Using the iPad and Apps Effectively in Speech

and Language Therapy

Speech Language NeighborhoodAmanda Backof, M.S. CCC-SLP

Is it a Toy or a Tool?

Conversation with a Wise 5th GraderMe: So, what have you been working on in speech with Ms. So&So?

5th grader: I’ve mainly been practicing my /s/ sound. Me: Did you use cards or games when you were working on your sound?

5th grader: No, we’ve been using worksheets.

Me: Oh. Well I brought my iPad with me today, so we can work on your sound by looking at flash cards, playing matching games and reading stories.

5th grader: Wait, so you’re saying you have all of the cards and games for speech all on your iPad?

5th grader: Well, that seems much more efficient!!

Me: Yep, I have it all on here..(I flipped through my iPad screens of apps.)

Yes, the iPad is an Efficient Tool!

Using the iPad in therapy can be

just as effective as any other tool!

I’m looking for an activity for a student who can only verbalize 1-2 words phrases. What are my options?

A. Expand language through play therapy using Fisher-Price toys and Milieu teaching.

B. Sequencing picture symbols on a pacing board to request food.

C. Find an interactive App to help teach the skills.

D. All of the above.

Don’t Let this Happen to You

Bye Bye iPad!!!

Tips for keeping your iPad (precious baby) safe

Invest in a sturdy case. The Griffin Defender protects the corners and the screen.

Have your hands on the iPad at all times.

Never leave your iPad unattended (I carry it around the school, unless the door locks).

Clean your iPad with sanitizer and a soft towel to keep it germ free.

Tips for Managing Behavior During iPad Therapy

The iPad never leaves my hands.

Hands off if it’s not your turn.

Move iPad to your chest if students are not listening.

Hold iPad so that all students can see it. Alternate turns just like traditional therapy.

In my sessions, students learn how to take turns.

Put your thumb or hand over the “home” button. Kids are very smart and can change the app in a second!

Keeping Students Engaged

Over 400,000 Apps? How do I choose?

• www.SpeechLanguageNeighborhood.com - my site, with a link to my therapy YouTube Videos• www.SpeechTechie.com -Sean Sweany’s site, frequent presenter at ASHA• www.SpeechRoomNews.com - Great resource for apps reviews• www.therapyapp411.com - collaborative group of SLPs reviewing apps

Facebook Group Pages:SLPeeps SLPsTalkApps Apps for Apraxia Kids iTteach Special Education

Don’t let iTunes take over your life!

Let others do the work for you…check out review websites, blogs, facebook pages and developer websites. Last resort: read the iTunes reviews (beware, as they are not always truthful.)

I wish someone would take me outside!

Evidence Based Practice

For more information on selecting apps using evidence based practice please see:

http://www.asha.org/Publications/leader/2012/120731/APP-titude--Use-the-Evidence-to-Choose-a-Treatment-App.htm

http://blog.asha.org/2012/08/23/apps-and-ebp/

EBP is the new new buzz word and now more than ever our services are under the microscope. The day will come when we will be asked to justify why we are using one app over another…….

Should the app be EB or should the service we provide be based on tried and true methods we’ve been using for years? Will that be all the evidence we need? Instead of toys we are now using apps? Only time will tell.

Matching Articulation Apps to IEP Goals

Ricky (age 4): Strengths:/k/, /g/, /f/, /s/ in isolation and syllablesWeaknesses: /k/, /g/, /f/, /s/ in words, short phrases

Maria (age 5): Strengths: Vowels /k/, /g/, /m/, /d/ in isolationWeaknesses: Consonants in syllables and words

Angel (age 6): Strengths: Early developing soundsWeaknesses: Generalization to sentences, /ch/, /sh/

FCD

Chris (age 11): Strengths: Intelligible to familiar listenersWeaknesses: /r/ variations in words and sentences

My Choice

ArtikPix: word level, matching

Articulation Station: phrases, matching, drill/practice

Speech Stickers: Practice at syllable level

ArtikPix: word level-easy words

Articulation Scenes: sentences and while reading

Speech with Milo Articulation Game

Articulation Scenes, Artic Questions, misc. book apps

Articulation Apps for group therapy• ArtikPix up to 4 students, different color coded

cards, can add student photos• Articulation Station Pro Tap speech bubble with

+ mark at bottom of sound page to pick multiple sounds

• Match 2 Say up to 4 players for matching game• Speech with Milo Board Game Articulation up to

5 players

Matching Apps to Language Needs

Emerging Expressive Language • Student produces 1-2 words• Lack of verbs• Limited expressive vocabulary

First Phrases, Picture the Sentence, all Hamaguchi Apps

Pronoun+ Verb+Object (jump over the rock) Interactive with action animation.

Speech with Milo-Verbs

Verb+ing – Flashcard format

Toca Boca apps Tea Party, kitchen, house, haircut, robot

Buddy Bear Grammar (pronouns, plurals, etc)

Duck Duck Moose - Trucks

Verb+ing during actions

More Fun with Directions

Prepositions (in/out, up/down)

By [date] given visual representations of target grammatical structures (pronouns, verb+ing, articles (a, the) and plural /s/) [student name]will demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar by producing sentences containing these grammatical structures to describe actions, make comments and answer questions in _ out of _ trials with _% accuracy as measured by clinical data and informal observation.

