Speech with Milo: Interactive Storybook Review

Speech with Milo: Interactive Storybook is a nice universal storybook from the "Speech with Milo" series of apps aimed at developing language skills in children - good resources for children who have special needs, learning English as a second language or for the very young who are new to expressing themselves.

This interactive storybook tells the tale of a day at the park for Milo and includes fun illustrations with lots of bright colors and sound effects. Included narration pleasantly explains what is happening on each page, aiding the development of storytelling for the reader, also immersing them in the correct use of grammar and complex sentences. I like that the reader must tap a button to listen to the narration, allowing the child to describe what they see before the narration is read if one wishes and readers can also make their own recording of this story, allowing the child to hear their own voice as well if they choose.

There is also cute moment included where Milo becomes emotional as well as lovely social interactions with his friends, which will go far in the teaching of socialization and empathy to children with special needs.

I am always impressed with the options that this series include, personalizing the experience for the needs of a specific child. This includes the ability to use the included interactions found on each page which children will have fun with, but also has the potential to distracting as well for some, especially since the narration stops if a hotspot is tapped. It is also nice that the display of text can also be removed, giving the chance to talk about these pages in a conversational, open-ended way as well.

Parents and caregivers of both special needs children as well as babies and toddlers will enjoy the Speech with Milo series of apps in general. They are nicely done and very educational.