SS4Kids

Sing & Speak 4 Kids
An innovative music and game-based program for children with slow speech development facilitated by a team of professionals and parents.

 

WHO CAN BENEFIT...

Children with delayed speech development

Our program is designed to help children between the ages of 2 and 7 years of age with delayed speech development. In preliminary testing, we found that children with minimal verbal skills and various diagnoses, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds have benefited.

graphic of children singing

Sing and Speak 4 Kids can support all these children!

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Down Syndrome

English Language Learners

Intellectually disabled

and many others with speech-language delays

Our program helps children between the ages of 3 and 5 years of age with a delayed speech development. We found that minimally verbal children with ASD, as well as children from diverse ethnic or racial groups, or low socioeconomic status have been left behind in other similar programs.

graphic of children singing

Sing and Speak 4 Kids can support all these children!

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis

Down's Syndrome

Bilingual impairment (English learners)

Intellectually disabled

and many others

MARKET RESEARCH
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STRATEGIC PLANNING
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RESOURCES PLANNING
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CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
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LEADERSHIP TRAINING
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EXIT PLANNING
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WHY USE Sing and Speak 4 Kids

  • Low cost
  • Easy to implement
  • Highly engaging
  • Effective (greater retention, generalization and socialization)
  • Seamless integration with other interventions
  • Shared data reporting between clinician and parent
  • Universally accessible - mobile devices and desktop
  • Low cost
  • Easy to implement
  • Highly engaging
  • Effective (greater retention, generalization and socialization)
  • Seamless integration with other interventions
  • Shared data reporting between clinician and parent
  • Universally accessible - mobile devices and desktop

Challenge

Solution

Professionals have limited time with each child

Team of professionals plus parents offers more hours at parent/child convenience

Lack of tracking child's speaking language progress

Reports and graphs available for review and collaboration by professionals and parents

Parents need the motivation and know-how to participate

Video tutorials, forums, team support

Child lacks generalization (appropriate words in various situations) and socialization.

Parents re-enforce the vocabulary words around the home and in social environments

Challenge

Professionals have limited time with each child

Lack of tracking child's speaking language progress

Parents need the motivation and know-how to participate

Child lacks generalization (appropriate words in various situations) and socialization.

Solution

Team of professionals plus parents offers more hours at parent/child convenience

Reports and graphs available for review and collaboration by professionals and parents

Video tutorials, forums, team support

Parents re-enforce the vocabulary words around the home and in social environments

Challenge

Solution

CHALLENGE:  Professionals have limited time with each child

SOLUTION:  Team of professionals plus parents offers more hours at parent/child convenience

CHALLENGE:  Lack of tracking child's speaking language progress

SOLUTION:  Reports and graphs available for review and collaboration by professionals and parents

CHALLENGE:  Parents need the motivation and know-how to participate

SOLUTION:  Video tutorials, forums, team support

CHALLENGE:  Child lacks generalization (appropriate words in various situations) and socialization.

SOLUTION:  Parents re-enforce the vocabulary words around the home and in social environments

Challenge

Professionals have limited time with each child

Lack of tracking child's speaking language progress

Parents need the motivation and know-how to participate

Child lacks generalization (appropriate words in various situations) and socialization.

Solution

Team of professionals plus parents offers more hours at parent/child convenience

Reports and graphs available for review and collaboration by professionals and parents

Video tutorials, forums, team support

Parents re-enforce the vocabulary words around the home and in social environments

Challenge

  • Clinician / Teacher has limited time with each child
  • Parents need the motivation and know-how to participate
  • Child struggles to generalize use of language and lacks socializaion
  • Lack of supports and interventions in schools

Solution

  • Sing and Speak 4 Kids can be played at parent/child convenience and progress tracked for later analysis by clinician (telepractice) TEAM OFFERS MORE HOURS
  • Video tutorials, forums, team support
  • Parents re-enforce the vocabulary words around the home and in social environments
  • B2B licensing provides access at a low cost with external support

HOW IT WORKS

The science behind our program

Verbal Production Scores *

Graph of the mean change scores by Training Condition between no treatment, speech only, and with music

Sing and Speak 4 Kids combines Neurologic Music Therapy and mobile digital services (game play) as an intervention for effective results in helping speech delayed children to learn to speak.

A large number of research studies have linked musical and linguistic skills (1). Children with ASD often respond actively to music and music therapy showing effectiveness in improving socio-communicative deficits. (2). One technique of Neurologic Music Therapy, Developmental Speech Language Training through Music (DSLM), has shown improved outcomes for speech production with children between 3 and 5 years of age with ASD (3).

