The game that I designed which is called Ice Cream Phrase, helps children with speech delays develop a better skill of pronouncing words and understanding how to associate words with pictures. Children with speech delay have difficulty pronouncing words and putting sentences together. Usually the younger children with this issue are usually set up with speech therapy. The speech therapist will have session with the child to try to help them develop a better understanding for language.

In my study, I had the child with the speech delay play Ice Cream Phrase with another child to see if playing with another child that didn’t have speech delay enhance reinforcement learning. The idea of the game is so that child is constantly learning words and how to pronounce them, even when its not their time to go in the game.

Another study done in this similar field by the ASHA, was making scrapbook of favorite or familiar things and cutting out pictures. Group them into categories, such as things that we ride on, foods the children love, fruits, and things to play in. Then glue the picture with the different items that you have cut out, for example a dog in a car, and then ask the child if that is correct.

The difference in my study is that i want to help the child with the speech delay pronounce their words better, while playing with another child who does not have a speech delay. I had the children play several times and even a trial with an adult to see if adding the adult would help the child. In my findings i found that the child learned more while just playing with the other child and not the adult.

While this game did help out the child, every child is different and all learn differently then others. I believe a game should be created were all children may benefit from reinforcement learning, while playing with other children.