iPad

Bitsboard

SLT Summary

App designed for creating therapy exercises

Create 'boards' of vocab to practise and incorporate these into spelling games (anagrams, missing letters, word search, cross words) or semantic exercises (odd one out, sorting exercises) or sequencing exercises.  Set up easy familiarisation activities for the user to familiarise themselves with the vocab items

The user can also record their speaking attempts

Suggested photos and voice recordings are provided but you can choose your own if you prefer

Aphasia Summary

App designed for SLTs to create personalised therapy exercises

Platforms
Price
Area Targeted
Type of Software
Easy to use independently
Number of exercises
Site Icon
icon Summary

App for creating customised therapy exercises (spelling, semantics, sequencing)

Access
Record Results
Prompts/cues given
No
Theory Based
No
Can author/customise
Yes
Free trial
Yes

Inference Pics

SLT Summary

Exercises to encourage inference making from photos of real-life situations (places, events, feelings, situations etc.)

200 pictures are included in 7 exercise formats: what happened? Jobs, places, seasons, feelings, conversations & thoughts.  For each photo, the user is asked to make an inference about the picture (the user can request 3 multiple choice options if they are struggling to make the inference). They are then asked 'How do you know?' (no prompts are given for this part of the exercise).

Could be used to ellicit spoken or written responses

Could be useful when working with people with TBI or as conversation topics

Results are not stored in-app but can be emailed each time an exercise is completed. 

Results are reliant on the user correctly self-rating whether they were correct or not (if they are using the app independently)

 

 

 

Aphasia Summary

Explain what is happening in a photo and why (inferences)

Platforms
Price
Area Targeted
Type of Software
Easy to use independently
Number of exercises
Site Icon
icon Summary

Explain what is happening in a photo and why (inferences)

Access
Record Results
Prompts/cues given
No
Theory Based
No
Can author/customise
No
Free trial
Yes

Cuespeak

SLT Summary

Work on answering questions with help

Questions on current affairs, updated weekly

Work on asking questions and social phrases

Work on people’s names with video and spelling practice

Spelling with sounds

Letter spelling

Rhyme judgement

Reading tasks

Matching tasks

Sentence processing (e.g reversible sentence ordering)

Written & spoken sentence building

Semantic associations

Tasks for working on verbs in a sentence context

Conversation starters

Articulation: 5000+ videos of target words and phrases, including breakdown into individual syllables & phonemes

Features a communication props drawer with maps, drawing board, numbers, time 

Multiple ways to create hierarchies (e.g. according to word length, sound, frequency, number of phonemes)

Video tutorials are provided to demonstrate how the app works & each exercise has its own tutorial to demonstrate how to complete the exercises

Can create multiple therapy sessions and can share sessions over internet

Error handling: Wrong answers are removed; the response is read aloud for the user to judge;  contextual information is given

Prompts/cues: Closure cues; spoken word

Record results: Results are shown after the session with % of items completed correctly. Can request additional details about accuracyspeed and help requested. Results can also be emailed to the clinician.

Option to break up sentence level questions into chunks to support reading and listening

Comments:  

  • Can choose option for items to remain on the screen until the user moves onto the next exercise (i.e. no automatic scrolling onto the next item).  This is useful when used in therapy to discuss the user’s response
  • Advanced settings for SLT to designate exercise features for each exercise set
  • Remote management/allocation of exercises and results

Free version, monthly subscription option, 1 & 3 year subscription options

Aphasia Summary

Includes a comprehensive range of exercises, including:

Work on answering questions 

Questions on current affairs, updated weekly

Spelling with sounds

Reading tasks

Written & spoken sentence building

Tasks for working on verbs in a sentence context

Conversation starters

Video tutorials are provided

Record results

Free version, monthly subscription option, 1 & 3 year subscription options

 

 

Platforms
Language
Price
Easy to use independently
Number of exercises
Site Icon
icon Summary

Exercises for saying words and sentences and exercises for spelling

Exercises for working on word meanings, spelling and understanding sentences

Access
Record Results
Prompts/cues given
Yes
Theory Based
Yes
Can author/customise
No
Free trial
Yes

TouchChat HD

SLT Summary

7 vocabulary sets are provided:

