Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Social Entrepreneurs of Norway
Left: A family using the app. Top right: Katrine Gulstad Pedersen together with children using the app. Right: The SuperSpeak app.
A mobile app that actually changes lives The growth of new mobile apps is so significant that we hardly pay attention to the newcomers anymore. That was until Superplus joined the crowd with their SuperSpeak app, an app specially designed for children with special needs. Just like every child is different, the app allows for individually tailored games that promote communication. By: Helene Toftner | Photos: Superplus
Imagine not being able to communicate your needs, opinions or simply telling your family you love them. This is the reality for many children who suffer from various disabilities, be it autism or speech problems. Having worked with children with special needs for ten years, Katrine Gulstad Pedersen was troubled by the lack of modern aids. Thus the idea of Superplus was born, a company that uses modern technology to make the children’s lives better. “We created SuperSpeak, a mobile application that allows children without verbal language to communicate with the world around them. The parents or teachers can upload photos and sounds from the child’s life into the app, meaning that the child can communicate using the device with familiar sounds and pictures,” co78 | Issue 91 | August 2016
founder and CEO Gulstad Pedersen says. The app is largely inspired by experiences and conversations with parents expressing their needs. The result is a user friendly and easy application that excites the children. “Like every child is different, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. With SuperSpeak, the carers can adapt the games and learning to the specific child,” Gulstad Pedersen says. The company’s employees are either app developers or come from a background working with children with special needs. “The mix means we know what tools are missing, and how best to change it technologically,” she notes. So far they have experienced rapid growth in the US, and have just launched the app in Norwegian. “Children all over the
world struggle with the same problems and because of the app’s individual adaptability it fits most cultures and countries,” she says. Download the SuperSpeak app in Apple Store, with a 14-day free trial. The app is available all over the world in English and Norwegian.
Co-founder and CEO Katrine Gulstad Pedersen.
For more information and to download the app, please visit: www.superpl.us www.itunes.apple.com