Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP. Over 36 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
Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP. Over 36 years experience in AAC. Experience using almost every AAC app on iOS, Android, Amazon Fire, Chromebook and Windows devices + traditional Speech Generating Devices (SGDs). Creator of AAC-Related Resources & App-Related Resources. AAC Consulting & App Consulting.
{App Review} Big Break: The Acting Game by Emote Play Apps Inc.
This app is a fun twist on video modeling for learning and practicing expression of emotions. There are 14 movies to choose from. They are color coded into 4 levels (easy, medium, hard & hardest). The themes currently included are primarily geared towards older kids & teens (Broadway, Sci-Fi, Rock Opera, Comedy, Bollywood, Superhero, Fantasy-Comedy, 50’s Musical, Time Travel, Western Musical, Shakespeare, Fosse Musical, Punk Show & Circus). The app uses the iPad forward facing camera to show the user alongside the video model.
About the app: Big Break Bobby needs actors for his movie production studios. That’s where you come in. Act out lines along with game characters, guess emotions of the characters, and even see yourself in a movie. Earn points based on your acting and observation skills. This game provides a fun way for kids to practice their social communication skills through modules that require listening, watching, acting, and singing.
App video:
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Wishes for a future app update:
* For the app to rotate when you flip the iPad. I always use my iPad in landscape orientation with the home button to the right. This app is currently upside down if I have my iPad in that orientation.
* Add some even easier movie options with themes suited for younger kids.
I love using great picture books in OMazing Kids speech therapy and kids yoga! Guess what this book is fun for both. I love the colorful illustrations, facial expressions of the characters, how the color of the text changes to help depict which character is talking, logical consequences for behaviors, offering options, the subtle use of kids yoga for calming and a happy ending.
. More about the book: While Dad tucks her in, a little girl named Grace calmly recounts her day—which was anything but calm. She had a tantrum (because of some injustices involving a purple shirt and breakfast cereal) and was banished to her bedroom before deciding to run away. Understanding that kids have ups and downs, Grace’s mom wisely gave her daughter the space and time she needed to reach her own decision to return home—to open arms. The Day I Ran Away amusingly captures Grace’s mutable moods and childlike logic. Warm, humorous digital paintings offer fun details to keep little listeners busy. Kids can compare the bedtime and daytime scenes and try to figure out how Grace got that purple paw-print on her cheek—and when it got washed away. They can mimic Grace’s facial expressions or copy her poses for some soothing bedtime yoga. And of course, they can create a safe place to run away to when the injustices of Pre-K existence become too much to bear. A pop-up tent in the yard and the haven beneath the dining room table are excellent run-away destinations, as long as you come home for dinner.
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Age Range: 5 – 7 years
Grade Level: Kindergarten – 2
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Flashlight Press (April 1, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1936261898
ISBN-13: 978-1936261895
Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 0.4 x 10.2 inches
. This publisher always has great printables to go with their books:http://flashlightpress.com/the-day-i-ran-away/ (tap on “Activity Guides”). I especially like “The Day I Ran Away Yoga”and “What Would You Pack?”
Over my 27+ career as a SLP I’ve worked with several kids & teens with Autism, ADHD and other special needs who became obsessed with a particular video game. The typical culprits are Pokemon, Mario, Angry Birds & Minecraft. When played in moderation video games can provide a stress relief outlet for kids with special needs. But for some kids it can become an obsession or even an addiction. When a kid or teen only wants to play, think about or talk about a particular game, then you know you have a problem. Well Minecraft Steve and his pals have attempted to take over another one of my patients. Minecraft has messed with the wrong speechie. This particular child and his family hold a very special place in my heart so I was determined to help. Since this is a fairly common issue, I was shocked that I could not find any social stories online regarding appropriate use of video games. So I wrote one today using the Social Stories Creator for Educators app by Touch Autism. This particular child has an amazing knowledge of anatomy and chemistry well beyond what would be typically expected for his age so I used a few anatomy and brain chemistry terms to tie into that high interest area and help him see for himself why unlimited game play would not be a healthy choice for his brain. I even recorded voice overs for each page. I then sent it to myself in an e-mail both as a printable PDF and as a story that can be used within the app. Super excited that the voice overs were included when I imported the story onto my other iPad and that they could be edited on that second device (so anyone importing the story that I created will be able to edit the pictures, text and voice overs to fit that child’s unique needs).
