Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP. Over 33 years experience in AAC. OMazing Kids AAC and app consulting. Creator of several AAC Feature Matching resources (https://omazingkidsllc.com/omazing-kids-aac-resource-links/). Includes info about unique features to support Gestalt Language Processors
{Game Apps & AAC} Here is a perfect example of why an AAC app needs to be on a separate iPad from the “fun stuff”. Last week one of my patients earned 5 minutes of play time at the end of a session. We had already done a full session of aided language input and practice in using the TouchChat with WordPower AAC app. But I did not turn that off when I got out my secondary iPad with all the fun game apps… I always leave a “talker” out and available. This patient chose a basketball game and was having a blast shooting virtual hoops. But the true magic happened next. The game app has a variety of vehicles that go by on the street in the background. To be honest I hadn’t even noticed that they were there. He got so excited and spontaneously activated “groups” -> “vehicles” -> and then found the button for the vehicle that had just gone by in the app. It was fun to watch him go back and forth between shooting hoops and commenting on vehicles. I modeled use of social comments “sweet” & “awesome” when he made a great shot. If I only had one iPad, he would not have had the opportunity for this spontaneous language experience.
I just checked and the game app that we used is still currently FREE:
Streetball Game by Rodrigo Schmitt de Andrade https://appsto.re/us/Vv80bb.i
(Updated 7/26/22: Unfortunately that particular Streetball basketball app has disappeared from the App Store. But it was just an example. There are lots of apps that a child would enjoy talking about on their AAC device while playing)
{FYI… yes this patient has his own NovaChat AAC device. Unfortunately the charging port is damaged so it has been shipped back for repairs. Glad I have TouchChat set up with the same pageset so we can continue to practice AAC use while his talker is being fixed during his inpatient admission at the hospital where I work as a SLP}
Important Note:Decisions about whether or not an iPad or tablet should ONLY be used for AAC need to be made based on individual needs, age of the user, how long they have been using AAC, etc… The needs of a young child first learning how to use AAC are very different than the needs of an older teen or adult who uses tech to multitask.
I was excited to have the opportunity to test the upgraded version of the Bluebee Pals. I’ve been using them since April 2015 (see this post: http://bit.ly/2aAAsqO). Always fun to watch products evolve over time. Here’s what I love about the new Bluebee Pals Pros:
They are slightly larger, slightly heavier & fluffier
The sound output is louder with more noticeable mouth movement
The Bluebee Pal Pro tells you to connect it via Bluetooth, provides verbal feedback when it is connected and tells you when it needs to be charged
The process of connecting it to a device via Bluetooth is easier than before
The only slight glitch I noticed is that part of the word was left off when using it with an AAC app but this appeared to resolve after the first couple of activations. When doing a side-by-side comparison of the original and new Bluebee Pals, this was less noticeable with the new version.
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The company continues to be dedicated to getting Bluebee Pals into the hands of professionals working with kids with special needs. They have generously donated numerous Bluebee Pals to teachers, SLPs, OTs, etc… Check out their Bluebee Pals Ambassador program:
{Power of Visuals} Gotta LOVE the power of visual supports when working with kids with special needs! I have a patient who has had the hardest time understanding and using pronouns (he/she) and prepositions/spatial concepts. He doesn’t have Autism but most of the strategies that I use with that population are helpful for him. The use of visual support cue cards with a picture of a boy or girl, the rule for when to use the pronoun and a picture and description of the mouth shape for “he” vs. “she” in every session for several weeks finally paid off today! So cool to witness the moment it finally clicked for this child. I was able to fade the cue cards today and he had a solid ability to both understand and use these two pronouns correctly. I’m tackling the prepositions/spatial concepts using a similar concept but instead of printed cue cards I’m using the GoTalk Now AAC app as a visual support. Today was the first session where I finally saw the first signs of it clicking for him too. I’m sure for this child it’s the consistent visual + auditory feedback from the AAC app combined with placing a high interest object in/on/under a mini trashcan from the dollar store. I have other prepositions programmed but have them hidden until he masters these first three.
{No Prep SLP Tips: Candy Land} I know there are several resources on TPT to go with the Candy Land game but I after being a SLP for over 26 years I have an enormous stash of materials and didn’t want to spend the $$$, ink or time printing, laminating and cutting new stuff. So I made colored mats to match the colors in the Candy Land game by cutting apart some old placemats (could also easily be made by laminating colored card stock or construction paper). Then I placed the therapy materials targeting my patient’s goals on the colored mats. During the therapy session we used the Candy Cards app to draw a card, then selected a card from the corresponding colored mat before moving the Candy Land game piece. When the patient drew a double colored card, we did two therapy cards from that mat. I’m storing the colored mats in the game box. Love having resources to “grab & go” 🙂
I’ve been looking for a way to make the Candy Land game accessible for kids with special needs and found a great solution by combing an app, a specific version of the board game and ideas from an old journal article and a few websites!
