In recent years, children with disabilities who receive speech therapy services are increasingly interacting with iPad-based mobile applications (apps) to work on communication and social skills with their speech language pathologists (SLPs). Yet, limited research has been conducted to explore the collaborative use of mobile technology between them. Through interviewing 23 SLPs and analyzing their iPad use across different work settings, our study reveals that during their clinical
practice, SLPs not only use a variety of mobile apps to support academic learning and treatment but also motivate children for therapy by engaging them in collaborative play. Additionally, app design recommendations reported by SLPs also closely align with prior research on usability, mobility, and playability heuristics for mobile games. Ongoing research should continue investigating SLPs’ app use and play strategies in the clinical context and translating clinical utility of mobile apps to
opportunities and guidelines for design that can support learning and meaningful play for all children with and without disabilities.
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