Other Software

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

WordTalk

SLT Summary

Brief description

  • Free software which adds text to speech (in Microsoft Word only)
  • It speaks aloud what you are typing

Who could benefit

  • People starting to write in sentences but with some spelling and reading difficulties
Aphasia Summary

Brief description

  • Free text to speech program
  • Only works in Microsoft Word

Who could benefit

  • People with some spelling and reading difficulties
Platforms
Language
Area Targeted
Type of Software
Easy to use independently
Site Icon
icon Summary

Free text to speech program

Only works in Microsoft Word

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

First Keys 3

SLT Summary

Brief description

  • Keyboard familiarisation tasks
  • Spelling exercises
  • 80 activities included or create your own
  • Results are recorded
  • Use standard keyboard or onscreen keyboard
  • Prompts provided
  • Can be used by lots of different users, each with their own exercise set

Who could benefit

  • People needing to practise:
  • Keyboard skills
  • Spelling skills
Aphasia Summary

Brief description

  • Keyboard familiarisation
  • Spelling exercises
  • 80 activities included or create your own
  • Results are recorded

Who could benefit

  • People needing to practise:
  • Keyboard skills
  • Spelling skills
     
Platforms
Price
Area Targeted
Type of Software
Easy to use independently
Number of exercises
Site Icon
icon Summary

Exercises for finding letters and spelling words

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

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

Co:Writer

SLT Summary

Brief description

  • Available as an app and/or software
  • Word prediction (uses grammar smart word prediction & handles phonetic spelling, letter omissions & reversals)
  • List of up to 9 word predictions
  • Can customise the dictionary to improve prediction
  • Text to speech facility to hear the words predicted before selection
  • Can listen back repeatedly to the sentence being composed
  • Customiseable, topic based on-screen word lists  to aid writing
  • Use in social media, email, word processing documents

Who could benefit

  • People who can spell the first 2-3 letters of a word
Aphasia Summary

Brief description

  • App & software
  • Help with spelling
  • Guesses what you want to say, hear the words  before you select
  • Use in social media, email, word processing applications
  • Listen back to the sentence you’re writing
  • Word lists to help with writing

Who could benefit

  • People who can spell the first 2-3 letters of a word before getting stuck
Platforms
Price
Area Targeted
Type of Software
Easy to use independently
Site Icon
icon Summary

App and software to help with spelling

Predicts words, hear the words and your sentence before you select

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