Letterboxing, Part 2 (Incorporating into Speech/Language Therapy)

Warning:  This post will make a lot more sense if you have already read my post Letterboxing, Part 1. :)

Yesterday I shared a little bit about Letterboxing with you.  As soon as I heard of this activity, I knew it could have amazing applications in speech and language therapy sessions.  However, most of us can't just take our kids on scavenger hunts all over town...I mean, that would likely take WAY more than the standard 30 minute speech session would allow!  So, how can you incorporate Letterboxing into your therapy sessions?  Easily!  Instead of having your students Find Letterboxes, have them Plant one!

Think about it...every Letterbox out there was put in its location by someone.  Each of the clues on the site were written by someone!  Why not you and your students?  Public schools are, by definition, on public property.  You could plant a Letterbox without even leaving school grounds!  Also, have you checked out some of the clues?  They range from really simple (Go to X location. Look for Y landmark. Find Letterbox) to complex.  Some include a history of the location, some are elaborate fictional stories about the location, and some take you to on (what feels like) an expedition!

Planting a Letterbox in Speech:

• First of all, I recommend this activity for grades 3 and up.  However, once you have planted the letterbox, you can go "find it" with some of your younger groups.  
• You may also wish to get permission from your principal. Once you get the OK...
• Explain Letterboxing to your kids.  You could even stage a mock indoor letterbox for your students to find so they get the idea. 
• Take your sessions outside and decide on a location.  You can even do this with multiple different groups and then have the students vote on their favorite location.
• Create your box.  You can view the Letterboxing website for some information on planting clues. I recommend a box that you know will be air/water tight and putting the items in a Ziploc bag within the box.  
• Decide how much information you want your students to include in the clues.  (This may vary between groups.)  Some ideas:  a brief history of the school, students's favorite things about the school, a short bio on the person for whom the school is named, etc.  Help the students research and start writing the information you decided to include, as well as the clues to get to the box location.
• Do a walk-through of the clues with the students.  Follow the directions as literally as possible.  This will help the students see which directions may need to be clarified.
• Once your clues are completed, plant the box and upload your information to the Letterboxing website.  You may want to check your box once in a while to see whether or not you've had visitors.
• Use the clues with your other groups, especially those that are working on auditory comprehension and following directions!  

You can target so many goals by planting a Letterbox (expressive language, receptive language, giving directions, following directions, written language, carryover of any skill, etc., etc., etc.)!  Do you think you could plant a Letterbox with your students?

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.

App Review & Giveaway: Auditory Processing Studio

I don't know about you, but I'm finding that my caseload is comprised more and more of students with auditory processing difficulties.  Well, recently I was given the opportunity to try out Auditory Processing Studio by Virtual Speech Center Inc.

This app was created by a certified speech and language pathologist.  It is designed for adults and children ages 7 and up who exhibit Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) or other auditory processing disorders. According to the app description, "this research-based app implements the bottom-top approach to treatment of auditory processing disorders and focuses on improving auditory processing through auditory discrimination, auditory closure, and phonological awareness activities. Users can also introduce background noise to help children or adults practice their listening skills in a noisy environment."

Using the App:

There are four buttons on the Home Screen (above):

Reports:

Auditory Processing Studio will collect data from your session.  This is where you can access that data. You can view your data by activity or by date.  

  

You have the options of printing the information (if your iPad has AirPrint capabilities) or emailing the information.  I tend to email reports to myself and print from the email.

Info:

Tapping this button will give you a written description of the app, as well as instructions for use.

From this screen you can also visit the Virtual Speech Center's website, sign up for their newsletter, and visit their Twitter and Facebook pages.

Settings:

You guessed it...this is where you customize the app's settings to your needs.

Options include -

• User Alternate Count:  This option is for alternating between multiple users.
• Enable Audio:  I'm not sure why you would not want to use audio on an app targeting auditory processing, but regardless,  you do have the option of turning audio off.
• Show Instructions:  With this option, you can have written instructions included.
• Automatic Paging:  Selecting this option will move you forward to the next item after a response is given.
• Random Paging:  This option will give you randomized items rather than a predictable sequence.
• Enable Reward:  You can turn the reinforcement on/off
• Award Counter:  You can customize how many correct responses a student needs to get before they earn the reward.
• Enable Background Noise:  You can turn on background noise (generally white noise) to target figure/ground.
• Background Noise Volume:  This adjusts the volume of background noise should you choose to include it.
• Background Noise:  Here you can select one of five options for background noise (basic white noise, beach sounds, birds chirping, etc.).

Start:

Once you "start," you will add/select students.  You can select more than one student per session.  

Add Student

Select Student(s)

Once you select students and tap "next," you must select activity(s).  There are three main activity categories.  They are...