Who knew that there has been SO many different versions of this game over the years and that each version has slightly different pictures on the “picture squares” in the game?
Well there has been and I was determined to get the version of the board game that matched up to this app. Could have sworn that I already had the Candy Land board game but looked through my entire stash of materials and couldn’t find it. If I had found it and it wasn’t the right version, my plan was to take screenshots of the pink picture squares from the app and attach them to the game board to make it match.
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After extensive research I finally figured out which version of the Candy Land board game matches this app. I bought “Candy Land – The Kingdom of Sweets Board Game” (2010) on Amazon for $7.49: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00000DMF5 and this app for $.99 (Candy Cards by Panther Technology, https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/candy-cards/id554983778?mt=8, iOS 3.2 or later, Universal app that works on iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch). I was initially leery of the app since it had not been updated since 2012 but at the price of $.99 decided to try it out. I’m pleased to report that it worked fine on my iPad Air (running iOS 9.3.1) and on my iPhone 5 (running iOS 9.3.2). The only quirky thing I noted when using the app on an iPhone is that the app did not adjust to landscape orientation and had a small black band of dead space at the top and bottom of the screen.
. Check out all the options in this app’s settings area:
Under “Accessibility” settings:
“Safety Time”: For kids who tend to tap repetitively, you can lock the screen for 2, 3, 5 or 10 seconds after drawing each card. That means focus can stay on the game instead of “stimming” on the iPad screen.
The “Target” feature can be centered, appear at random places, or even move around the screen if you are wanting to work on “targeted touch”. When “target” is toggled off, you can tap anywhere on the screen to “draw” a card (great for kids with more severe motor impairments).
Under “Play Settings”, you can toggle on/off the background music, the card count, and sound effects and select one of four backgrounds (grey metal, orange, candy stripe and my personal fave… a calming green).
. So for the bargain price of $8.48 I now have a version of this classic kids game that is more inclusive of kids of a wide range of abilities and needs. I plan on modifying play further when I am in a group or have parents and/or siblings present by playing as “teams” where one teammate’s job is to “draw” the card using the app and the other teammate’s job is to move the game piece. Another option in a 1-on-1 session would be for you and the child to use it as a “cooperative” game and work together as a team to move one of the game pieces to the castle.
Oooh… just saw this fun idea to combine Candy Land + the Name That Word Game. Love finding new ways to use materials that I already own! I got my copy of that game several years ago at a back-to-school sale at a teacher supply store but saw that it’s available on Amazon.
These apps can be easily customized to incorporate high interest areas of kids with Autism and other special needs and contain in-app voice and/or video recording to encourage verbalizations (most of my patients are VERY motivated to hear themselves on the iPad).
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All 4 of these apps were verified as being free in the USA App Store at the time of this post. But it is always wise to check app prices prior to downloading since app prices can change frequently with no notice. FYI… If you don’t have an iPad yet or don’t have one running the iOS required to download a particular app, you can download that app on iTunes on a computer and have it in your cloud to install later.
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There are several other apps to support sentence building and sentence building with symbol support. Here are screenshots of the apps that I have. Feel free to send me a message on my OMazing Kids Facebook page if you have questions about any of those apps. Most are not free but are well worth the cost. In addition to these apps, you can also use any robust AAC app to model sentence creation. Facebook Messaging for OMazing Kids: https://www.facebook.com/messages/17426452595789.
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If you are looking for a FREE “non-tech” way to encourage sentence building, check out this printable visual support for building sentences (need Boardmaker to open) http://fdlrsregion3literacyvisuals.wikispaces.com/Fokes+Sentence+Builder
. I have worked with several patients who engaged in almost constant verbal scripting. It is important to understand the function of the scripting. This video is enlightening:
as is the book “Life, Animated: A Story of Sidekicks, Heroes, and Autism“.
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In several cases I have been able to build upon these patient’s high interest areas to build new language scripts through the use of visual supports and apps for sentence building and then other apps to move on to storytelling. This has often resulted in more spontaneous use of functional language.
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Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness & educational activities for kids of all abilities
Home E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com
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Angela Moorad is the founder of OMazing Kids, LLC and is an ASHA certified & licensed pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and Kids Yoga Teacher with over 26 years experience working in a variety of settings (early intervention, schools, teletherapy & a nonprofit pediatric rehab hospital for children with developmental disabilities). She is an app beta tester for educational & therapeutic app developers and loves sharing info about great apps, products, books & toys to use with kids of all abilities.
