Speech & Language Pathology
The science behind every session
Speech therapy changes lives — but the day-to-day work is hard. Learn how evidence-based approaches work, and how Vocali helps SLPs do more of what matters.
The Basics
What is speech-language therapy?
Who it helps
Children with autism, Down syndrome, apraxia, stuttering, language delays, hearing loss, or any condition affecting communication.
What SLPs do
Speech-Language Pathologists assess, diagnose, and treat communication and swallowing disorders. They hold a master's degree and state licensure.
How sessions work
Sessions are 30–60 minutes, one-on-one or in small groups. Goals are set collaboratively with families and tracked over time.
Beyond the clinic
Generalization — using skills in real life — is the goal. Families practice techniques at home to reinforce what's learned in sessions.
How It Works
AI that speaks therapy language
SLPs spend hours building materials — picture boards, social stories, drill apps. Vocali turns a plain-language description into a working interactive app. No design skills needed. No subscription per tool.
Describe it in plain language
Skip the coding. Tell Vocali what you need: "An AAC board for food requests with 20 core words and Fitzgerald colors." The AI speaks therapy.
Get a working app in seconds
Vocali builds a fully interactive React app with your custom vocabulary, symbols, TTS voices, and layout — ready to use in session or send home.
Customize and share
Adjust vocabulary, colors, and layout. Publish a link your client's family can open on any device — no app store, no downloads.
Build a library for your caseload
Save apps per client, reuse templates across sessions, and track what you've built. Your entire digital toolkit, organized.
Evidence-Based Methods
Therapy approaches that work
These are the methods SLPs use every day. Each has decades of research behind it — and Vocali can help you build tools that bring them to life.
Augmentative & Alternative Communication
AAC encompasses any tool that helps someone communicate beyond speech — from picture boards and PECS books to high-tech speech-generating devices. It supplements or replaces spoken language for children who struggle to communicate verbally.
Vocali generates custom AAC apps with Fitzgerald color coding, motor-planning grids, and text-to-speech built in.
Core + Fringe Vocabulary
Core words (like 'more', 'go', 'want', 'stop') make up 80% of everything we say. Fringe words are topic-specific. Effective AAC teaches core words first, then expands into fringe.
Vocali apps can be built around core vocabulary grids, with fringe categories accessible from a single tap.
Picture Exchange Communication System
PECS teaches children to initiate communication by exchanging a picture card for a desired item. It progresses through six phases from basic exchange to using sentence strips with attributes.
Vocali can generate PECS-style visual boards with custom photos and printable sentence strip layouts.
Social Stories & Visual Supports
Social stories describe social situations in a reassuring way to help children understand expectations and appropriate behavior. Visual schedules reduce anxiety by making routines predictable.
Vocali generates illustrated social stories and visual schedule apps in minutes — personalized to the child.
Discrete Trial Training
DTT breaks skills into small, teachable components with clear antecedents, responses, and consequences. It uses structured repetition with data collection to track mastery.
Vocali can build interactive drill apps that present stimuli, record responses, and track progress across trials.
Naturalistic Language Paradigm
NLP embeds language targets into natural routines and play. Instead of structured drills, the child leads the interaction and the therapist follows their interest to model language.
Vocali supports naturalistic practice with play-based interactive apps that embed language targets in activities children enjoy.
For Families
Supporting your child between sessions
You don't need to be a therapist to make a difference. Here's what the research says actually helps.
Repetition is the point
Skills learned in therapy need hundreds of practice opportunities. A 30-minute session is the seed — home practice is the water.
Model, don't drill
Instead of asking "What do you want?", show the AAC device and say the word yourself first. Modeling takes pressure off and builds vocabulary naturally.
Celebrate approximations
A child pointing at a picture, making a sound, or swiping toward a symbol is communication. Reinforce every attempt — not just perfect speech.
Predictable routines help
Autistic children and those with language delays often thrive on predictability. Visual schedules and consistent language in routines reduce anxiety and build vocabulary.
You are the expert on your child
Your SLP knows the evidence. You know your child. The best outcomes happen when families and therapists collaborate — share what motivates your child.
AAC is not giving up on speech
Research consistently shows that AAC does not reduce spoken language development — it often supports it. Communication first, in whatever form it takes.
Ready to build something?
Vocali is free to start. Describe a therapy tool and have it running in your browser in under a minute.