Mobile Computing

Superplus Adds Gaming Features to Vocab App for Students with Special Needs

• By Joshua Bolkan
• 02/09/16

Superplus has updated its SuperSpeak vocabulary skill-building iOS app for students with special needs to include a new play feature designed to improve student engagement.

SuperSpeak "Play is a game-based mode within SuperSpeak AAC where children can grow their vocabulary through a variety of visual lessons," according to a news release. "As children associate the correct image with the prompt, they can earn customizable tokens that can be used to purchase items or unlock other engaging elements of the game."

Teachers can set the rewards schedule on the app to award tokens continuously, after a certain amount of time or after a certain number of answers have been correctly answered. Teachers can also use the app's administrator mode to create their own photo-based lessons. Student user experiences are stored in a secure, cloud-based profile to allow teachers or parents to access information or add new photos from any Internet-connected device.

"With SuperSpeak Play, we've drawn on the latest research in educational gaming to develop rich, powerful learning experiences for the millions of children who struggle with speech and language disabilities every day," said Katrine Gulstad Pedersen, a special-education teacher who is co-founder and CEO of Superplus. "More than simply an AAC tool, SuperSpeak is a complete learning and communications platform that empowers children with special needs to succeed."