1 - Moreno, 2009, Contermporary Music Review, Volume 28, 2009 - Issue 3: Exploring Music through Neuroscience; Moreno et al., 2011, Psychological Science, 22(11), 1425-1433; Strait et al., 2011, Frontiers in Psychology 2011; 2: 113; Patel, 2008, Music, Language, and the Brain. New York: Oxford University Press. Patel, 2011, Psychology: Research and Practice, 29(6), 536-542
2 - Kim et al., 2009, Autism, 13(4), 389-409; Kaplan et al., 2005, Journal of Music Therapy, 42(1), 2-19
* 3 - Lim, 2010, Journal of Music Therapy, 47(1):2-26; Lim 2007, Dissertation, University of Miami

A large number of research studies have linked musical and linguistic skills (1). Children with ASD often show an acute proclivity in their response to music and music therapy has shown effective in improving socio-communicative deficits. (2). One technique of Neurologic Music Therapy, Developmental Speech Language Training through Music (DSLM), has shown improved outcomes for speech production with children between 3 and 5 years of age with ASD (3).

1 - Moreno, 2009, Contermporary Music Review, Volume 28, 2009 - Issue 3: Exploring Music through Neuroscience; Moreno et al., 2011, Psychological Science, 22(11), 1425-1433; Strait et al., 2011, Frontiers in Psychology 2011; 2: 113; Patel, 2008, Music, Language, and the Brain. New York: Oxford University Press. Patel, 2011, Psychology: Research and Practice, 29(6), 536-542
2 - Kim et al., 2009, Autism, 13(4), 389-409; Kaplan et al., 2005, Journal of Music Therapy, 42(1), 2-19
* 3 - Lim, 2010, Journal of Music Therapy, 47(1):2-26; Lim 2007, Dissertation, University of Miami

Sing and Speak 4 Kids combines DSLM and mobile digital services (game play) as an intervention for effective results in helping speech delayed children to learn to speak.

INTERVENTION MODEL

  • Clinician and child augmented with parent participation and training
  • Every session uses joint media engagement, always with a trainer accompanying and participating actively with the child during game play.
  • After parent training, parent continues at home while clinician tracks progress via online reporting and advises remotely
  • Re-enforcement during game play with assessment questions
home, school, clinic connection

SCAFFOLDING AND FADING
The technology component of Sing and Speak 4 Kids serves as a tool to assist in developing socio-communication skills, and is NOT meant as an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device to be used throughout the day and in all environments. As the child learns to speak, the support system is eventually not necessary. This implementation is so the child can better attain generalization, spontaneous communication, and independence of the program.
This fading happens in three levels:

  1. Clinician to parent
  2. Music to speech
  3. Digital game to real life*

* In-home generalization and socialization: parent incorporates the lyrics and target words throughout the day; reinforces this with other family members and environments such as schools.

The technology component of Sing and Speak 4 Kids serves as a tool to assist in developing socio-communication skills, and is NOT meant as an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device to be used throughout the day and in all environments. Therefore, scaffolding and fading of support systems are implemented so the child can better attain generalization, spontaneous communication, and independence of the program. These transitions occur on three levels.

The three levels of support scaffolding.
Level 1 of support scaffolding - graphic of a therapist transitioning to parent. Thereapist graphic is faded.
Level 2 of support scaffolding - graphic of tablet with music notes with arrow pointing to speech bubble
Support Scaffolding Level 3 - Digital game to real life

LEARNING STAGES

1 - SINGING & INSTRUMENT

Learning Stage 1 - graphic of music coming out of guitar, child singing and picture of an apple

GAME: Singer, music, text and photo of target word presented and sung.
CHILD: Sings along and sings target word.

2 - SINGING

Learning Stage 2 - graphic of an apple and child singing

GAME: Singer, text and photo of target word presented and sung.
CHILD: Sings along and sings target word.

3 - SINGING FILL-IN

Learning Stage 3 - picture of an apple and chlld singing the word

GAME: Singer and photo of target word presented.
CHILD: Vocalizes the fill-in-the-blank target word with singing.

4 - SPEAKING FILL-IN

Learning Stage 4 - graphic of an apple and child speaking the word

GAME: Singer and photo of target word presented.
CHILD: Vocalizes the fill-in-the-blank target word with speech.

