Welcome to Smarticles!
My name is Monique, a mother of teenagers on the Autism Spectrum. My son lost his language at 18 months, and my daughter didn’t speak until age four. Both received speech and special education services for many years, but my son’s language was still very limited when he reached fourth grade. His sentence length was 4 – 5 words, making it difficult to talk with his peers. He began to feel isolated, and his desire to go to school began to fade.
My husband and I decided to homeschool both our children and noticed a change in how our son began interacting with our voice assistant. Because Alexa didn’t correct his language, but responded, “I don’t understand”, my son had the space to contemplate his response, adding words or rephrasing his sentences multiple times until he got an answer.
As parents and educators, we want our young ones to succeed. But, sometimes, our dedication can feel like judgment or pressure to perform. Day after day, I watched our son communicate with Alexa, charting his journey back to communication. His sentences weren’t perfect, and it took him many tries to “get it right,” but the strides he made were undeniable. His determination became the inspiration for Smarticles.
While our applications can help all students improve their language and literacy skills, we specifically focus on solving problems students with Autism and speech delays encounter. Building for the most vulnerable groups allows us to serve all learners equally.