Goal:

Let’s extend therapy beyond the app and combine with traditional therapy activities.

Emerging Receptive Language • Limited understanding of concepts• Difficulty answering questions• Limited receptive vocabulary

Picture the Sentence, all Hamaguchi Apps

Matching verbalized sentence to picture-multiple levels

First Phrases Who ?

Buddy Bear y/n Y/N questions

Fun with Directions, More Fun with Directions

Variety of Prepositions taught in an simple interactive way

I Can Do Categories

Flash card activities-assumes prior knowledge

My Play Home Vocabulary for Home

First Words International

Basic Vocabulary

Toca Boca Apps All

Goal

By [date] given visual representations of target grammatical structures (pronouns, verb+ing, articles (a, the) and plural /s/) [student name]will demonstrate an understanding of the conventions of standard English grammar by identifying (through selection) picture representations of the sentences containing

these grammatical structures in _ out of _ trials with _% accuracy as measured by clinical data and informal observation.

Grammar-Elementary• Difficulty with sentence structure• Limited use of grammatical Structures • Lack of adjectives and detail in

sentences

Speech with Milo-Verbs

Practice using verbs in sentences

Speech with Milo-Adjectives

Practice using adjectives to expand sentences

Electrokite Verbs, Cosmic Bowling and adjectives

Teaches the skill first and then allows students to practice

Rainbow Sentences

Teaches Correct sentence structure (must be able to read)

Tense Builder Videos of action-select correct verb tense (must be able to read)

Super Duper reg past tense & irreg verbs

Flash Card Activity

Goal (1st grade) By [date] given visual representations of target sentence structures (pronouns, verbs, adjectives) [student name]will demonstrate an understanding of the conventions of standard English grammar by verbalizing structures in sentences in _ out of _ trials with _% accuracy as measured by clinical data and informal observation.

Objective 1: Given visual representations of verbs [Student] will use verbs to convey a sense of past, present and future (yesterday I walked home, today I walk home tomorrow I will walk home)

Objective 2: Given visual representations of adjectives [Student] will use frequently occurring adjectives to expand sentence complexity.

Objective 3: Given visual representations of pronouns [Student] will use personal, possessive and indefinite pronouns (I, me, my, they, them, their, anyone, everything) in sentences.

Sequencing to tell a Narrative• Difficulty putting events in correct

order• Difficulty verbalizing a sequence of

events• Difficulty using transition words

Speech with Milo Sequencing

Early 3 event sequences.36 Basic Routines

iSequence 100 sequences, Put in correct order, talk about emotions,3-4 events per sequence

Making Sequences Real Photos-More advanced sequences

Toontastic Developing a narrative to tell a cartoon movie story, interactive characters, record narrative. Story Arc.

The Surprise Students watch short animations and then narrate story in their own words. Comp Questions available.

Tapikeo Develop your own sequence of events by importing photos.

Bernard videos Verbal Sequencing of events

I am also a big fan of using book apps to retell a narrative in correct sequence.

Combine traditional worksheets with book apps to work on sequencing. (Sequencing graphic organizers, or putting pictures in correct order.)

Listening Comprehension• Difficulty answering wh questions• Difficulty answering inferential

questions• Difficulty using context clues to

determine word meaning

Story Pals Stories of increasing length and complexity, wh questions

Wh Questions (Super Duper)

Variety of wh questions. Assumes prior knowledge

Language Adventures

Provides practice on identifying synonyms, antonyms.

Middle School Confidential

Summarizing, Paraphrasing

Misc. interactive books

Millie and the Lost Key, Hotel Transylvania, Rematch, Wacky Zoo

Limited number of apps available to work specifically on main idea/details, inferencing, context clues and paraphrasing.

Caution!! Several apps (with research listed in iTunes description) claim to help you teach context clues. They, in fact, do not teach the skill correctly. Since Apps are limited, this is an area where I

rely heavily on traditional therapy activities combined with apps.

Working with Older Students and the Curriculum

Download the Free Kindle App – Students enjoy reading books on the iPad

• Purchase Kindle books from Amazon

• Hunger Games Trilogy, Crash (Spinelli), The Other Wes Moore, Of Mice and Men, The Skin I’m In

Since there are NO specific apps to go with curriculum books, I develop worksheets to target IEP goals and objectives based on student needs (context clues, summarizing, inferencing, etc.)

Lit Charts – Cliff notes for classics

Educreations – Interactive white board to record information about curriculum stories

Inspiration – Graphic Organizer app

Supplementary Apps – To help you teach higher level skills.

Khan Academy – Videos for science, history, etc.

Enchanted Dictionary – Interactive Definitions

Working on Language and Articulation in same session

• Story Pals provides stories loaded with articulation targets, allows you to work on sequencing and answering comprehension questions.

• Book Apps (ex: Little Critter, Elmo, Hotel Transylvania and Millie both have artic target words.)

• Develop articulation worksheets of target words from stories for artic students to practice.

Any Questions?

Thanks for Coming!!!