5 - QUESTIONS

Learning Stage 5 - graphic of an apple and child speaking the word with question mark symbol

GAME: Photo of target word presented. A question is asked.
CHILD: Verbalizes the word with speech.

REPORTS AND GRAPHS
As the child plays, their learning is tracked for later review. The data is formatted into graphs, which can be shared with the team of clinicians and teachers working with this child.

 

Example graph for SS4Kids reporting

30

Songs

100

Vocabulary Words

20

Reports

Our pilot program includes 6 songs, 36 vocabulary words and 20 levels of game play. The production release will have between 20 to 30 songs and 100 to 150 words.

Vocabulary words are objects, actions and situations representative of child's everyday life.

Device Requirements
These are the following recommended devices to use Sing and Speak 4 Kids:

Chrome browser (v x.x and above) Firefox browser (v x.x and above) Edge browser (v x.x and above) iPhone [x] and above iPad [ versions and types ] Android v x.x and above  

Internet connection xxx Ram / xxx Diskspace [speaker requirements]
Pricing
Free - use for x months, 6 songs, x vocabulary words Premium - monthly subscription, all songs and vocabulary words Deluxe - Premium features, personalized training, user generated lyrics Scholarships are also available. Contact us for more information

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OUR MILESTONES

How far we've come!

Commercial Release - 201980%
Beta (online) - 201870%
Pilot (offline) - 201750%
Startup - 201620%

TRAINING PROFESSIONALS AND PARENTS

Discover the full potential of using Sing and Speak 4 Kids

Parents, teachers and clinicians participate in a brief training session.

INTERACTIVE VIDEO
These videos demonstrate how the program works and how to navigate the user interface.

To help facilitate the full potential of the Sing and Speak 4 Kids program, parents, teachers and clinicians participate in a brief training session on the usage of the application and how to review the reports and progress of the child.

Training includes interactive videos, documentation and on-hands experience to the game.

PROGRAM INFORMATION

Details
  • Engaging Songs
  • Vocabulary words - objects, actions and situations representative of child's everyday life
  • Data tracking of child's progress
  • Administration Panel
  • Login and privacy controls
  • Profile - child profile of age, diagnosis
  • Progress Reports and graphs
  • Trainer/Clinician access controls
Learning Stages

The child learns through 5 stages of game play over several sessions. Each session is tracked for progress comparison and analysis by the parent and clinician.

Learning Stages:

  • SINGING AND INSTRUMENT textual presentation and photo representing target word presented and sung
  • SINGING textual presentation and photo representing target word presented and sung
  • SINGING FILL-IN, child vocalizes with singing the fill-in the blank with target word
  • SPEAKING FILL-IN, child vocalizes with speech the fill-in the blank with target word
  • CONVERSATION QUESTIONS - only photo shown representing target word and child verbalizes the word
Device Requirements

For the program to be the most effective, the following devices and requirements are recommended to use Sing and Speak 4 Kids.

More details coming soon!

Pricing

For a limited time, we are offering a FREE trial period evaluation of our Beta release.

Contact us to participate.

Future releases will be available with scholarships. Inquire for more information

RESPONSES OF CHILDREN USING Sing and Speak 4 Kids

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Child only using sign language
After using Sing and Speak 4 Kids, a child that only used sign language started to vocalize for the first time.

Girl with Down Syndrome
Initially mom and teacher would sign and sing along as models.  A child at 33 months of age, three months after first use of Sing and Speak 4 Kids, she was observed to spontaneously sign and sing making verbal vocalizations and approximations to the key words in songs.
Child only using sign language
After using Sing and Speak 4 Kids, a child that only used sign language started to vocalize for the first time.

Girl with Down Syndrome
Initially mom and teacher would sign and sing along as models.  A child at 33 months of age, three months after first use of SS4Kids, she was observed to spontaneously sign and sing making verbal vocalizations and approximations to the key words in songs.

Girl hard of hearing
A child hard of hearing and 36 months of age. When SS4Kids was initially introduced she attended to the songs and seemed to enjoy them. Two months later she verbalized “dog jump”. Mom shared that she is very engaged and is saying words more clearly after using the SS4kids app (program).

Girl hard of hearing
A child hard of hearing and 36 months of age. When Sing and Speak 4 Kids was initially introduced she attended to the songs and seemed to enjoy them. Two months later she verbalized “dog jump”. Mom shared that she is very engaged and is saying words more clearly after using the Sing and Speak 4 Kids app (program).

SIGN UP

We are now accepting applications for our FREE trial evaluation of our Beta release.