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{please ignore any ads that may appear below. This is a free blog and I don’t have any control over ads nor do I profit from them}
Check out this great opportunity to win a kids guided relaxation book bundle! I love that each of the 10 guided relaxation stories includes a picture, lovely rhyming text & a QR code to scan to go directly to a video with background music and sounds for that story. The coloring activity book would be great to use along with the book or with any ocean themed activity. I love the space left on each 2 page spread inviting the child to add to the picture.
The best part is that I get to share this bundle with three of you! Three winners will each receive a bundle of one autographed copy of the Seashell Meditations for Children: The Ten Story Collection + one copy of Under The Sea: A Seashell Meditation for Children Coloring and Activity Book + a seashell. Worldwide entries allowed. Scroll down to find the entry form below.
A Seashell Meditation for Children combines the entire 10 story collection into one. Now you get 10 fun and interactive stories that introduces meditation in the form of a short story rhymes using a seashell as an interactive tool for focus and fun all in one book. Reading the story to the child and using a simple meditation technique will guide them through a creative journey as the story takes them to exciting places to use their imaginations and explore which is a great way to introduce meditation for beginners. With each story there is a QR code available to scan with your smart device for background music and sounds while reading the book to the child. The benefits of meditation are endless. Learning this practice at a young age can help a child through their lifetime.
$16.95
Age Range: 2 – 12 years
Grade Level: Kindergarten – 6
Hardcover: 24 pages
Publisher: Seashell Publications; The Ten Story Collection ed. edition (April 7, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0692676015
ISBN-13: 978-0692676011
Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.2 x 8.5 inches
A Seashell Meditation for Children, Under the Sea, is a unique coloring activity book that contains a short meditation story rhyme using a seashell as a tool for focus and concentration. The book encourages the child to use their imagination while listening to the story as it is being read. The child then can color the pictured pages that corresponds with the meditation story as well as use their imagination and color in the blank spaces provided by reflecting back on the meditation they just heard. This helps the child to engage and participate in the meditation.
$7.95
Age Range: 2 – 11 years
Grade Level: Kindergarten – 6
Paperback: 34 pages
Publisher: Seashell Publications (May 12, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0692716165
ISBN-13: 978-0692716168
Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.1 x 11 inches
This giveaway is now CLOSED. Congratulations to the three winners: Danette Moore, Tara Geller & Michelle Arenas. Your info has been sent to the author to mail out the prizes.
. Easy Entry Form (be sure you are on the original blog post for the entry form to show up. Previews in e-mail often don’t show it):
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Only entries with all required information will be valid. The info comes to me directly via e-mail & is ONLY used for the purposes of selecting winners and distributing prizes.
Helpful Info & Tips: Folks had requested a simpler entry option. I tried Rafflecopter but most folks did not enter an address so now I’m trying this online contact form instead. I will be hand selecting winners to insure products end up in the hands of folks who will put them to the best use. Briefly tell me how winning this would help you & the kids. I take the time to read each entry so details count. It doesn’t have to be lengthy…. just heart-felt.
If you experience any problems with the entry form in this blog post, please e-mail me specific details so I can attempt to fix it. E-mail to: amoorad1@juno.com . The entry deadline may be extended at the sole discretion of OMazing Kids in the event of prolonged entry problems.
Each “giveaway” is handled separately on OMazing Kids. So there are no rules prohibiting previous winners from entering this or future giveaways. I really do read every entry in every giveaway carefully to insure that the products end up in the best hands to impact kids lives.
Entry Deadline: 11:59pm CST on July 23, 2016.
Rules of Participation:
Must be 18 years or older with a valid e-mail address.
One entry per person.
Worldwide entries are allowed for this particular giveaway.
Employees or family members of OMazing Kids, LLC or the product’s company are not eligible.
No purchase required.
Comments submitted via entries may be copied & pasted into the blog post.
Odds of winning will depend on the number of eligible entries received.
Only entries with all required information will be valid.
The winner will be chosen from valid entries on July 24, 2016.
The winners will be notified via e-mail, will be posted on the blog post & will be posted on the OMazing Kids Facebook page. The company offering the prize may also post the winner’s name on their website, blog, Facebook page and/or other social media sites at their discretion.