4 Basic: 4 cell basic vocabulary set

Communication Journey Aphasia: 12 cell  vocabulary set with adult & aphasia orientated vocab

MyCore: 108 cell categorised word bank for those with some literacy & good cognition & semantics

Spelling: 40 cell QWERTY keyboard with word prediction & phrase bank

VocabPC: 12 cell vocab set with activity vocab, category based vocab, carrier phrases

Multichat:15 cell vocab set in 3 versions: adult, adolescent, student. Contains activity vocab, category based vocab, questions & keyboard with word prediction

My Quickchat: 4, 8 & 12 cell layouts designed for AAC users. Adult & child versions available for each layout

3 versions available: Lite, full & full version with WordPower. Lite version doesn't speak & personalised pictures cannot be added - it's for evaluation purposes & couldn't really be used as a communication support

Other features:

Can be personalised with user's vocab & phrases. Pre-progammed vocab is American (e.g. purse for handbag)

User's photos can be used in place of symbols

Can use recorded or synthesised speech.  UK voices can be downloaded

Easy & intuitive to program

Word prediction on the keyboard is not the best available

Aphasia Summary

Use your own photos and vocabulary. Click on a picture/word to speak out your message

Keyboard with word prediction to support spelling

Easy to program

 

Platforms
Language
Price
Type of Software
Easy to use independently
Site Icon
icon Summary

An AAC app with vocabulary specifically for people with aphasia & keyboard with word prediction

Click on a symbol/photo to  speak out your message

Use your own photos, phrases & voice recordings

Access
Prompts/cues given
No
Theory Based
No
Can author/customise
Yes
Free trial
No

Say it: English Pronunciation

SLT Summary

Name of app

Say it: Pronunciation from Oxford

 

Type of exercises & brief description

 

  • Type a word and the app will pronounce it with a human voice
  •  Record your own spoken attempt and compare with the model using audio visual touchscreen analysis
  • Score your attempt according to how you think you did
  • Save your scored words into a personalised word list
  • 2 modes: ‘Look up a word’ to practise specific words or ‘Test mode’ (Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced/Random)
  • Bank of 30,000 British English words to practise in purchased app

 

Error handling

None

Prompts/cues

None

 

Record results

No but speech attempts can be emailed to your speech & language therapist

Developer

Oxford University Press & Phona limited

Supplier

App store

Comments/N.B

·      This is an EFL app designed for foreigners to improve their pronunciation of English

·      Requires good spelling to find the words (or a word list could be provided by a therapist for the user to copy)

·      Using the ‘Look up a word’ mode, the user could practise specific words they wish to practise

 

 

Aphasia Summary

Practise speaking words

Type a word and the app will pronounce it

Record your own speech, compare it & send results to your speech therapist

Score your speech according to how you think you did

Look up a word to practise or use the ‘Test mode’ 

Language
Price
Area Targeted
Type of Software
Easy to use independently
Number of exercises
Site Icon
icon Summary

Practise speaking words and comparing to a model. Rate your own attempts

Access
Record Results
Prompts/cues given
No
Theory Based
No
Can author/customise
No
Free trial
Yes

Advanced Comprehension Therapy

SLT Summary

 

Name of app

Advanced comprehension therapy

Type of exercises & brief description       

 

Written and auditory comprehension exercises, and sentence building exercises

 

730 items

 

3 modes: Identify (picture matching), Build (sentence building) & Follow (follow directions). Each set of exercises has 12-16 levels

 

 

10-730 items can be selected per exercise

 

A tutorial is provided to demonstrate how the app can be used

 

 

Error handling

None

Prompts/cues

In practise exercises, semantic, first letter, written word &  phonemic cues to choose from

Record results

Results are shown after the session with % of items named correctly with and without cues. It also highlights the cues used. Results can be emailed to a designated address.

 

Developer

www.tactustherapy.com

Supplier

App store & Google Play store

Comments/N.B

·       There is only one version for UK, US, Aus and there are a few American words (e.g. zipper, fries, cookies)

·       The results recorded are reliant on the user self monitoring and knowing whether they named the item correctly or not. There is no facility for recording speech attempts and the app itself does not determine level of accuracy. This app would therefore not be appropriate for independent use by someone with poor self monitoring

FREE TRIAL available through Advanced Language Therapy Lite app

 

 

Supplier: Tactus

 

Aphasia Summary

Exercises for working on reading and listening comprehension

Exercises for working on written sentence building

Exercises include: Match pictures to sentences, arrange words in sentences, follow directions.

