Other Software

Read&Write

SLT Summary

Read&Write features include:

  • Text-to-speech: Read what I type including individual words, passages, or whole documents aloud with easy-to-follow dual color highlighting.
  • Text & Picture Dictionaries: Provide definitions and display images to help with word comprehension.
    Vocabulary List: Creates a list instantly into a new doc, including selected words, the dictionary definitions, images
  • Rewordify: simplifies the readability of text without changing the meaning. (Only available for Read&Write for Google Chrome)
  • Check It: Reviews writing for incorrect grammar, spelling (phonetic), capitalization, punctuation, verb tense and more.
  • Audio Maker: Converts selected text into an audio file, and automatically downloads
  • Talk&Type: Turns the spoken word into text (unavailable for Read&Write for Mac users).
Aphasia Summary
  • Text-to-speech: Reads tex aloud
  • Text & Picture Dictionaries: Provide definitions and images to help with word comprehension.
  • Vocabulary List
  • Rewordify: simplifies the readability of text without changing the meaning. 

    (Only available for Read&Write for Google Chrome)

  • Check It: Reviews writing for incorrect grammar, spelling
  • Audio Maker: Converts text into audio
  • Talk&Type: Turns the spoken word into text
  • (unavailable for Read&Write for Mac users).
Level
Type of Software
Easy to use independently
Site Icon
icon Summary

Read&Write is a literacy support tool that offers help with everyday tasks like:

  • reading text out loud
  • understanding unfamiliar words

 

Prompts/cues given
Yes
Theory Based
Yes
Can author/customise
Yes
Free trial
Yes

Cognishine

SLT Summary

A comprehensive library of activities covering cognition, social emotional skills, language and speech.

Activities intend to enhance receptive and expressive language skills, social communication skills/pragmatics, speech sound production, and cognitive abilities.

Some customisable access features, including cursor type and english accents. Also available in German, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Hebrew. More languages to be added soon.

Self practice report

 

Aphasia Summary

Activities aimed at supporting:

Cognition: memory, sequencing, planning, recall, general knowledge

Language: word naming, auditory comprehension, picture description, story telling,

Speech: practice sounds, select specific sounds to practice

Social emotional: point of view, inference, identifying emotions

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

A comprehensive library of activities covering cognition, social emotional skills, language and speech.

Record Results
Prompts/cues given
Yes
Theory Based
Yes
Can author/customise
Yes
Free trial
Yes

NeuronUP

SLT Summary

Web based suite of exercises designed for cognitive rehabilitation.  Each activity has 2-5 levels of difficulty.

Language activities:

Auditory comprehension (true/fase) tasks, including some very high level activities

Written sequencing tasks where the user is required to put steps for an activity in order (3-16 steps, depending on the level)

Picture-adjective; picture-noun and picture-verb matching activities, including some very high level tasks

Functional, object-location matching tasks

Language based executive functioning activities:

Written decision-making tasks 

Written reasoning of consquences tasks

There are also social cognition tasks including inferring facial expressions & inferring emotional reactions 

Error handling: none

Prompts/cues: none

Record results: yes, and they can be accessed remotely

Free trial: yes, a 10 day trial is available

Comments: Latency is measured for most exercises.  Although a large number of rehab areas are listed, some contain no activities (e.g. expression, naming, fluency, writing). Although reading activities are listed, it is simply matching digits to written numbers. Alot of the exercises rely on very good reading comprehension (e.g. decision making, time estimation, reasoning of consequences, task sequencing). On some activities, the user is unable to amend their response before submitting it (e.g. on task sequencing exercises). 

Suppliers: https://www.neuronup.com/en

 

Aphasia Summary

Exercises to work on listening, sequencing, emotions, attention

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

Web based exercises for working on listening, sequencing, emotions, attention

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

NaturalReader 10

SLT Summary

Brief description

  • Free text to speech program
  • Works in Microsoft programs, webpages, PDF files and emails
  • No copy and paste required: uses its own task bar
  • Can also magnify text and change the font colour, style and size to aid reading

Who could benefit

  • People who struggle to read
  • People with visual difficulties
Aphasia Summary

Brief description

  • Free text to speech program
  • Works in Microsoft programs, webpages, PDF files and emails
  • Can magnify text to aid reading

