs Pro not just a useful tool, but an indispensable one.

Our time in Boston allowed us to connect with numerous private practices and school districts across the country. Many of these connections led to online webinars where we further educated SLPs on how to maximize the potential of Speech Blubs Pro in their therapy sessions. One such success story comes from the Dorchester District, where Speech Blubs Pro is now a key component of their speech therapy program read more here.

Continuing to Innovate and Grow

The ASHA conventions have provided us with a wealth of knowledge and insights that continue to shape the evolution of Speech Blubs Pro. Every day, we implement new features and improvements based on the feedback we receive from the SLP community. We are proud to sponsor ASHA online conferences, which allow us to reach even more clinicians, interact with them, and gather further input to make Speech Blubs Pro even better. For example, we were thrilled to be part of the "Speech Sound Disorders in Schools" online conference hosted by ASHA.

Looking Ahead: See You in Seattle!

Given the tremendous impact of our experiences at past ASHA conventions, we are eagerly looking forward to December when we will be present at the ASHA Convention in Seattle. We can’t wait to show you the progress we’ve made with Speech Blubs Pro and to hear your thoughts on how we can continue to improve. We hope to see you there!