Talking in sentences

A free app with 27 categories of symbol supported, spoken messages to support face to face communication

e.g. emergencies, Family, Yes/No, Feelings, self care, places, holidays etc.

An information screen also tells the communication partner that the user has had a stroke and the areas of communication they now struggle with

Based on a simple communication book format developed by Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland

Free demo app for Advanced Language Therapy

Try out exercises for Advanced Comprehension Therapy, Advanced Naming Therapy, Advanced Reading Therapy & Advanced Writing Therapy apps (search each app separately for more detailed information)

1 trial is provided for each section of each app to enable you to inform purchase decisions for the apps which can be purchased separately or as a bundle in Advanced Language Therapy

Supplier: Tactus

4 bundle app containing:

Advanced Comprehension Therapy, Advanced Naming Therapy, Advanced Reading Therapy & Advanced Writing Therapy. We recommend searching each app separately for detailed information on each app however below is a brief summary of each:

Advanced Comprehension Therapy:

Written and auditory comprehension exercises, & sentence building exercises

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

Advanced Naming Therapy:

4 sets of sentence and conversation level exercises: Using verbs to make sentences; Comparing similar items; Category association naming; Generating conversations

Advanced Reading Therapy:

3 levels of paragraph level reading exercises with functional materials (cards, texts, stories)

Advanced Writing Therapy: Matching letters to sounds; Spelling words to dictation; Typing to dictation; Writing sentences & paragraphs

Free trial: yes, free trial available through Advanced Language Therapy Lite app

Supplier: Tactus

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)

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 accuracy, speed 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

Supplier: Tactus

Exercises for working on short-term memory, working memory, attention and processing.  There is an added function of adding in background noise

Exercises have 2-3 levels of difficulty with 240 exercises in total

·       Recall of visual scenes: 2-6 questions about what the scene depicted. The user must provide a verbal response & decide whether or not it was correct

·       Recall of visual objects: the user must provide a verbal response about the 5 objects seen or the items missing & decide whether or not their attempt was correct

·       Visual/auditory recall of written/spoken words & sentences: read or listen to words/sentences and select from written selection or verbalise the items & decide whether or not it was correct

·       Recall of personal information: verbalise answers to spoken questions or repeat lengthy sentences back & decide whether or not it was correct

·       Recall of recent information: very lengthy auditory information is presented for the user to then verbally respond to questions relating to the information

If using independently, the user must monitor whether their spoken attempts were correct. There is no facility to record own spoken attempts.  There are only a few exercises where the answers are selected from written options

Error handling: none

Prompts/cues: none

Record results: Results are recorded by exercise or by date within the app and can be emailed

Comments:  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

Exercises to practise speaking at a sentence or conversation level.  The topics are all around problem solving situations

50 problem solving scenarios where the user must identify the problem, cause and solution in the photo.  The user can record their spoken responses and/r  they can choose from a selection of 3 written choices 

16 exercises providing written scenarios or questions to which the user must respond with a spoken response which can be recorded

Error handling: None

Prompts/cues: the written scenario is also spoken aloud, on the multiple choice exercises, 3 options are provided to choose from

Record results: spoken attempts can be recorded. On the multiple choice exercises, results are recorded. On the exercises where the user is invited to provide spoken responses, the user must judge for themselves whether their response was correct however the fact they attempted the exercise is logged in the reports section of the app so they can look back at previous exercises completed. It is also possible to organise results by date. Results can be sent by email

Comments: after successful completion of tasks, the user is given a jigsaw to solve as a reward.  This option can be disabled

By turning off the audio, the  exercises could be used as  reading exercises

4 sets of sentence and conversation level exercises:

1. Using verbs to make sentences

250 concrete & abstract verbs. A verb is provided and the user must make 3 sentences by generating content or choosing from multiple choice options. They can write and/or speak & record their options.  The user is then encouraged to expand on their sentence.  6 activties are generated from each verb, encoraging more autonomy with differing levels of cues.

2. Comparing similar items

206 concrete & abstract items are presented in either image or text form.  The user is invited to verbalise how the items are alike and different.  They can record their spoken attempts.

3. Category association naming

320 concrete and abstract categories are provided.  The user must name from 3 to an unlimited number of associated items (e.g. things starting with /r/, appliances). This activity can be timed. There is also the possiblity to carry out a 1 minute semantic fluency test and a 1 minute phonemic fluency test to assess verbal fluency

4. Generating conversations

507 images are provided (e.g. funny food, unusual objects) to prompt description and/or conversation. Questions are provided to prompt the description or conversation.

Error handling: none. The user must decide themselves whether or not the got an item correct

Prompts/cues: In the verb sentences exercises, multiple choice items are provided.  The user can also opt to hear their sentences spoken aloud. Keywords are also provided as hints. No cues are given on the other exercises

Record results: a score is given at the end of each exercise and results can be emailed. The user cannot look back at previous results within the app

Free trial: yes, free trial available through Advanced Language Therapy Lite app

Comments: On-screen, aphasia friendly instructions on how to use the app are provided. Comprehensive written instructions are also provided however these would not be accessible to someone with compromised reading skills

Supplier: Tactus

20 pre-recorded scripts (10 basic and 10 more advanced) are provided for the person with aphasia to practice.  

The SLT can also record personalised scripts using Aphasia scripts editor software which are then downloaded onto the person with aphasia's  player version of the software at home.

First, the user listens to the whole conversation; second the user practices each sentence of the conversation repeatedly; and third, the entire conversation is rehearsed in turn-taking with the virtual therapist.  There is a play back option so the person with aphasia can listen back to their performance.