Love it & List It Linky: Language Apps

I'm linking up for another fun "Love it and List it! Linky" hosted by Jenna at Speech Room News!  (See Jenna's original post HERE.)

This month's topic is Language Apps!  Here are my favorites (in no particular order):

1. Speech With Milo Interactive Storybook (Doonan Speech Therapy):  I love this app for many reasons.  Basically, it's great for my preschool kiddos.  They can listen to the story, interact with the pages, and record themselves retelling the events on the page.  Plus, it's a bargain at only $1.99!
2. Language Adventures (Smarty Ears, $14.99):  This app/board game can be used to target a variety of objectives and is a ton of fun for the kids!
3. Rainbow Sentences (Mobile Education Store, $7.99):  This is a great app for working on syntax, expanding utterances, and so much more! I wrote a full review on this app that you can read HERE.
4. Syntax Workout (Virtual Speech Center, $16.99):  I have a group of students who will do just about anything for a few minutes of "reward" with this app!  They don't mind "working" so that they can work some more with the app!  What's not to love about that?  This is another app I've reviewed in the past, check it out HERE.
5. Cookie Doodle (Shoe the Goose, $0.99):  OK, this is technically NOT a language app...but the language potential is endless! Follow the directions of the recipe, sequence the steps, decorate and describe a cookie.  There are so many things you can do with this app and the kids just love it!

And there you have my top 5 language apps!  What are yours?

App Review: Fun with R {GIVEAWAY and a FREEBIE}

Today I'm going to be sharing Fun with "R" by the Virtual Speech Center.  Oh that dreaded /r/!  We've all had kids who struggle with that sound, right?  I'm guessing this app will make them a little more motivated in their sessions!

Under the Info tab, there is a video tutorial that you can view to learn how to use the app. You can also watch the tutorial here:

Many times I skip over telling you about the settings of an app because they are generally self-explanatory.  There is one really cool setting in Fun with R that I want to tell you about....Custom Words!  My absolute favorite feature of this app is that you can add your own words!  This is especially cool if there is an /r/ word that is particularly meaningful to a child (sibling name, teacher's name, etc.).  You can add a photo from your  camera roll and record models for word, phrase, and sentence levels:

There are three different activities from which to choose (more on those in a minute).  You can select your students and then their target(s).  As you can see, there are 15 different /r/ contexts:

Under the boxes, you can Edit Words (another great feature!).  From here you can deselect words:

Here's a quick explanation of why I love this feature:  I live in Massachusetts.  I "pahk the cah in Hahvid yahd."  I kid you not, I've gotten emails from people who wonder whether or not SLPs in Massachusetts actually work on /r/.  My answer:  yes, but not all /r/'s.  You can tell the difference between a dialectical difference and a true /r/ distortion.  We work on the distortions (typically "aw"), but not the dialectical differences (typically "eh" or "ah").  Does that make sense?  On to the dialectical differences...If you look at the "air" word list on this app, there are many words included that people in Massachusetts would pronounce differently (e.g., cherries would be "Ch-EH-Reez" not "Chair-eez").  Modifying the word lists can allow for correction of these differences!

Flashcards:
The first activity listed in Fun with R is "Flashcards."  As you might expect, you can scroll through images of words in this activity.  You can also hear the prerecorded model, record a child's response, and score responses as correct, incorrect, or approximate/assisted.  In this mode, you can easily switch between word positions and complexity level (word, phrase, sentence).  This mode is great for initial teaching of a sound.  You can get a lot of trials in and have students judge their own productions.

Here's "run" at the word level...

...at the phrase level...

...and at the sentence level:

Memory Game:
Most articulation apps have this game included.  It really is the perfect game for articulation because students practice 2 words per turn whether they get a match or not!  The app chooses six words from the list, for a total of 12 cards.

When a card is selected, the image pops up large for you to record the child's response:

When a student makes a match, the cards stay turned over on the screen rather than disappear (see below).  This allows you to continue to practice words even after they have been matched.  You can continue to record and play back responses in this game and toggle between word positions and complexity levels.  Note:  If you do change word positions, the pictures will change.

Bingo:
When you start a Bingo game, you are given a card with all the pictures showing.  This is great for practicing all of the words before you even begin the game.  A "call" word is shown on the right of the screen and the student needs to tap the corresponding image on their "card" if they have one.

When you "cover" an image, the image pops up larger so that you can collect data on the student's productions:

In addition, as you make matches, your pictures are covered like so:

I think the best thing about using articulation apps in therapy is that you always get a report at the end of your sessions.  We all need to collect data and apps are great for doing that on the spot with little effort on your part!  Fun with R will store your reports and you can view by data or by goal target.  I can't think of an easier way to document progress!