The prize will be mailed to the winner using the address submitted in the entry form. OMazing Kids is not responsible for items lost in the mail or for inaccuracies in the mailing address. I copy & paste the info directly from what you submit << so PLEASE proof read your entry for accuracy before submitting it…. in the era of iPhone auto correction these errors happen pretty frequently>>
The winner’s address will be forwarded to the author and she will be mailing the prizes directly to the winners. After I e-mail the winner’s info to the company, it is their responsibility to mail out prizes. Please contact them first if you are concerned about not receiving a prize. If that does not resolve the problem, then feel free to e-mail me and I will glad to assist in whatever way I can.
Prize Value: $25.00
3 winners will each receive a bundle of one autographed copy of the Seashell Meditations for Children: The Ten Story Collection + one copy of Under The Sea: A Seashell Meditation for Children Coloring and Activity Book + a seashell.
Other Legal Stuff: I know it’s just a kids book bundle but just to be safe here is all the legal stuff… This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. You are providing your information to OMazing Kids, LLC and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used for our internal purposes in relation to the administration of the giveaway. Your information will NOT be sold to any outside parties. Indemnification/Hold Harmless: By participating, entrants agree: (a) to the decisions of OMazing Kids, LLC, which shall be final in all respects; (b) to release, discharge, and hold harmless OMazing Kids, LLC and its respective representatives and agents from all liability, injuries, losses or damages of any kind to persons or property resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from the acceptance, possession, misuse or use of a prize, or from participation in and/or entry into the Contest or any Contest-related activity and for acceptance, delivery, or use of any prize; (c) that the foregoing parties have neither made nor are in any manner responsible or liable for any warranty, representation or guaranty, expressed or implied, in fact or in law, relating to any prize.
{Book Review} Maggi and Milo Make New Friends by Juli Brenning
I work with lots of kids who struggle with making friends so this new book is sure to become a fave. I love the whimsical illustrations and fun storyline…. especially the scavenger hunt that is filled with great descriptive language and the message of working together.
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About the book: Perfect for fans of Ladybug Girl, this playground adventure about the joy of making new friends continues the story of the plucky girl-and-dog duo from Maggi and Milo. Maggi is an irrepressible girl with an equally awesome best friend: her dog, Milo. So when Mom suggests a day at the park with other kids, Maggi isn’t sure. All she needs is Milo, afer all. But off to the playground they go—only to find that no dogs are allowed! Maggi wants to stay behind, but the other kids are having so much fun that she decides to go in. Before long, she has a whole group of new friends, and all of them want to try walking Milo. But first, they have to find a family of rollie-pollies, complete a treasure hunt, and build a pirate ship. When it’s time to go, Maggi waves goodbye to her new friends—but she knows she’s going home with Milo, her best friend of all.
Clue Catcher is a unique new app designed by a Speech-Language Pathologist to help teach the inferencing skills necessary to use context to define unfamiliar words. Students will learn how to identify the words and phrases that are meaningful and contribute to a better understanding of an unfamiliar word’s meaning. The app covers vocabulary across elementary and secondary grade levels (3rd grade – 10th grade).
I love the clean intuitive interface, scaffolding, wide range of vocabulary, arrows to easily skip ahead or go back, ability to set up multiple users, can easily edit or delete users, can easily see what words a user got correct, missed, and the words marked for review.
My wishes for a future app update would be an option to toggle back and forth easily between users to allow them to take turns without having to exit a user and then open up a new one, to be able to choose specific target words from a list within the grade levels and an extension down to the lower grades (Kindergarten – 2nd grade) with an option to fade picture cues in and then out for kids functioning at a lower level. An option to export data of words correct & incorrect via e-mail would also be nice.
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Clue Catcher lets you …
view the target word both in isolation and within a content rich sentence
highlight the keywords within a sentence that will help a student to generate an appropriate definition
select a ‘Think Clue’ which will guide the student through higher-level critical thinking skills which will help them relate to the word in a way that is meaningful
select the best choice from three options
keep track of correct and incorrect responses, for progress monitoring and data collection purposes
set up individual students and assign them to specific grade level vocabulary lists
change the grade level assigned to specific students as their skills improve
discontinue and pick up at a later time, without losing your data
Clue Catcher “All Grades Edition” includes words for all available grade levels (3rd though 10th).
$12.99, App Store link: Clue Catcher All Grades Edition by Golden Mean Advisory Resources LLC, https://appsto.re/us/Sjm1ab.i
FREE lite version: A separate free version of the app can be downloaded that includes 5 words for each grade level that you can use to learn about its functionality. That version allows users to gain access to the complete word lists from one or more grade levels through in-app purchases: https://appsto.re/us/VD306.i
More details on their website: http://www.cluecatcher.net. Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/ClueCatcher/
. Disclaimer: I received this app via a promo code from the developer. No compensation was received to review them and my opinions are strictly my own.
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OMazing Kids AAC Consulting 
