# BITS Lab - staRt > Speech therapy app for 'r' sound correction using visual biofeedback. (iPhone/iPad app by Tara McAllister.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bits-lab-start/id1198658004 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Tara McAllister](https://appshunter.io/developer/1198658003) - Category: Education - Price: Free - Rating: 4.20/5 from 14 App Store ratings · 12 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 9.0 · 66 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2020-01-23 - Data updated: 2026-07-07 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bits-lab-start/id1198658004/reviews.md ## What is BITS Lab? Many children, adolescents, and adults struggle to eliminate speech errors affecting the American English 'r' sound. Research suggests that these errors can in some cases be eliminated through biofeedback, where learners view a dynamic visual image of their speech and attempt to match a target representing correct production. staRt ("Speech Therapist's App for /r/ Treatment") aims to make biofeedback treatment for /r/ widely accessible to practicing speech-language pathologists. Features: - Tutorial explaining how to interpret and use the biofeedback display - "Free play" mode where users match their real-time visual-acoustic display to a target representing correct production of ‘r’ - "Quest" mode presenting syllables/words for 'r' practice; complexity increases or decreases in an adaptive fashion based on recent performance - "Quiz" mode for use in measuring baseline performance and tracking progress - Visual rewards reinforcing improvements in performance - Clinician dashboard tracking progress over the course of treatment ## Key features - Visual biofeedback for speech correction - Tutorial for biofeedback interpretation - Free play mode for 'r' practice - Adaptive quest mode for increasing difficulty - Quiz mode for progress tracking - Visual rewards for improvement - Clinician dashboard for progress monitoring ## Recent user reviews (10 of 12) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bits-lab-start/id1198658004/reviews.md ### 2/5 — Can’t use the app *2025-10-15* I haven't been able to give the app a try because it seems to freeze whenever I save a test client. ### 2/5 — Trouble to registering a user *2025-09-10* I'm having trouble using the app as the screen freezes and I'm unable to set the participant. This issue persists every time I try by clicking save. ### 5/5 — Amazing & therapy-changing! *2025-05-28, version 3.4.8* This app has changed speech therapy for the better! After some initial learning and setup, it’s a serious SLT game changer! ### 5/5 — Love staRt *2025-02-16* I am a speech therapist and I use this app every single week to help my clients remediate their R sounds. It has helped tremendously, especially with older kids, adults, and treatment resistant cases. It is such a gift to have a free app to help people learn to pronounce this tricky sound! ### 5/5 — Amazing app *2025-02-14, version 3.4.8* This app has been very helpful to many of my clients. They enjoy the interface, and they have immediate feedback on “how strong” their R is. I love it, and I can’t wait for the /s/ version to come out. ### 5/5 — Love the immediate visual feedback! *2025-02-14* My favorite part of this app is the visual feedback for correct vs. incorrect R production. Especially for my older elementary kids who are starting to lose motivation to keep coming to speech, having the visual feedback shows them if they’re correct or incorrect without making me the bad guy. It has also motivated them to keep trying because they can see that they are able to produce the R correctly. Using this app in sessions has been a game changer for these students, and I’m now confident that we’ll be able to wrap up speech before they’re off to Jr. High! ### 5/5 — Great tool for eliciting R *2025-02-14* As an SLP I love using this app to help my students “see” their productions. I like that you can customize the acceptable range and that it saves profiles. My students find it motivating and fun ### 5/5 — Best biofeedback tool! *2025-02-14* I use this with nearly every patient when we first start targeting R! It’s also a great visual tool for drilling other sounds (just put the card over the words on the screen). I’m so thankful this is free! ### 2/5 — Trouble registering new user *2025-02-02* When I try to register a new user, it will immediately shut down. I deleted app and reloaded and found out that I also can’t sign into app ### 5/5 — The coolest! *2022-02-28* So needed for SLPs and SLPAs! ## Frequently asked questions about BITS Lab ### What is staRt used for? staRt is used to help individuals, particularly children and adolescents, eliminate speech errors affecting the American English 'r' sound. It utilizes visual biofeedback to guide users in producing the correct 'r' sound. ### How does staRt help with speech errors? staRt provides a dynamic visual image of the user's speech, allowing them to match a target representing correct 'r' production. This biofeedback approach is suggested by research to be effective in eliminating speech errors. ### What modes are available in staRt? staRt offers a 'Free play' mode for practicing the 'r' sound, an adaptive 'Quest' mode that adjusts difficulty based on performance, and a 'Quiz' mode for measuring baseline performance and tracking progress. ### Can clinicians track progress with staRt? Yes, staRt includes a clinician dashboard that allows speech-language pathologists to track a user's progress over the course of their treatment, providing valuable insights into improvement. ### What is the rating and price of staRt? staRt has a rating of 4.2 stars from 14 ratings and is available for free. It does not have in-app purchases or advertisements. ### On which devices can staRt be used? Currently, staRt is supported on iPads. The app is designed for tablet use to provide the optimal visual biofeedback experience. ### When was staRt last updated? The latest version of staRt is 3.4.9, and it was last updated on January 30, 2026. This indicates a commitment to ongoing development and improvements. ### What is the age rating for staRt? staRt has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for young children and older users alike who are working on 'r' sound pronunciation. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 3.4.9 — 2026-01-30 Updated age ratinsg ### 3.4.8 — 2021-03-16 Added the End User License Agreement. ### 3.4.7 — 2021-01-20 -Fixed font size for quest/syllable trial count -Off protocol users are no longer prompted to upload their recordings to the server -On protocol sessions no longer give more than 2 traditional or biofeedback in a row. ### 3.4.5 — 2020-07-24 -Syllable quests no longer display Watch Out For New Difficulty -The difficulty updates immediately after the end of a block. -LPC No longer runs in a background thread. ### 3.4.4 — 2020-04-08 -Fixed bug where the rating buttons in quizzes were not working. ## Apps similar to BITS Lab | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Victoria International Schools](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/victoria-international-schools/id1480979200) | 5.0 (1) | Free | Education | | [Articulation Station Hive](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/articulation-station-hive/id1485607474) | 4.5 (415) | Free | Education | | [영 단어즙](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/id1480979760) | 5.0 (1) | Free | Education | | [Solis USA States and Capitals](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/solis-usa-states-and-capitals/id1479512480) | — | Free | Education | | [The New School App](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-new-school-app/id1474388180) | 5.0 (3) | Free | Education | | [CBC Highlands](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cbc-highlands/id1475147920) | 4.3 (6) | Free | Education | --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-07-07.*