And there you have Fun with R!  Here are my thoughts...

Pros:

• Ability to add custom words! Great for making an app more meaningful and motivating for students!
• Ability to change/modify word lists (great when working in specific regions of the country).
• Built in data collection.
• Use of real photos

Changes I would make in an update:

• I always try to think of what changes I would make to any app I review.  My initial thought with this one is that I would make the images disappear when a student makes a match in Memory.  Then I decided that VSC got it right by keeping them there....more practice!!!  I guess I would like to see an option of keeping them or removing them as some of our kids can get visually overstimulated

Bottom Line:

Fun with R is a great app for targeting that stubborn /r/ sound!  I love the customization that is available - being able to add your own words and to modify word lists.  If you find yourself frequently working on /r/, this is a must have app!  Fun with R currently sells for $19.99 in the App Store.

BONUS:

I created this quick screen to determine which contexts a child needs to focus on.  Simply have the students repeat the words and target those that they are having difficulty producing accurately.  You can download this freebie HERE.  

Enter to win a copy of Fun with R using the Rafflecopter below!

Disclaimer:  Virtual Speech Center provided a copy of this app for me to review, plus one to give away.  However, the opinions expressed are mine alone.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

App Review: School of Multi-Step Directions

Today I will be sharing another fun app by the Virtual Speech Center - The School of Multi-Step Directions! I'm guessing that all SLPs everywhere have at least ONE student working on following directions. Am I right? Typically I work on single step directions (and even 2-step directions) in the context of other therapy activities (craftivities, games, etc.). When it comes to following 3+ step directions, however, I find that I really need to target these skills on their own. Why? Because students who have difficulty with complex directions really need to concentrate to be able to hear all of the steps, remember all of the steps, and execute the directive. The School of Multi-Step Directions is perfect for these students!

I want to point out that from this home screen, you can view your reports (data from previous sessions), modify the settings, and view a list of other apps by the Virtual Speech Center.  Under the "info" tab, you are able to watch a video tutorial.  Whenever I get a new app, I typically jump right in and get started, but I do recommend that you watch the tutorial (more on that later). If you want to see the app in action, here's the Video Tutorial from Vimeo (the same as in the app):

School of Multi-Step Directions from Virtual Speech Center on Vimeo.

When you're ready to begin, tap the Start button and enter a student.  You will have three options from which to choose:  English, Math, and Chemistry.

English:

In the "English" section, you have a choice of multiple targets. They are:

Two Step Directions:

• Level 1:  2-step directions with pictures
• Level 2:  2-step directions with letters
• Level 3:  2-step directions with words
• Level 4:  2-step directions with letters and size or color concept
• Level 5:  2-step directions with letters and first or last concept

Three Step Directions:

• Level 1:  3-step directions with pictures
• Level 2:  3-step directions with letters
• Level 3:  3-step directions with words
• Level 4:  3-step directions with letters and size or color concept
• Level 5:  3-step directions with letters and first or last concept

Four Step Directions:

• Level 1:  4-step directions with pictures
• Level 2:  4-step directions with letters
• Level 3:  4-step directions with words

Here's an example of a 2-step direction with pictures:

Students may be asked to touch, underline, cross out, highlight, or erase a picture (e.g., "Touch the house and cross out the lion").  I'll be honest here...I jumped right in and started playing and couldn't figure out how to underline, highlight, cross out, etc.  I figured out that each tool corresponded to an action, but it took me a few tries to figure out that you have to drag the tool and hold it over the picture for a few seconds!  Also I want to note that you need to touch "Go" once you've completed all the directions in order to move on to the next item.

Here's an example of directions with letters and color or size concept:

"Underline the green R and highlight the yellow E"

Math:

Just like "English," in Math, there are multiple targets:

Two Step Directions:

• Level 1:  2-step directions with shapes
• Level 2:  2-step directions with numbers
• Level 3:  2-step directions with shapes and size or color concept
• Level 4:  2-step directions with numbers and even or odd concept
• Level 5:  2-step directions with numbers and smaller or bigger concept

Three Step Directions:

• Level 1:  3-step directions with shapes
• Level 2:  3-step directions with numbers
• Level 3:  3-step directions with shapes and size or color concept

Four Step Directions:

• Level 1:  4-step directions with shapes
• Level 2:  4-step directions with numbers

Here's an example of 2-step directions with shapes:

"Erase the circle and touch the square"

And here's an example of 2-step conditional directions with numbers and even or odd concepts:

"If 11 is even, cross out the 6 and underline the 7.  If not, erase the 9 and touch the 3"

Chemistry:

In this last "class," you can target:

Two Step Directions:

• Level 1: 2-step directions with one element
• Level 2:  2-step directions with size or color concept
• Level 3:  2-step directions with color and first or last concept

Three Step Directions:

• Level 1: 3-step directions with one element
• Level 2:  3-step directions with size or color concept
• Level 3:  3-step directions with color and first or last concept

Four Step Directions:

• Level 1:  4-step directions with one element

Notice that, in chemistry, there are different tools along the bottom.  They stand for: set temperature to cold, set temperature to hot, mix, and shake.  There are also icons on the shelf behind the table.  You may be asked to add items from this shelf (e.g., "add coloring dye," "add salt," or "add ice cube.") 

Here's a sample of a 2-step direction with size or color concept:

"Add yellow soap to the small flask and touch the big flask."

And an example of a three step directive with color and first or last concept:

"Add water to the last red flask, mix the first green flask, and touch the first blue flask."

Built-in Reinforcement:

As with most of the apps from Virtual Speech Center, School of Multi-Step Directions comes with built in reinforcement.  The default setting is to provide reinforcement after 5 correct items, but you can increase or decrease as desired.  The reinforcement is a "Pong" game that is sort of a cross between ping pong and air hockey.  Needless to say, the kids love it!

Finally, with all apps by Virtual Speech Center, you can view reports of data collected from each session from the home page.  You can view data by activity or by date.  This is great for monitoring progress over time!

Some thoughts:

I would advise that you pre-teach some of the vocabulary for Chemistry class if you're using this app with early elementary students.  They may not know words like flask or beaker.  I would also recommend pre-teaching the tools and what they do (not just for Chemistry, but in each "class").

Personally, I found it difficult to remember some of the more complex directions!  (Good thing there's a repeat button for directions!) However, if you find that they are "too easy" for you or your clients, or you want to provide distractions, you can go to settings and add in background noise!

Here's what you should take away:

Pros:

• This app is very versatile.  You can use it not only for school aged clients, but for adults as well.
• There are multiple levels of complexity.
• There are three different "classes," meaning you can use the app over multiple sessions and not be dong the same thing each time!
• There is a repeat button if your student (or you, for that matter) doesn't remember the direction.
• Data collection is always a plus

Cons:

• Some of the kids had difficulty holding the tool over the targets long enough to "mark" it correctly. Also, there were a few times that I had my finger directly over the target, but a portion of the tool was more to the left.  This cause the app to "mark" the picture to the left of my target.

The Bottom Line:

Multi-step directions are often difficult to target in new, motivating ways during therapy sessions.  Virtual Speech Center made this goal so easy to target and  in a fun, challenging, yet motivating way! The School of Multi-Step Directions is very versatile and can be used with students through adults.  This app sells for $18.99 in the App Store.

What are your favorite ways to target following directions?

App Review: Reading Aphasia

The content and variety of apps out there never ceases to amaze me!  Here's another fabulous app from the Virtual Speech Center that's geared toward adults with Aphasia, but really can be used with any client who struggles with reading comprehension.  Reading Aphasia was created by a certified speech and language pathologist.  It contains over 2,000 stimuli that are organized into 12 semantic categories to target reading comprehension at the word, phrase, and sentence levels.

From the main screen, you can tap Info to see how to use the app and to view a description of the app.  

You can also modify the Settings from the main screen.  Settings include user alternate count, automatic paging, random paging, and correct/incorrect sound clips.

When you're ready to begin tap Start and you will be prompted to Add and/or select students...

...and then select activities for each student.

Activities included in Reading Aphasia are:

Words:

• Picture-Word Matching:  Students are shown a picture and they must select the matching word.
• Word-Picture Matching:  Students are shown a word and they must select the matching picture.
• Word-Word Matching:  Students are shown a word and they must select the word that is the same.

Phrases:

• Picture-Phrase Matching:  Students are shown a picture and they must select the matching phrase.
• Phrase-Picture Matching:  Students are shown a phrase and they must select the matching picture.
• Phrase-Phrase Matching:  Students are shown a phrase and they must select the phrase that is the same.

Sentences:

• Picture-Sentence Matching:  Students are shown a picture and they must select the matching sentence.
• Sentence-Sentence Matching:  Students are shown a sentence and they must select the sentence that is the same.
• Sentence Completion:  Students are given a sentence with a missing component.  They must select the word(s) that best complete the sentence.

