Minimal Pairs Academy

Minimal Pairs Academy (MPA) Developed by Smarty Ears – Trusted by over 250,000 educators worldwide!

Welcome to the all-new Minimal Pairs Academy 8.0! Completely redesigned from the ground up, MPA is the premier evidence-based speech therapy app designed to help children overcome phonological sound disorders. Combining decades of clinical research with a stunning, kid-friendly interface, MPA empowers Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs), educators, and parents to deliver highly engaging, effective therapy.

WHAT ARE PHONOLOGICAL PROCESSES? Phonological processes are predictable patterns children use to simplify adult speech. The "minimal pairs" approach pairs a child’s typical error sound with its correct target (e.g., "Bow" vs. "Boat"). This research-supported method helps children recognize the contrast, reducing homophone errors and rapidly improving overall speech intelligibility.

23 AGE-CODED PHONOLOGICAL PROCESSES Navigating goals has never been easier! MPA features over 900 target words categorized into 23 distinct phonological processes. To save SLPs valuable time, targets are now visually categorized by developmental age of mastery (Ages 3 to 6, plus Atypical patterns), helping you select the perfect goals for every student instantly.

4 INTERACTIVE THERAPY MODES Keep kids engaged with four distinct, gamified learning activities—now featuring our beloved mascots and interactive "pop and jiggle" sticker cards!
Auditory Bombardment: Immersive exposure to target words using a visual grid with rich auditory cues.
Auditory Discrimination: Test listening skills by having the child identify the correct sound from a minimal pair.
Production Practice: Real-time speech practice! SLPs can score accuracy (Got It, Almost, Missed) while utilizing the built-in Voice Recording tool so children can hear their own speech.

Phrase Completion: Fill-in-the-blank exercises using visual minimal pairs to promote carryover into connected, conversational speech.
MULTIPLAYER GROUP THERAPY Maximize your session efficiency! The new dynamic left-hand sidebar allows you to run group therapy sessions with up to 4 students at a time. Seamlessly switch turns, track individual goals, and keep everyone engaged without missing a beat.
ADVANCED DATA & REPORTING DASHBOARD Say goodbye to manual data tracking! MPA 8.0 introduces an incredibly powerful analytics suite designed for data-driven decisions:
Statistics Dashboard: Instantly view Total Sessions, Total Time, Mastered Targets, and Therapist Notes.
Detailed Spreadsheets: Review session dates, exact durations, group sizes, and accuracy percentages (with and without cues).
Visual Graphs: Track long-term progress visually.
Export & Print: Easily export, email, or AirPrint report cards directly to parents or IEP files.
EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE Built by SLPs, for SLPs. Grounded in linguistically based treatment procedures proven effective for children with multiple sound disorders (Saben & Ingham, 1991) and supported by research on meaningful communication (Barlow & Gierut, 2002).
Minimal Pairs Academy – Empowering speech, one contrast at a time.