by Dr. Rachel Levy SLPD, CCC-SLP

Voiceitt now only requires 50 recordings to access all features. However, the more effort involved in understanding a child, the more recordings Voiceitt will need to understand their unique speech. Thirty days is not a lot of time to record enough and see Voiceit’s full potentialt, especially when your student may need more than 200 phrases for Voiceitt to reach its optimal recognition accuracy. Let’s explore how I helped Jay, a four-year-old child, get through the recordings.
Here’s how to get set up for success:
- Phrase Sets: Voiceitt offers four phrase sets: Standard (3-6 words), Medium (2-4 words), and Short (1-2 words). We also have our simple language set (optimized for a literacy level of K-3rd grade), which is especially appropriate for children or adults with developmental disabilities. The simple set is automatically set for children under 13 (who input their correct date of birth). If you need to switch phrase sets, email support@thebabelgroup.com.
- Motivation Matters: What sparks your child’s interest? Dinosaurs, superheroes, or perhaps their favorite TV show? Is Voiceitt inherently motivating because the child is eager to communicate independently? Jay loves cars, so we worked that into our recording sessions. He got to choose a different car to play with for two minutes after every ten phrases were recorded. Even though it was hard for him to maintain focus, for him the toy cars were very motivating. For an older child who experiences frustration when communicating, the motivation of being understood is often enough impetus to get through the recording. It also helps to remind him of the end goal, “So you can be better understood”, when recording sessions become difficult or “boring” may help him get through it.
- Short and Sweet: Recording a large number of phrases at once can be overwhelming. Break it down into smaller, focused sessions or take two-minute breaks between a chunk of phrase recordings. For Jay, he needed frequent breaks so we set goals to record ten phrases at which point he earned a break to play with a chosen toy.
- Playful Practice: Integrate recording into playtime! Sometimes, it’s possible to record while the child is playing with figurines or quiet toys. To do this effectively, try to teach the child to repeat the phrase you say after they hear the beep.
- Say “say the words [Voiceitt phrase] after you hear the beep”. Ready? Say [Voiceitt phrase]”
- Press the button, see the button change color, and hear the beep. Silently prompt the child to repeat the phrase.
- The child sees the color change, hears the beep, and then repeats the phrase.
- Discover Your Child’s Recording Style: Does your child need guidance or prefer independence? Experiment with different approaches: repeating phrases, using the “read aloud” button, or self-initiating recordings. Jay liked to repeat after me and he needed two repetitions to remember the phrase.
- Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: Once you’ve identified your child’s optimal recording style, share it with your team: therapists, teachers, or caregivers. A coordinated effort can maximize efficiency and ensure consistent progress. Jay’s mom was able to build in practice time ten minutes before bed time. Since she runs a busy household with other children, she found that bed time was quiet and Jay was excited to work on recordings since this was a special time with Mommy. I taught mom how we recorded in the session and she implemented the same strategy.
- Motivational Attempts: After the initial recordings are done, the child will have access to Voiceitt for speech recognition. Here are some tips to make sure the attempts are successful while you continue to do more recordings and optimize Voiceitt.
- Record personal phrases: Add the child’s name, favorite toys and character names, teachers’ and family member’s names, and any other proper nouns that are motivational for the child. Even though Voiceitt didn’t get everything right the first time, Jay loved hearing that Voiceitt knew about Superman and Spiderman and his eyes lit up when Voiceitt recognized his own name. Children love hearing their names!
- Record shortcut phrases based on the child’s successful recognition attempts. For example, If Voiceitt successfully recognizes when the child says “my birthday” you can program a shortcut phrase to successfully output “My birthday is June 15th.” In this case, I was able to use shortcut phrases to teach Jay his birthday, which he didn’t know at the time.
- Check for accuracy under a controlled environment. Try to limit the number of unsuccessful recognition attempts so the child does not get discouraged.
- Patience, patience, patience! It takes time for Voiceitt to learn the child’s speech patterns, and often, it will take many more phrases for Voiceitt to truly become a familiar listener.
A Few More Tips:
- Quiet Environment: Record in a calm, noise-free space.
- One Voice: Focus on capturing only the child’s voice.
- Make it natural: The recordings should be accurate representations of the child’s natural speech patterns. Don’t over-articulate.
- Say Each Word: Make sure the child repeats every word without reducing syllables.
- Use ‘Re-Record’: If the recording wasn’t optimal, click the re-record button to try again.
By working together, you can help your child make the most of this incredible opportunity. Let’s build better communication together and start your Voiceitt trial today!
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