Ian Waller speaks to Speech and Language Therapist Kate Burgess about the new app, Pippin, which she has developed to help children learn to talk
Can you tell me what the Pippin app is, please, and where the idea for it came from?
Pippin came from personal experience, really, both my own experience as a Speech and Language Therapist and our app developer Kieran who has a child with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN). While I grew up with a sister with Down Syndrome who has communication difficulties, Kieran’s son was referred to Speech and Language Therapy.
While Kieran was waiting to see the Speech and Language Therapist, he was shocked and dismayed by how difficult it was to find up-to-date, evidence-based advice online, and was left feeling helpless on a long waiting list. We met through his search for information and that’s how Pippin came about.
Pippin is an app designed to provide simple and cohesive advice to parents and carers, and to support and develop their child’s communication skills. It provides assessments, tracking tools, an online course and fun activities to prevent parents and carers having to wait for access to the kind of advice that can really influence a child’s future outcomes and provide immediate access to early intervention.
How did you recognise the need for the app?
The number of children with speech, language and communication needs is increasing. A recent study by Speech and Language UK has found that two children in every classroom have communication difficulties.
The reality is that when you’re a parent or carer and finding time to research and sift through all the information that’s online, it is even more challenging if you’re feeling worried about an aspect of your child’s development. Pippin is written and developed from my background as a qualified Speech and Language Therapist with over 14 years of experience (over a decade of which was in the NHS), and is designed with busy parents in mind.
It is not something that is going to make life more complicated, but it does teach you how to use strategies and ideas in your daily life – like how to make bath time an opportunity to develop your child’s talking or how to turn snack time in a learning opportunity.
The information in the app is one of the most heavily evidence-based areas of speech and language therapy, presented in a simple and practical way, and covering subjects where comprehensive advice and tools are not very accessible. Pippin aims to change that – with immediate access. It’s ready when you are – on your commute to work, after bedtime or when you’re nap trapped.
Is it purely aimed at children with speech and communication challenges?
No, not at all! There are really useful strategies and ideas that all children would benefit from.
How does Pippin help to prepare children for school?
Pippin really supports families to develop their child’s communication and talking skills; being able to communicate is so important and the foundation for accessing the national curriculum. Most teaching is done through talking, so if you don’t understand what words mean, how are you supposed to understand how to double two or what a diagraph is?!
In addition, Pippin helps prepare children for school by developing their communication skills and therefore their ability to advocate for themselves, such as being able to tell a teacher when they’re hurt or to be able to interact with their peers and make friends
Is the Pippin app enjoyable for children to use?
Pippin is not designed for children to use, it’s for their parents and carers. Children learn how to communicate through reciprocal and responsive interactions with those around them – not through looking at a screen. For children, Pippin makes their adults easier to learn from.
Do the parents and carers using Pippin need to be experts in speech and communications?
Definitely not! Pippin is designed to equip parents and caregivers with some simple strategies that they can use day in, day out – and it’s specifically curated to make it accessible and do-able for everyone. No previous experience is required at all.
Do you have feedback that you can share from families who are already using the app?
The feedback we’ve had from those that have accessed the course has been overwhelmingly positive and 100% of those asked said they would recommend it. For example, comments include –
- “Information full without being full on, the easy steps you can refer back to are great and relatable for all! Thank you so much”
- “The progress [our son] has made has been incredible, and we couldn’t be more happy and proud.”
- “This course has given us simple, practical skills that we have just slotted into our day and it feels so easy and natural that now, the hours pass and we don’t even realise we have been doing them.”
Is Pippin used in schools?
Yes – Pippin is available as a simple, easy to access training tool and is beginning to be used by teachers and teaching assistants in some schools.
Where is Pippin available from and how much does it cost?
Pippin is available from your app store and from www.pippinspeech.com. It’s a one off cost of £29.99 for lifetime access – less than half the price of a single face-to-face private Speech and Language Therapy Session.
