Articulation Games Giveaway!

Whew! That holiday weekend wore me out! Luckily my friends over at The Virtual Speech Center contacted me to see if I wanted to throw a big app giveaway!

Articulation Games is an app I reviewed back in September. Check out my review here!  Go check out the review and then enter to win one of 5 copies below on the rafflecopter widget! 

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Articulation Station Pro Giveaway (x5 AGAIN)

I'm back today with a HUGE giveaway!

Articulation Station Pro is a great articulation app for parents and SLPs. I did my first review of Articulation Station about a year ago with my first giveaway! Since that time I've given away 8 other copies!

Lucky for you.... the people at Little Bee Speech are donating 5 more copies for giveaway! What a way to celebrate Better Hearing and Speech Month!

The app is currently $49.99 in the itunes store, making the giveaway worth $250!!!

Enter in the rafflecopter below! Goodluck!

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Autism Language Learning {app review & giveaway}

Happy Friday! Thanks to all who follow SRN on Facebook and caught yesterdays Birthday Freebie! And thanks to all who left me a message! How sweet! 

I have a new set of app reviews today, plus a giveaway too! Autism Language Learning is a set of apps developed by speech-language pathologist, Tammy Wynstra-Basel M.S., CCC/SLP.

Autism Language Learning is a set of apps that use video modeling to improve learning.

Series I: This series was designed to target actions and pronouns using video, not still pictures. It consists of 5 modules, arranged in a hierarchy of verb + ing, singular pronouns (he & she) + is + ing,  plural pronoun (they) + are + ing, and mixed singular and plural pronouns + is/are + ing.

This app is also great for targeting simple wh questions (Who is walking? Where are they? What are they doing?), possessive pronouns, and even past tense verbs (wait for the video to stop playing)

Start the app by clicking on one of the modules on the left hand column. The first video will play with a verbal producing of the target (ie: the verb ‘bouncing’). If you don’t want to hear the target, just select mute. To record and hear play back, select the record button. To move to the next video select ‘next’.

There are 12 videos for each of the 4 modules. There is also a mixed setting. The author reports a planned update in the summer of 2013. Other updates include the ability to collect data which is already included on Series II.

In-app purchase option that allows the user to add their own video and voice. ($1.99)

ALL Seris II:

This series uses 43 short video clips and 13 still pictures to help children learn how to answer yes/no questions.

For example, open the actions module. A short video will play and the student will be asked a Yes/No question. 

*3 Modules: Concrete Objects, Actions, & Common Facts
*Randomization of pictures and video (presentation order varies)
*Optional visual prompting
*Data Collection
*Visual depiction of yes or no
*Visual & auditory reinforcement provided after every question

The apps are originally priced at for $26.99 (series I) with an option $1.99 in-app purchase, and $16.99 (series II). Both apps are on sale for the month of May for BSHM!

Cons:
The apps are very expensive for the amount of videos included. I ran through 12 videos (one module) with a student in 5 minutes. Given that the sets include limited videos, I was very disappointed that the 'add your own video and voice' option is another $2 in-app purchase. For $26 I believe the customizable part of the app should be included. Hopefully Series II will soon have the ability to add your own videos too. 


Pros: This app is the only version I have seen that uses actual videos to elicit skills. I frequently use TenseBuilder to work on action verbs with my older students, but it uses cartoons in videos.  It makes it so much more concrete and meaning for our children with autism, cognitive delays, and attention impairments. Plus they think they're just watching You-tube! 

Check out the lite versions available here to test them out yourself! 

Autism Language Learning I and Autism Language Learning II are available on the itunes store. A copy of each app was provided to complete this review. No other compensation was provided and the opinions expressed are all mine. 

ALL wants to give away codes for both of these apps! Use the rafflecopter below to enter! 

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Speech Flipbook {app review & giveaway}

Speech Flipbook is a new app from Tactus Therapy. At $4.99, this affordable app is developed for articulation, phonological awareness, and reading. The app might fit the need for your students with articulation disorders, phonological awareness delays, dysrthria or apraxia.

Tactus is great about sharing videos so instead of me explaining the app, just check out this video.

The first kiddo I used the app with is a beginning reader also working on S-blends. I set up the settings to include on CVC real words with s-blends in  the initial positions with all vowel and final consonants included. Here are a few screen shots of the set up and activities. 

Tactus Therapy included a recording feature which I love, especially for the kiddos working on blending the 3 sounds. I can record them with the sounds segmented and let them listen again to blend it. 

Cons: The lack of any data collection within the app is disappointing. With an app clearly made as a therapy tool, I would expect some type of data collection available. 

Pros: The app is a great deal for it's high quality performance. It's an app that can be flexible for a variety of student on your caseload. 

So here's the bottom line: For the cost of my weekly Venti Carmel Frappuccino, Speech Flipbook gives you an app that targets communication disorders and foundational literacy skills all in one. Most frequently those skills overlap in our school based therapy rooms, meaning an app that addresses both will be frequently used on the iPad. I can only hope data collection will become available in future updates. 

Tactus Therapy is giving one lucky SRN a copy for free. Just enter using rafflecopter below. 

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Disclosure Statement: This app was provided by Tactus therapy for review. No other compensation was provided. Opinions expressed are the authors. 

Speech Sale & Giveaway!

Happy Sunday! Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

First, I'm jumpin' on the Lucky Sale bandwagon. Go visit my store to find all the latest spring items you need! Sunday Only!

I'm also blasting off with another big SLP giveaway! 

Prizes:

The 1st Prize Winner will receive a $25 Teachers pay Teacher Gift Certificate plus all of the following Speech Therapy product downloads.

