5 stars for this ‘start’ app
Every SLP has had that dreaded moment when you've hit a dead end working on ‘r’ with a child (who’s probably been working on ‘r’ for a solid 3 years). We’ve all wished there was a way for the kiddo to just see what he was doing wrong with his tongue. Well, now that’s kinda/sorta possible.
Enter the staRt app. It’s full name is the Speech Therapist's App for /R/ Treatment (staRt), designed to aid SLPs in treating the challenging /ɹ/ sound in children. The app offers real-time visual biofeedback through an LPC spectrum as the child speaks into a microphone. I’ve used it without a microphone many times though, and it still works fine. If you want an easy clip microphone, I recommend this one. The app includes a structured practice option with syllable and word targets, along with a "free play" option for spontaneous practice. It’s really helpful bc kids can see how changing their tongue position changes the waves. I typically use the free play section and practice getting a good ‘er’ or ‘ar’ sound.
There is a tutorial that shows you exactly how the app works and it’s pretty easy to follow. Basically, a good /r/ will have 2-3 peaks. Waves that have 3 peaks typically have the second and third peaks fairly close to each other. The 2-3 peaks should be to the left of the starfish. The starfish position actually depends on the child’s age/gender, so it’s important to enter this information before when you make a profile for the child.
After you’ve made a profile, you can practice making the /r/ sound. It helps to pause it so the child can see how their wave looks and you can give feedback. The goal is to get the 2-3 waves to the left of the starfish. It helps to experiment with different tongue positions to see how it changes the waves/peaks.
Also, a study just came out the showed that children with /r/ errors who used biofeedback improved faster. The researchers found that the rate of change over three sessions was 2.4 times greater for children who received biofeedback compared to motor-based treatment (McAllister et al, 2025). So if you are working with kids with residual /r/ errors, this app is worth checking out. And be sure to follow @bitslabstart on social media to learn more about biofeedback and see videos of the app in action.
Source: https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/2025_JSLHR-24-00909
