Beats Medical launches new app for children with dyspraxia

Beats Medical, a service that provides innovative technological solutions to treat neurological disorders, has launched a brand new app aimed at children with dyspraxia today.

Dyspraxia, a developmental coordination disorder, affects a person’s ability to plan and process motor tasks and is believed to impact one in ten children aged between 4 and 15 years old. Due to long waiting lists and a lack of resources, Beats Medical identified that children with dyspraxia do not get the regular support needed to live comfortably with the condition. The new app, available on the App Store, gives children home exercises and games to play, which work to improve gross motor, fine motor and speech and language skills by using clinically proven therapies.

Beats Medical, founded by Dr Ciara Clancy in 2012, is well known for its award-winning Parkinson’s treatment app, which is used in more than 44 countries worldwide. The app works by providing individually tailored Metronome therapy, which provides an auditory cue (or a beat) to address mobility symptoms of Parkinson’s. Metronome therapy has been shown to improve walking speed, stride length and reduce episodes of ‘freezing’. The app also provides speech and language therapy with daily exercises on speaking loudly and clearly.

Speaking about the launch of the new app for help with dyspraxia, Clancy said: “We are really excited to launch our new app which addresses an important need for families and children to help children with Dyspraxia in their early years. The app acts as a support for children in a fun and interactive way.”

The app has been launched in conjunction with Vhi, which gives parents the option to be directly reimbursed for the cost of the app if they are a customer on a hospital plan. The app, which costs €27.50 per month from the App store, is available to Vhi customers for just €50 per year. Beats Medical have said that this collaboration with Vhi “marks a big step forward” in expanding the company’s portfolio, as it begins to grow internationally.