Follow these steps to access the story and view it within the Social Story Creator app:
If you don’t already have the full paid version of this app, then download the free version of the app on your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id588180598
While on that iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch, tap on this link: http://socialstorylibrary.touchautism.com/b48879a1-b082-4982-866f-a5c37c65db02 (Update 6/26/21, updated again 1/17/23. I created a new download link since the old was was no longer working. The share links must be time-limited so feel free to send me a message on my OMazing Kids Facebook page if this link no longer works. I’ll be glad to create a new one as needed)
To download this story you must have the Social Story Creator app installed and then you must click on the link from your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch.
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This social story app is very easy/intuitive to use and many of my patients are highly motivated by anything presented on the iPad (seriously I could show them the same story in printed format, read it to them and might not get much of a response but somehow recording my voice and presenting the same social story via the iPad got a very different response…. Shhhhh….. don’t tell the kids that it’s Mrs. Angela inside the iPad…. lol!).
{50+ Fun Food Apps} Expanding AAC opportunities with kids cooking & food themed apps
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One of the first motivators for many beginning AAC users is to request food. But then sometimes kids get stuck there. One way to move on is to tap into that high interest area by using food and cooking themed apps on a second iPad. Many of these apps are filled with opportunities to target verbs, adjectives, emotions and core vocabulary on their AAC device all centered around a food theme. I went through my app collection and compiled this list with a wide range of ages in mind:
Cooking Fun For Kids: Healthy Playful Recipes, Food Games, and Videos for Kids in the Kitchen by Bean Sprouts by Playrific, Inc., https://appsto.re/us/s19PV.i
Cute Food – Creative Fun with Fruits and Vegetables, Healthy and Funny Meals for Kids by Software Smoothie, https://appsto.re/us/j73QM.i
Kuca Senses by Kuca Boom, https://appsto.re/us/lKmalb.i (new app that has a fun section to feed the character items, see him change color and facial expressions and talk about whether or not he liked it)
Lalaloopsy Diner – A Candy Coated Burgeria, Pizza Party Cooking Game by CUPCAKE DIGITAL INC, https://appsto.re/us/i7Qy2.i
Mini-U: The Kitchen. 6 funny educational mini-games. Color matching, Pattern puzzles, Hidden objects, Music and Sorter games by PopAppFactory, https://appsto.re/us/bIh5P.i
Veggie U A+: My Farm My Table by Veggie U, https://appsto.re/us/cQH35.i (this app has SymbolStix symbols in it so is particularly good for AAC users who have those symbols on their device)
I love using great kids picture books in my work as a SLP and especially like books that invite readers to interact with the story! This new book has fun colorful illustrations and asks the reader to think about what will happen when they turn the page to “splat” what is on the right page on top of what is on the left page. I also love the facial expressions on the emoji-like character…. lol 😂
See a video of the book being read:
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I made a free printable to use as a Play-doh smash mat to go along with this book:
I love bubbles and over my 27+ year career have tried all kinds of different types of bubbles, bubble blowers & bubble containers. I have several “no-spill” containers that kids can use independently but when I want to facilitate requesting and commenting these colored bubble wands are my current faves. I discovered them when I had a young patient with Autism who wanted “big bubbles” and had meltdowns that none of my other bubble options made bubbles big enough. Well these wands can make some really big bubbles if you swish/swoop them through the air just right but can also make tons of small bubbles if you move the wand while blowing into it (they should seriously have a class in the art of bubble blowing in grad school… lol!).
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I stocked up when I saw my favorite bubble wands on clearance for $1.00 per pack of 6 (usually $3.88 per pack) on Sunday at the Walmart Neighborhood Market at 36th Ave NW and Rock Creek Road in Norman, OK. I have one pink bubble wand that I bought at Michael’s for a couple of patients whose favorite color is pink. I’ll just keep refilling it. Should have enough bubbles to carry me through until retirement in 42 weeks. I know I had promised that I wasn’t buying any more therapy stuff but bubbles don’t count since they are consumables (right?).
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Once I open them, I store the bubble wands in an empty rice container since they sometimes leak if laid down flat. I label the container with a large laminated symbol. I cut the smaller symbols apart, laminate & then cut again and store on a small section of plastic file folder in the container. That way the symbols are always with the bubble set to used for Aided Language Stimulation or for the child to request or comment.
