SpeakUp is built by a father who refuses to accept that his son can't communicate. Here's our story.
My name is Nathan Hart. I'm an engineer, a father, and the creator of SpeakUp.
My son Nathan Jr. is four years old. He has autism. He hasn't spoken a word. For years, I searched for an app that could help him — something that would meet him where he is, adapt to his pace, and keep him engaged long enough to make real progress.
What I found instead was a graveyard of apps that were too clinical, too rigid, or too boring. Apps that treated speech therapy like a checklist instead of a journey. Apps that gave up on kids like my son before they had a chance.
So I decided to build something better. Not just for Nathan Jr. — but for every child who struggles to be heard, and every parent who lies awake wondering how to help.
SpeakUp isn't guesswork. Our AI was developed by analyzing over 1,835 real speech therapy resources — professional sessions, clinical research, and proven methodologies. We distilled what actually works and made it accessible to families at home.
The result is an AI coaching system that adapts to each child's unique developmental trajectory. It knows when to push, when to encourage, and when to change tactics — just like a great therapist would.
SpeakUp uses a multi-agent AI system that goes far beyond simple speech recognition. It analyzes patterns in your child's engagement, tracks micro-progress that parents might miss, and builds a personalized therapy path that evolves over time.
All speech processing happens on-device. Your child's voice data never leaves your iPad. Because privacy isn't a feature — it's a right.
Every activity is grounded in proven speech therapy methodologies and clinical research.
The AI learns your child's patterns and creates a truly personalized therapy path.
Children learn through play. Every therapeutic exercise is wrapped in engaging, game-like experiences.
On-device processing, no ads, no data selling. COPPA compliant from day one.
We're building an advisory board of speech-language pathologists, developmental psychologists, and autism researchers to guide SpeakUp's development. If you're a professional interested in shaping the future of accessible speech therapy, we'd love to hear from you.
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