The 2nd Prize Winner will receive a $10 Teachers pay Teacher Gift Certificate plus 10 downloads.

The 3rd Prize Winner will receive a $10 Teachers pay Teacher Gift Certificate plus 2 downloads.

Click the links below to view the selection of sponsored products for yourself.

Speech Room News: Easter Early Developing Sounds Articulation Game

WordNerdTeachSpeech: Butterfly Categories

Kids Games for Speech Therapy: Easter Language Activity Pack

Let’s Talk Speech Therapy: Breaking it Down- Phoneme Segmentation/Blending & Multisyllabic Words

Rae’s Speech Spot: Sequence Comprehension

Home Sweet Speech Room: Directing the Action: Social Skills/Pragmatics

Natalie Snyders: March Homework Packet and April Homework Packet

Kristin Minden: There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Chick Activities and 1 and 2 Step Following Directions

Major Speech Minor Girl: What Would You Do or Say Social Skills Activity

Teach Speech: Who What Where When Questions with Visuals and What Questions with Visuals Add On

Speak Listen Play: Practice on the Playground S and S Blends

Crazy Speech World: Social Candy Monsters

Nicole Allison: No Print Expressive Pack

Speechy Musings: Phonemic Awareness Packet Powerpoint

Ms. Jocelyn Speech: Buzz Words

Live Love Speech: Live Love Speech: Who Wants to be a Social Skills Superhero?

Danielle Reed: Hedgehog Grammar Unit

Busy Bee Speech: Monster Mash Artic

Slp For Me: Spring Egg Hunt - Language Lessons Around the World

Speech Time Fun: Spring Word Fun

MrstSLP: Easter Basket Roll a Dice Game

If Only I Had SuperPowers: The Princess and the Dragon Speech Language Activities

Goodluck! 

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Phonological Processes {app review & giveaway}

The Virtual SpeechCenter has published their newest app, Phonological Processes, for ipad. The app features the minimal pair contrast therapy approach and covers the following Phonological Processes: Affrications, Deaffrication, Cluster Reduction (R, L, S and mixed), Final Consonant Deletion, Fronting, Gliding (L, R, and mixed), Provocalic Voicing, Stopping (fricatives, affricates, and mixed).

The app developers cite the following research: The minimal pair approach to phonological remediation teaches children the function of sounds, emphasizing that changing sounds changes the meaning of a word (Barlow & Gierut, 2002). Minimal contrast therapy targets pairs of words that differ only by one sound. It may focus on the perception of contrast or production of contrast. In the perception task, the child is asked to point to target words when presented with two or more pictures (minimal pairs). In the production task, the child is asked to verbally produce minimal pairs (Bernthal and Bankson 1998). 

Start by adding your clients. Then choose Flashcards or Game Board before selecting the ‘next’ button. I’ll start by reviewing the Flashcard options.

Select activities for your client by choosing targets. Here, I chose fronting and final consonant deletion. On the left hand side you can select the level at which your student is working (auditory bombardment, auditory discrimination, minimal pair production or single word production.) I selected minimal pairs for this trial for Ms. Rayburn.

The minimal pair activity asks student to, “Say each word.”

"Jenna" is working on auditory discrimination for stopping of affricates. The prompt asks, “Show me the jog.” The page offers to opportunity to record the student production or listen to the prompt again. Data is kept on the right side of the screen.

Auditory Bombardment of Cluster Reduction of /s/ plays two minimal pairs. The student is not required to do any tasks and no data is taken. The recording feature is still present as an option for practice.

Single word production for Deaffrication is noted here. The student is asked to “Name this picture.”

If you select the Board Game option, you will be prompted to select the processes and level of practice for each child. Each child also chooses a fruit icon. 

Each child takes turns spinning the spinner. Their fruit icon moves around the board automatically (a plus). If they land on a question mark, the learning target opens a new box. If they land on an animal, the animal dances across the screen and is then added to the cage at the top.

I loved this game board. It took just the right amount of time to play. I just wish there was a big finish! When a student lands on finish, the fruit tokens disappear and the animals are removed from the cage, but there is no ‘Jenna is the winner’ sign, song or anything. My kiddos were confused about what happened! As the students ‘earn’ animals into the cage I think the developers could add the opportunity to earn a trophy or safari hat for earning all the animals in the jungle. My 5 year old student said, “What happened to my animals?” The developers could open to a new screen after the game that listed the winner and pictured the animals learned (another chance for speech and language practice!)

Data is collection throughout the app and easily emailed for your records.

So, what's the bottom line?

 Pros: The app targets phonological processes and is broken down within those processes (ie: gliding /l/, gliding /r/ and mixed). This give the SLP a lot of flexibility in choosing targets. I like the opportunity to target auditory discrimination, minimal pairs, and single word production. I was able to use the app with a students at varying skill levels in the same app.

Cons: When you select two or more processes (ie: fronting and final consonant deletion) the app does not mix the questions. So it will prompt the child through all 27 Fronting pictures before it gets to the Final Consonant Deletion pictures. They need to be mixed throughout to get the type of data I am looking for!

I think adding a special ending to the game board would give the game more finality and an ending that makes sense!

The app is currently available for $16.99. Virtual Speech Center wants to give 3 lucky SRN readers a copy of the app. Use the rafflecopter below to enter! Good luck!

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REFERENCES

Barlow, J. A., and Gierut, J. A. (2002). Minimal pair approaches to phonological remediation. Seminars in Speech and Language, 23(1), 57-67

Bernthal J. E., and Bankson N.W. (1998). Articulation and Phonological Disorders. 4th edition.