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Here is a free printable 1-page color PDF of the symbols:
{App Warning} Heads up….. if you already have the First Blubs app with all of the animals unlocked and like using it in therapy do NOT update the app or remove it from your iPad. If you did not already have that app, do NOT purchase it. They raised the price to a ridiculously high $99.99 to discourage folks from purchasing it and instead steering them to a new app called Speech Blubs (https://appsto.re/us/n0z4jb.i).
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Unfortunately the app developer has chosen to switch to a subscription based model with that new app and are charging $9.99 per month (that’s $119.88 per year folks….. I don’t care what enhancements they may have done there is no way an app like that is worth that amount.). They claim to have received input from parents and SLPs that they would be willing to pay that. I find that extremely hard to believe.
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I expressed my concerns to the app developer in an e-mail on 6/12/17. Since they had not replied, I expressed concern when the developer posted last week in one of the SLP Facebook groups but that post now seems to have disappeared.
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Because they have mentioned OMazing Kids in the description of the new app I feel compelled to make it clear that I do NOT endorse that new app due to the price.
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I totally understand an app developer needing to cover the costs of making an app and making some profit. But I get very angry when I sense that an app developer is trying to take advantage of parents who have a child with special needs. Please do not be enticed into their offer for a free trial since you then may be enrolled in the monthly fee after that free trial has ended.
I submitted the following concerns in a review on the App Store:
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Based on the app developer’s reply that I received in an e-mail from Apple, it is clear that they are sticking with the subscription-based approach and even more concerning imply that the app might be better than the services provided by a SLP:
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Update:
It took a social media blitz to get them to remove the OMazing Kids name from the description for Speech Blubs on the App Store but I just saw they are still using my name on their website and linking back to a post I did last August about the Blub Blub app. I did an update to that post to hopefully force them to quit using the OMazing Kids name on their website, any social media or any app stores (Apple, Google Play, Amazon or any others that might appear in the future). The app developer is luring folks in with the promise of a free short trial and then charging a $9.99 per month subscription fee. They are also misusing the names of several SLP blogs including my own to promote this new app. On their website they include quotes from reviews for the original app and number of users from that app and are trying to pass them off as being related to this new app. I saw that several other folks have written reviews expressing concerns on the App Store. To see them you’ll have to tap “All Reviews” since reviews are hidden there once an app developer releases an update.
They have seriously messed with the wrong speechie…. I am very active and vocal on social media, am in almost every SLP Facebook group that they might try to lure SLPs in and am definitely not afraid to call them out every single time I see them post.
Also see this post on my Facebook page and the comments section on that post:
{App Review + Giveaway} Boo Articulation Helper is a fun new addition to my collection of apps geared towards early speech skills! The Boo character is cute & fun to imitate as he models consonants, vowels or CV combinations. The recent update added the option for American English so the vowels are now appropriate for my patients. I have three iOS app codes to giveaway so keep reading…. giveaway details are at the end of this post 😃.
More about the app: Boo is designed to entice spontaneous repetition of individual speech sounds and simple syllables. At the same time, he phonological awareness, by showing what actions happen in the mouth during articulation.
In the app, you put one or two sound cards in corresponding fields, building a sound or a simple consonant-vowel syllable. Then, Boo articulates the sound or syllable, clearly showing mouth and tongue movements during articulation. This may be enticing for the child to imitate and recognize how the sound syllables are made by tongue and lips. You can record and playback your own sound production for comparison. You can also make Boo go slow, repeat successively, or articulate sound noiselessly. Behind a parental lock you can disable or enable sounds as well as read instructions and tips.
Includes consonants P B T D K G S Z SH CH F V M N L W and vowels EE AH OO as well as British English AW ER and American English EH ER. The very first time you start the app you get to choose between British and American English — after that you can switch between dialects in the settings.
App Store: Boo Articulation Helper – Train Speech Sounds by Bildligt talat AB, https://appsto.re/us/h0hHib.i, $9.99 (price in USA App Store)
There is also a free lite version: Boo Articulation Helper Lite – Train Speech Sounds by Bildligt talat AB, https://appsto.re/us/lV_Mib.i
. App Giveaway: I have three iOS app codes to giveaway.
Enter by 1-2-3:
1) “liking” the original post directly on the OMazing Kids Facebook page: http://bit.ly/2thf0QK
2) “commenting” on that post about why you would like to win this app. Please be specific. I will be choosing winners based on these details to ensure this therapeutic app gets put to the best use.
3) sending a private message to the OMazing Kids Facebook page mentioning “Boo Articulation Helper”
All 3 steps are required to enter.