Now, here is an example from each activity:

Words:

Picture-Word Matching

Word-Picture Matching

Word-Word Matching

Phrases:

Picture-Phrase Matching

Phrase-Picture Matching

Phrase-Phrase Matching

Sentences:

Picture-Sentence Matching

Sentence-Sentence Matching

Sentence Completion

Reports:
After you use the app, you can view your reports/data from each session by Activity or by Date:

Simply tap and you'll be able to see data by percentage:

And there you have Reading Aphasia!  Here are some of my thoughts:

Pros:

• As with Comprehension Aphasia, Reading Aphasia can be used for more than just adults with aphasia.  This app can be used with pretty much any client who has reading difficulties.  You could also modify the app by reading the words for clients and having them select the appropriate responses.
• The multiple levels.  Because of the levels, this app can be used with a wide age group as well.
• The use of photographs is especially important when you are using this app with a client who has aphasia.  Photographic representation is less cognitively complex than a line drawing.  Because of this, the cognitive demand on the client is decreased, allowing them to focus on the reading target.
• Data collection.  In-app data collection allows you to monitor progress over time.

Changes I would like to see in an update:

• There was only one thing I could think of here.  I came across the item below.  I would refer to that picture as "glove" rather than "mitten" and most of my students would do the same.

The bottom line:
Reading Aphasia is a versatile app that can be used with a wide variety of age groups and disabilities.  You can use this app to target reading abilities, receptive language, vocabulary, and grammar/sentence construction.  This app is reasonably priced at $9.99 in the App Store.

Do you have this app?  What objectives are you using it to target?

App Review: Comprehension Aphasia

I had the pleasure of trying out Comprehension Aphasia by the Virtual Speech Center.  Despite its name, this app is not just for adults, but can be used with children who have comprehension issues as well!

You can see the home screen of Comprehension Aphasia above. If you tap the info button, you will see a description of the app as well as how it is used:

According to the description, Comprehension Aphasia "focuses on auditory comprehension of increasingly longer and complex yes-no questions and directions with the ability to turn on background noise."  The app can be used with clients who exhibit aphasia, cognitive deficits, decreased attention, Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD), receptive language impairments, and autism.  In my opinion, this app can be used with any client who needs to strengthen their ability to listen to and comprehend spoken language (specifically questions and directions).

You can tap More Apps to see a list of apps by Virtual Speech Center, along with a description of each app.  You can also modify the Settings for the app from the home screen:

Settings include:  Turning on/off audio, automatically moving to the next item when a response is given, randomization of items, turning on/off background noise (and adjusting both the type of noise and the volume), and modifying the sounds heard for correct and incorrect responses.

Using the App:

When you tap Start from the home screen, you will be prompted to add/select students.  You can use this app with individual clients or in groups.

Once you have your student(s) selected, you will be prompted to select activities.  You may select multiple activities for each student playing, then tap Next to begin.

 The activities in this app include:

1.  Yes/No Questions:

• Yes-No Questions with pictures (Nouns, Function of Objects, Verbs, or Adjectives)
• Concrete Yes-No Questions without pictures
• Abstract Yes-No Questions without pictures

While targeting yes/no questions with pictures, the client is given a verbal question (written cues for stimulus items are not utilized in this app) and shown an image.  A question is posed regarding the image.  Examples include:  "Is this an apple?" (Nouns), "Do we use a garden hose to water?" (Function of Objects), "Is she reading a book?" (Verbs), and "Is this rose long?" (Adjectives).

"Is this an apple?"

Examples of Concrete yes/no questions without pictures include, "Do we wear sunglasses on our feet?" and "Do people sleep at night?"  Examples of abstract yes/no questions include "Do we wash our hair after we go to bed?" and "Is a dime more than a quarter?"  For these items, the client will be shown only the words "Yes" and "No" and will select their response by tapping the appropriate word.

"Do people sleep at night?"

2.  Basic Directions with 1 Element:

• Follow 1-step Directions with 1 Item - Nouns (field of 3, 4, or 6 pictures)
• Follow 1-step Directions with 1 Item - Verbs (field of 3, 4, or 6 pictures)
• Follow 1-step Directions with 1 Item - Adjectives (field of 3, 4, or 6 pictures)
• Follow 1-step Directions with 1 Item - Function of Objects (field of 3, 4, or 6 pictures)

For these activities, clients will be prompted to touch one picture from a field that best fits the description. Examples include:  "Show me the trumpet" (Nouns), "Show me the girl blowing bubbles" (Verbs), "Show me the angry man" (Adjectives), and "Show me the object used to mix" (Function of Objects).