Adjustable settings to match user needs: difficulty level, colour, speech rate, written/audio word

Record speech and listen back.

Scores and results page for each exercise and email results facility

Free user guide to download

 

 

Language
Price
Easy to use independently
Number of exercises
Site Icon
icon Summary

Exercises for working on reading and listening comprehension

Exercises for working on written sentence building

Access
Record Results
Prompts/cues given
No
Theory Based
No
Can author/customise
No
Free trial
Yes

Active Reading

SLT Summary

6 levels of reading, listening and topic vocabulary exercises for those with moderate to mild reading difficulties who are keen to practise independently

Within each level, there are 10 everyday topics (e.g. making a journey, reading a paper, reading an email, how to lose weight), each with 6 different exercise sets

Web based program - exercises can be allocated remotely & results can be accessed by the SLT remotely

The clinician purchases a yearly license and patients have free access to the software on a computer or via an app on a tablet or phone device

The software is designed for learners of English as a foreign language but can be useful for people with aphasia

Aphasia Summary

Software for practise reading, listening and learning topic based vocabulary

Language
Price
Type of Software
Easy to use independently
Number of exercises
Site Icon
icon Summary

Software for practise reading longer passages

Learn topic based vocabulary

Practise listening to topic based vocabulary

Record Results
Prompts/cues given
No
Theory Based
No
Can author/customise
No
Free trial
No

Verbal naming

SLT Summary

Type of exercises & brief description:

Photos of nouns are presented for confrontation, verbal naming.  There are 20 items in each exercise set and a total of 10 exercise sets which must be purchased individually

Speech recognition software is used to assess whether the spoken attempt was correct

Prompts/cues:

If the first attempt isn’t recognised, an initial, written letter is provided. If the second attempt isn’t recognised, the word is spoken and written and the user moves to the next item automatically

Record results:

Results are shown at the end of the session. In order to receive results, the professional license must be purchased

Comments:

  •  It is difficult to identify what some of the photographs are of
  • The items are always presented in the same order
  • Not all regional accents or dysarthric speech are recognised. 
Aphasia Summary

Naming app.  Photos are presented, you must use the microphone to say the word

Price
Area Targeted
Type of Software
Easy to use independently
Site Icon
icon Summary

Naming app.  Photos are presented, you must use the microphone to say the word

Access
Record Results
Prompts/cues given
Yes
Theory Based
No
Can author/customise
No
Free trial
Yes

CommunicAide

SLT Summary

Adult appropriate, photo based AAC app. Easy to edit and add own vocabulary. Favourites & history links so the user can readily find a message they recently constructed.

Immediate access to Yes/No messages and to a body chart with a pain scale.

When an item is selected, it moves into the message window where it appears only as text.  For someone with no reading this could be frustrating and difficult to use.

 

Aphasia Summary

AAC app for speaking out words and phrases by pressing on photos

Platforms
Price
Area Targeted
Type of Software
Easy to use independently
Site Icon
icon Summary

AAC app for speaking out words and phrases. Photo based.

Access
Prompts/cues given
No
Theory Based
No
Can author/customise
No
Free trial
Yes

Main Street Memory

SLT Summary

3 high street scenarios are offered (sweet shop, pizza restaurant & a jewellery shop) where the user must order what they are told to via the auditory instruction

Up to 5 levels with increasing number of items & modifiers and also temporal directions. Includes an option to include background noise & adjust the volume of the environmental noise

Designed for children and very American voice . The reward activities can be turned off. However it may be useful for users wishing to work on listening tasks with added levels of distraction

Error handling: none

Prompts/cues: none

Record results: results can be accessed within the app by activity or by date

Aphasia Summary

Listen to  instructions in a sweet shop, jewellers or pizza restaurant

Platforms
Language
Price
Area Targeted
Type of Software
Easy to use independently
Number of exercises
Site Icon
icon Summary

Exercises for following auditory instructions within real-life scenarios

Access
Record Results
Prompts/cues given
No
Theory Based
No
Can author/customise
No
Free trial
No