Entry Deadline: Thursday, 6/29/17 at 5:00pm CST. Depending on the number of entries received, it may take a day or so to verify them and to announce the winners and distribute the codes.
Tips:
* First tap this picture to go to the post directly on OMazing Kids and then like/comment there. I often share posts in groups to spread the word about giveaways but comments posted in a group or likes on those posts do not show up on the original pic and do not count for the giveaway.
I have several patients who have a high interest in trains so this app is sure to get lots of use in OMazing Kids speech therapy. It has a simple intuitive interface and lots to explore. There are several opportunities for core vocabulary for AAC users (in/out, stop/go, fast/slow, on/off, more, etc…) as well as opportunities for other vocabulary and exploration when you stop the train and tap items in the background. Of course this app would need to be on a separate devicethan the one being used for AAC so the child can comment while playing.
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My only wishes for a future app update are adding a way for the train to go in reverse to go back to see an item that passed by too quickly & an option to go directly to areas to add more passengers or cargo.
The app is well priced at $1.99. My guess is that might be a special intro price but will be watching their Facebook page for details.
{App Review & Giveaway} I’m loving the multisensory approach and customization options in the new Lively Letters app! It was exciting to hear that the company decided to keep the app priced at $19.99 so that it will be affordable for teachers, therapists & parents. I have one app code to giveaway so keep reading…. giveaway details are at the end of this post 😃.
There are three activities included in the Lively Letters App:
* The Flashing Activity introduces and teaches letter sounds and speech production. Hear the letter sound, the song, and the letter sound story in English or Spanish. Also see the associated hand and mouth cue photo and practice tracing the letter.
* The Tracking Activity develops letter sounds, phonics, and phonemic awareness skills to improve reading and spelling.
* The Matching Activity is a fun way to practice letter sounds and speech production.
All three activities allow you to select the letters you want to work with, as well as the type of letter. The types of letters are Lively Letters pictures, in lowercase and uppercase, and plain letters, in lowercase or uppercase.
The app offers several options for backgrounds: 6 fun themed backgrounds, 8 solid color backgrounds & the option to import a picture from your device. The solid backgrounds are especially of interest to those of us working with kids with special needs who need a high contrast or clutter-free background. I can also envision the option to import a picture as a custom background being helpful in tapping into kids high interest areas (see pic where I imported Thomas the Train as a background).
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This is a well-designed app that I highly recommend! For those wondering about the $19.99 price, think about what you would spend on letter cards, letter songs, letter tracing apps, a memory match game, etc…. and you will quickly understand the value of the features included in this app and that it is well worth every penny. The app has high quality pictures, illustrations, music & voiceovers. It contains both simple and detailed instructions, the option to set up several users, data collection & option to e-mail results.
I only have three wishes for a future app update:
1. For the entire app to be in “landscape” mode. Currently the app set up screens are in “portrait” mode and then the app switches to “landscape” mode when the user is doing an activity.
2. It would also be nice to have an easy way to toggle between various background options without having to end an activity and start over going though the settings.
3. There needs to be a way to delete a user from the app.
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App Store: Lively Letters – Phonemic Awareness & Phonics by Telian-Cas Learning Concepts Inc, https://appsto.re/us/1xmMib.i, iPad-only, requires iOS 9.0 or later, $19.99 (pricing outside of the USA will vary depending on the exchange rate).
1) “liking” the original post directly on the OMazing Kids Facebook page:
2) “commenting” on that post about why you would like to win this app. Please be specific. I will be choosing winners based on these details to ensure this therapeutic app gets put to the best use.
3) sending a private message to the OMazing Kids Facebook page mentioning “Lively Letters”
All 3 steps are required to enter.
Entry Deadline: Friday, 6/23/17 at 5:00pm CST. Depending on the number of entries received, it may take a day or so to verify them and to announce the winner and distribute the code.
Tips:
* First tap this picture to go to the post directly on OMazing Kids and then like/comment there. I often share posts in groups to spread the word about giveaways but comments posted in a group or likes on those posts do not show up on the original pic and do not count for the giveaway.
*** Note: If you encounter any difficulty in sending a private FB message or posting comments, please try another means of getting on Facebook (FB app, getting on FB via Safari on an iPad or getting on Facebook via a computer.)
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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
Facebook Messaging for OMazing Kids: http://m.me/OMazingKidsYoga
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga
AppPeeps Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OMazingKidsAppPeeps/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad
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Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741
Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad
Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.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 27 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.
OMazing Kids AAC Consulting 