1.  Auditory Discrimination.  This category  has 16 levels with activities like "Picture identification of minimal pairs - initial consonants," "Same vs. different minimal pairs - final position of words," "Identifying presence of specific initial sounds in words in yes/no format," and "Identifying nonsense words in sentences."

2. Phonological Awareness.  This category has 16 different levels with activities targeting "Identifying presence of rhyme in yes/no format," "Identifying multiple words that rhyme with a target word," "Blending of syllables," "Identifying number of syllables in a word," and "Orally identifying each phoneme in a target word."

3.  Auditory Closure.  This category has 17 different levels, including:  "Generating missing words at the end of sentences - popular songs, nursery rhymes," "Generating missing objects in the middle of sentences," "Generating missing final syllables in single words," "Generating missing final phonemes in single words," and "Generating missing initial phonemes in words embedded in sentences."

Game Play:

Now that you have configured your settings, entered your students, and chosen your target activities, it's time to play!  Once you start, you will be shown a little clip by a guy named "Andrew," who will provide verbal instructions to your students.  (You can choose to skip this intro if you want).

Here's a sample screen from Auditory Closure Level 1:  Generating missing words at the end of sentences - popular songs, nursery rhymes:

Because this app is targeting auditory skills, very little visual feedback is given (unless you choose an option with .  Sticking with the theme of a recording studio, the green bar in the middle shows a pattern of movement as the auditory stimulus is provided.  You can record the student's response by tapping the record button (red circle on the left), play it back by pressing the play button (green triangle on the left), or repeat the instruction.  You can keep track of accuracy by tapping the green check (correct response) or red X (incorrect response), both found on the right of the screen.  For some items, you can hear a correct verbal response (the speaker icon on the bottom right of the screen above).

Example of item with visual cues:

In this sample screen from Auditory Discrimination - Same vs. different consonant minimal pairs - initial consonants, you can see that, for some of the activities, the student is required to tap the screen to respond.  For these activities, accuracy is automatically tallied.

Notice the drums below the recording buttons?  These indicate progress toward reinforcement (if you chose to include this option).  For this session, I opted to have the student participate in the reinforcement activity after 5 correct responses.  What's the reinforcement?  They get to participate in the recording studio by playing instruments!

 Pros:

• This app is very comprehensive in targeting Auditory Processing Disorders.  With three main categories and 16-17 levels within each, you could use this app for months without repeating activities! In addition, because of the number and variety of activities, you are likely to find some activities that are challenging for your students and others with which your students will experience success.  Being successful is highly motivating for many students!
• The inclusion of Phonological Awareness activities makes this app appealing to not only SLPs, but also Reading Specialists and Special Education teachers.
• Auditory Processing Studio is EVIDENCE-BASED!  
• The ability to adjust/remove reinforcement.  Students respond differently to reinforcement and it's great to have the option to increase the frequency or even to remove all together!
• Data collection and reporting.  
• The ability to add background noise makes tasks more challenging, and more like real-life situations.

 Cons:

• Some of the "popular" songs and nursery rhymes were unfamiliar to some of my students ("Mary, Mary Quite Contrary" comes to mind).  Because of this, I didn't necessarily want to mark them as incorrect when they had no prior knowledge.
• One of my 7-year old students with auditory processing delays experienced a good deal frustration because he was used to having more visual stimuli, especially from iPad applications.  Because of this, he kept asking to end the activity and move along to others.  Although I understand why little visual input is provided, clinicians should be aware that younger students may get frustrated by this.

The Bottom Line:

Auditory Processing Studio is a great app for targeting CAPD and other Auditory Processing Disorders.  With this app, you can target auditory discrimination, auditory closure, and phonological awareness.  If you have students with CAPD or auditory processing disorders, you will definitely want to check out this app!

Auditory Processing Studio is $29.99 in iTunes.  You can enter to win a copy for yourself using the rafflecopter below!

Disclaimer:  Although the Virtual Speech Center provided me with a copy of Auditory Processing Studio for the purpose of this review and another for the giveaway, the opinions expressed are mine alone.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lunch Tray Listening {FREEBIE}

In honor of the launch of the all-new Speechie Freebies blog, I'm so excited to share a {FREEBIE} with you!  Lunch Tray Listening is an activity designed to work on increasing a student's ability to provide and follow directions.  

It comes with lunch tray mats:

2.

and food items...

There are two variations of game play:  

1.  Barrier Game:  To be used with two students or two teams of students.  Give each team  a copy of the lunch tray and a copy of the food items.  Place a barrier or partition between the teams.  Have one team create a scene using the pieces.  That team then provides directions (as detailed as possible) to the other team.  Once finished, the barrier is removed.  You can use this opportunity to discuss what worked/what didn’t and help students formulate improved directives.  