Who could benefit

  • People who struggle to read
  • People with visual difficulties
Platforms
Evaluation
Selection
Price
Type of Software
Easy to use independently
Site Icon
icon Summary

Free text to speech program

Works in Microsoft programs, webpages, PDF files and emails

Can magnify text to aid reading

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

Clicker Writer

SLT Summary

Brief description

  • Reading & writing tool designed for children but can be very helpful for people with aphasia who need help with writing & spelling
  • Word prediction (can be personalised)
  • Word & phrase banks by topic or A-Z (can be personalised)
  • Written or picture supported word banks
  • Hear words before selecting
  • Listen back to what you have written
  • Make voice notes to rehearse a sentence before writing it

Who could benefit

  • People who have some spelling but who need writing & spelling prompts
  • People who have no spelling but who would like to write letters/cards

     
Aphasia Summary

Brief description

  • Reading & writing tool
  • Word prediction (can be personalised)
  • Word banks (can be personalised)
  • Picture support, if needed
  • Hear words before selecting
  • Listen back to what you have written

Who could benefit

  • People who have some spelling need extra help
  • People who have no spelling but who would like to write letters/cards
Platforms
Language
Price
Type of Software
Easy to use independently
Site Icon
icon Summary

Reading & writing tool

Word prediction (can be personalised)

Word & phrase banks (can be personalised)

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

Vu Bar

SLT Summary

Brief description

  • A basic ‘line’ guide
  • Isolates lines of text at a time. Can select the bar width to 25%, 50%, 75% or 100% of screen width and set the slot height to the required font size

Who could benefit

  • People who struggle to read text when it is in large chunks due to reading or visual difficulties.
  • People who skip lines of text
Aphasia Summary

Brief description

  • A reading bar
  • Helps you read one line of text at a time

Who could benefit

  • People who skip lines of text
  • People with reading difficulties
  • People with visual difficulties
     
Platforms
Selection
Area Targeted
Type of Software
Easy to use independently
Site Icon
icon Summary

A reading bar

Helps you read one line of text at a time

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

Dragon Naturally Speaking

SLT Summary

Brief description

  • Speech recognition program
  • As the user speaks into the microphone, the speech is automatically turned into text
  • Can read back &/or listen back to what has been typed

Who could benefit

  • Someone with good speech & listening skills but compromised spelling &/or reading skills

Comments

  • Need to train the program to recognise your speech
  • Noise reducing microphones work best
  • Requires good cognitive skills to remember commands & adapt speaking rate

 

Aphasia Summary

Speech recognition program

As you speak into the microphone, the speech is automatically turned into text

Useful if your speech is quite good but you struggle to write or type

 

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

Speech recognition program

As you speak into the microphone, the speech is automatically turned into text

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

Word Q Speak Q

SLT Summary

Brief description

  • Word prediction, speech recognition & screen reader
  • The program predicts to aid spelling, gives examples of word useage, reads aloud text on the screen (what you’re typing or what you’re reading).
  • Can also use speech recognition to ‘type’ in words.
  • Can customise the dictionary to improve prediction
  • Screen reader, prediction & speech recognition works within all programs/web pages (e.g. can use within email, social networking sites & web searches)

Who could benefit:

  • People who can spell the first 2-3 letters of a word before getting stuck
  • People who can spell words but sometimes find it easier to say a word

Comments

  • All parts of the program work on PC. Mac users only have access to the word prediction & screen reading parts of the program, not the speech recognition part
  • Switch accessible only if using Wivick connection cable
     
Aphasia Summary

Brief description

  • Help with spelling: word prediction, speech recognition & screen reader
  • Guesses what you want to say, reads aloud text on the screen and types the words you say aloud
  • Works in all programs & web pages (e.g. email, internet, facebook, youtube)

Who could benefit:

  • People who can spell the first 2-3 letters of a word before getting stuck
  • People who can spell words but sometimes find it easier to say a word

Comments

  • Mac users only have access to the word prediction & screen reading parts of the program, not the speech recognition part
Platforms
Type of Software
Easy to use independently
Site Icon
icon Summary

Help with spelling: word prediction, speech recognition & screen reader

Guesses what you want to say, reads aloud text on the screen and types the words you say aloud

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