Interview with Jamilet Figueroa – CEO, Habla y Lenguaje App [2023]

Hi, My name is Jamilet Figueroa. I’m a Certified and Bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist. I work in the elementary school setting in California. I work mostly with Hispanic children, and also with children with disabilities e.g. Autism, Down Syndrome.

I started as a Special Education teacher. Then I did a master’s degree in Speech and Language Pathology. I love working with children with disabilities and now I have the opportunity to utilize all the knowledge I have to help them communicate effectively. 

As an SLP I had the challenge of finding appropriate materials to work with all the kids in my caseload. That’s why I decided I was going to create an inclusive application to make my life and my colleagues’ lives easier.

Also, I wanted to involve parents in achieving their kids’ speech goals process. That’s when the idea of Habla y Lenguaje was born.

Kids love technology. Every time you present them with an iPad they get excited and curious about what they are going to do. Habla y Lenguaje is a dynamic speech therapy tool where the kids can practice all the basic communication skills while having fun. 

As an SLP there’s no better satisfaction than seeing your kids engaged during therapy sessions and making progress. Also, this app provides parents with the opportunity to practice at home, bond with their kids, and make the games more interactive and conversational.

Habla y Lenguaje is a bilingual app. Our goal is to make it as complete as possible by adding more areas and exercises consistently. Also, we are planning to create the Android version so more people can benefit from it.

Once the kids improve their communication skills, everything else is going to flourish. Kids become more confident, happier, more independent, improve their social skills, and boost their academic performance. Also, we tend to see less behavior issues once the kids are able to communicate effectively.

That’s a great question. Overall, SLPs have to master their time management skills. Otherwise, they won’t survive. It is definitely a challenge. However, when you are very passionate about what you do and very determined to solve a problem you are willing to make sacrifices. It takes a substantial amount of money, time, and energy.

Nevertheless, the satisfaction of creating a tool that is going to make a difference in other people’s lives is worth it. My family has been extremely supportive and they are very proud of me.

If you are willing to do these things: work hard, compromise, keep learning, be consistent, be patient, create good habits, and get rid of the bad ones, day by day, then nothing can stop you. Time will pass whether you decide to take action or not. So why not give it a chance today to create a better future?

Good communication skills, show appreciation, show respect, post notes everywhere, calendars, reminders, planning, and teamwork

I’m exceptionally focused on this project. All I can think about is how to make Habla y Lenguaje even better.

In five years I see Habla y Lenguaje impacting positively all the Spanish and English speaking children with speech and language delays or disorders. I see Habla y Lenguaje making the job of thousands of SLPs easier, so they can focus on doing the things they love.

I see Habla y Lenguaje helping all the parents to facilitate opportunities for their kids to improve their communication skills.