2.  Following Directions:  Print enough copies for each student in your group to have their own set of materials.  Have students complete directives (e.g., “Put the apple in the round opening on the tray” or “Place the milk carton above the tray and the fork below the tray.”).  

Sample directions are included in the download.  Here are some samples:

1-Step: 

• Put the sandwich in the largest tray.
• Put the milk carton above the tray.
• Put the cookie in the round opening.

2-Step:

• Find a vegetable and put it in the top right opening. 
• Place the milk carton above the tray and the knife below the tray. 
• Place the sandwich in the largest opening and the fork on top of it. 

•

You can download this freebie HERE.  Let me know what you think!

"Snowy Speech and Language Activities" A Guest Post on Home Sweet Speech Room

Do you all remember the AWESOME New Year's Receptive Language Packet Guest Post from Carissa at Home Sweet Speech Room?  (Thank you so much Carissa!)  I wanted to reciprocate and share one of my newest activities with the readers of Home Sweet Speech Room!  So, I wrote a guest post for her called "Snowy Speech and Language Activities."

This is a 25-page FREE download containing five different activities!  Want to download?  You'll have to head over to Home Sweet Speech Room and read the full post!

Guest Post: New Years Packet from Home Sweet Speech Room

Today's Guest Post is from Carissa Ten Hoeve.  Carissa graduated in May from Calvin College with her B.A. in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and Spanish and is now a graduate student at Saint Louis University. She is passionate about developing new and exciting therapy materials for her students! 

I'm so excited to be a guest blogger today!  I love the SLP community and all of the sharing that happens.  I just started this venture of sharing my materials, so I hope you like them!

A lot of people have been requesting receptive language activities, so I thought I would make one with a theme of New Year's.  This pack is a 31 page download.

The first activity is Decorating: Following Directions. Students will draw streamer cards and complete the task listed on the cards.

If they complete the task correctly, they place the card on their New Year's student mats. Watch for the special cards, where you can lose a turn or get an extra turn!

The second activity is Party Hats: Answering WH-Questions.  In this activity, students will draw cards and answer the WH-question listed.  If answered correctly, the student keeps the card.  

Watch out for special cards, where you must put back all of your cards!

The final activity is Making Predictions. Students will draw cards with a scenario on them and will make a prediction. 

If answered correctly, the student moves forward one space on the game board. 

You can download this freebie HERE.

For more activities and ideas, visit homesweetspeechroom.blogspot.com, my Facebook page, or my TPT store. 

Thanks for sharing Carissa!  If you are interested in writing a guest post, contact me at cmanchester57@gmail.com.

Receptive Detectives - TPT activity with FREEBIE

I'm taking a little break from the holiday activities to introduce "Receptive Detectives."  I've been working on this file for a while now and was going to wait until January to post it.  However, I know at least a few of you are planning to take advantage of the TPT Cyber Monday and Tuesday Sale (see graphic below).  So, because of the sale, I figured I'd post this now.  That way, if you do want it, you can get it on sale! :)


Here it is..."Receptive Detectives!"  (Graphics are by Scrappin' Doodles)

In this packet, you get 36 clue cards.  Essentially, there are 5 clues for each item.  The clues range from vague to specific.  For example, Dog:  5.  It's an animal; 4.  It's a kind of pet; 3.  It might live in your house; 2.  It wears a collar; 1.  It barks.

clue cards

Game play variations:

1.1.  Teacher holds cards and draws one for each student or team. Teacher reads aloud the clues, one at a time, beginning with number 5.  If a student/team guesses the correct answer on the first clue, they get 5 points.  If they guess the answer on the 2nd clue (after reading the #4 clue), they get 4 points, and so on.  The student/team with the most points at the end of the game is the winner.  You can use the scoring sheet included if you choose.

scoring sheet

2.
*Depending on the level of students, you may want to lay out several answer cards for students to choose from.

3.

Answer cards

2.  Use the included game board.  Give the students clues to the answers.  If they guess correctly, they can roll a dice and move their game piece (you can use coins or pawns from another game).  This game board is the FREEBIE!  Simply follow the link below to the Receptive Detectives page on TPT and click "Download Preview."

And that's it!  Hope you like it and can use it in your therapy rooms!  Don't forget about the TPT Cyber Monday and Tuesday Sale!  All items in my store will be 20% off (including Receptive Detectives).  Use the code CMT 12 to save an additional 8%!

Happy Shopping!!!

PS, I promised all of you that I wouldn't be posting a ton of paid TPT items...just wanted to get this one posted before the sale starts.  There will be at least TWO freebies coming soon!