"Show me the stapler"

"Show me the man shaving"

3.  Basic Directions with 2 Elements:

• Follow 1-step Directions with 2 Items - Nouns (field of 3, 4, or 6 pictures)
• Follow 1-step Directions with 2 Items - Verbs (field of 3, 4, or 6 pictures)
• Follow 1-step Directions with 2 Items - Adjectives (field of 3, 4, or 6 pictures)
• Follow 1-step Directions with 2 Items - Function of Objects (field of 3, 4, or 6 pictures)

For these activities, the client is asked to point to two objects instead of one (as above).  Because you are selecting more than one object, you must press "Go" when you are finished.  Examples include, "Show me the cap and the chair" (Nouns), "Show me the  girl sleeping and the child taking a bath" (Verbs), "Show me the empty basket and the full basket (Adjectives), and "Show me the animal that lives in the jungle and the object used for blending" (Function of Objects).

"Show me the broccoli and the bicycle."

"Show me the sweet food and the pink food."

4.  Temporal Directions:

• Follow 1-step Directions with Concept "Before" - Nouns (field of 3, 4, or 6 pictures)
• Follow 1-step Directions with Concept "Before" - Verbs (field of 3, 4, or 6 pictures)
• Follow 1-step Directions with Concept "Before" - Adjectives (field of 3, 4, or 6 pictures)
• Follow 1-step Directions with Concept "After" - Nouns (field of 3, 4, or 6 pictures)
• Follow 1-step Directions with Concept "After" - Verbs (field of 3, 4, or 6 pictures)
• Follow 1-step Directions with Concept "After" - Adjectives (field of 3, 4, or 6 pictures)

The directions in this set are increased in complexity.  Again, you must select two pictures and press "Go" when finished.  Examples of "Before" items include:  "Show me the office before you show me the fox" (Before - Nouns), "Before you show me the man pouring water, show me the boy eating" (Before - Verbs), "Show me the open can before you show me the open mailbox" (Before - Adjectives).  Examples of "After" items include:  "Show me the hand after you show me the chicken" (After - Nouns), "After you show me the child crawling, show me the child taking a bath" (After - Verbs), "Show me the long hair after you show me the short measuring tape" (After - Adjectives).

"Show me the child drawing, before you show me the child crying."

"After you show me the belt, show me the eggs."

5.  Conditional Directions:

• Follow Conditional Directions - Nouns (field of 3, 4, or 6 pictures)
• Follow Conditional Directions - Verbs (field of 3, 4, or 6 pictures)
• Follow Conditional Directions - Adjectives (field of 3, 4, or 6 pictures)

These activities are the most complex and include the most linguistically complex directions.  Examples of conditional directions include:  "If kangaroos live in Australia, tap the chicken.  If not, tap the 'Go' button" (Nouns), "If raisins are made from grapes, tap the woman watering.  If not, tap the 'Go' button" (Verbs), "If not, tap the 'Go' button" (Adjectives).

"If we pay full price with a coupon, tap the man yawning.  If not, tap the 'Go' button."

What I like about this app:

• The variety within the levels.  This app really does allow you to challenge clients/students by increasing complexity.  You can target yes/no questions with and without visual cues in addition to following basic directions and complex directions. 
• The ability to add background noise makes each level more challenging.  An adult with aphasia may have difficulty distinguishing figure/ground and, with this app, you can target that skill easily.  
• The ability to target vocabulary and concepts using real life photographs. 
• If a client/student is working on repeating directions, you can record them as they are repeating in addition to replaying the original direction.  Using these features, a client can compare what they heard/perceived vs. what was initially said.

Changes I would like to see in an update:

• I've been trying to think of something I would like to see changed and I really couldn't come up with much.  My first thought was to add an option to have written cues for directions, but that would undermine the focus of auditory comprehension.  So, I guess there isn't anything I would change about this app!

The Bottom Line:

Comprehension Aphasia is a great app for anyone working on improving their auditory processing/receptive language abilities.  It's a comprehensive app that allows you to work on so much, while increasing cognitive and linguistic complexity.  I have to admit, I wasn't sure about this app upon hearing the name of it as I typically work with younger children.  However, I was VERY pleased with the app and I think I will be able to use it with some of my younger students as well!  I think "Comprehension Aphasia" may be a bit of a misnomer for this app because it really can be used for so much more than just aphasia!  If you do have students on your caseload with auditory processing/listening comprehension difficulties, you will not be disappointed with this app!  Comprehension Aphasia sells for $19.99 in the App Store.

Have you tried this app?  If so, what do you think of it?

Disclaimer:  Virtual Speech Center provided a copy of Comprehension Aphasia for the purpose of this review, but the opinions expressed (as always) are mine alone.