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
New Articulation App: Apraximations – Mouth Cues by Alissa Holloway
I was thrilled to see that the full version of this app was finally released! I especially like the matching game and the free build option. It’s great to have another tool in my speechie toolkit to help kids who are at the very early stage of learning about production of speech sounds. I used the “free build” screen to show a patient side by side differences between his target sound vs. error sound. I saw him have an “ah ha” moment and get a couple of correct productions in imitation. Having the voice output paired with each visual was what helped. He kept tapping, looking and listening and then on his own imitated the target sound. He sustained attention much longer than I’ve ever gotten him to look at my mouth.
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Wishes for a future app update: It would be cool to have short video clips of each sound in addition to the pictures and then be able to select which you want to use on each activity screen.
Available at a discounted price of $16.99 for 4 apps (Speech Therapy for Apraxia – 4 Pack by Blue Whale Apps Inc, https://appsto.re/us/2m9Obb.i) or individually at $4.99 each.
http://www.nacd.org/products/speech-therapy-for-apraxia-app/
Developed by the National Association for Child Development team, including a certified speech-language pathologist, this app provides choices of different phonemes to target and moves through a progression of levels that challenge motor planning for speech. Working at the syllable level, it begins at the production of single syllables and progresses through increasingly difficult production sequences all the way to the production of sequences of random syllables.
Features
Choose from 8 different consonant groups (for a total of 19 consonant sounds) to target.
For each group, choose the level at which to practice.
Detailed instructions explain how to choose an appropriate consonant group and practice level.
Moves through a logical progression of 8 different levels for motor planning for speech.
Illustration and audio provided for each syllable.
Option to repeat levels, reset, or move to next level.
Can also be used for straight articulation drill for particular phonemes.
Speech Therapy for Apraxia – Words by Blue Whale Apps Inc
Developed by the National Association for Child Development team, including a certified speech-language pathologist, this app practices articulation at the word level and is a follow-up to the syllable-based app, Speech Therapy for Apraxia. This app provides choices of different patterns of articulation within words and moves through a progression of levels that challenge motor planning for speech. It begins at the production of single words with easier patterns of articulation and progresses through increasingly more difficult production sequences all the way to the production of sequences of random words.
Features
Choose from 9 different word groups to target.
Words are categorized according to place of articulation of the phonemes and pattern of articulation within the word.
For each group, choose the level at which to practice.
Detailed instructions explain how to choose an appropriate word group and practice level.
Moves through a logical progression of 8 different levels for motor planning for speech.
Illustration and audio provided for each word.
Option to repeat levels, reset, or move to next level.
Can also be used for straight articulation drill for particular types of phonemes.
Speech Therapy for Apraxia – 2 Syllable Words by Blue Whale Apps Inc
Developed by the National Association for Child Development team, including a certified speech-language pathologist, this app practices articulation of 2-syllable words. Words are organized according to place of articulation of the first and second consonant sounds, and users move through a progression of levels that challenge motor planning for speech. As with the “Words” app, it begins with the production of single words with easier patterns of articulation and progresses through increasingly more difficult production sequences all the way to the production of sequences of random words.
Features
Choose from 9 different word groups to target.
Words are categorized according to place of articulation of the phonemes and pattern of articulation within the word.
For each group, choose the level at which to practice.
Detailed instructions explain how to choose an appropriate word group and practice level.
Moves through a logical progression of 8 different levels for motor planning for speech.
Illustration and audio provided for each word.
Option to repeat levels, reset, or move to next level.
Can also be used for straight articulation drill for particular types of phonemes.
Developed by the National Association for Child Development team, including a certified speech-language pathologist, the Endings app provides choices of different phoneme groups to target in vowel + consonant (VC) syllables. It is organized just like our original app, Speech Therapy for Apraxia, except now the target sounds are in the final position!
Features
Choose from 6 different consonant groups (for a total of 19 consonant sounds) to target.
For each group, choose the level at which to practice.
Detailed instructions explain how to choose an appropriate consonant group and practice level.
Moves through a logical progression of 8 different levels for motor planning for speech.
Illustration and audio provided for each syllable.
Option to repeat levels, reset, or move to next level.
Can also be used for straight articulation drill for particular phonemes.
My thoughts about the apps: I like how these apps target very specific skills in small steps in a progression towards improving speech intelligibility. By offering these as four separate apps the developer is providing the opportunity for parents and SLPs to purchase the ones that they need at that moment at an affordable price. But if you anticipate needing all four apps, I recommend getting them in the bundle to get a discount. At this point in time I have not received clarification regarding what the in-app purchase for data collection is supposed to provide so I don’t recommend getting that in any of the apps.
{App Review} Speech That Works by Sunshine Cottage School For Deaf Children is a fabulous app designed by a team of speech-language pathologists. It has several features that make it particularly useful when working with kids with apraxia, hearing impairment or those needing to target vowels, consonants in single syllables or other areas not typically included in most artic apps. This app was developed with strategies to enhance motor speech planning and automaticity. It’s definitely a blessing to have this as part of my SLP toolkit!
What’s unique that I love about this app:
Suprasegmental targets for duration, intensity, and pitch.
Vowels in isolation, repetitions, alternations, and words.
Consonants in isolation, single syllables, repetitions and alternations in addition to all positions in words, phrases & sentences.
The phrase generator allows you to select a person+’s (or “my”), a color and then a word containing the target phoneme.
The sentences contain two words with the target phoneme.
Includes all of the types of vocalic /r/.
Each blend can be targeted separately.
Includes final consonant clusters formed when words have grammatical marker endings.
Nursery rhymes loaded with each consonant target sound.
Data can be sorted for a patient by date or by sound goal and can be filtered with a start and end date (great for quickly being able to find data for a specific reporting period) and e-mailed.
Elicitation techniques and carryover activities are provided for some sounds.
The only wish I have for a future app update would be the addition of a section for minimal contrast pairs for vowels at the word level since I have had a couple of patients with very funky vowel errors and in my quest to find materials to target this in therapy found very little (only a few cards from the Contrasts for Auditory and Speech Training (CAST) (http://www.linguisystems.com/products/product/display?itemid=10229) and a couple of reading apps targeting short vowels).
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App Tutorial:
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A few screenshots:
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App Store:https://appsto.re/us/Y6Fu3.i, iOS 6.0 or later, Universal app, $49.99 -> currently on sale for $29.99 until 5/31/16 for Better Hearing & Speech Month.
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Here are a few tips:
* iOS App Store prices often change at 10:00pm CST (adjust for your time zone) but can change at any time with no notice. So it’s always wise to get the apps you want quickly and always verify the price before downloading an app.
* I always verify app prices in the USA App Store at the time I do a post. Prices in other countries will vary depending on the exchange rate. I have no way to verify prices or whether or not an app is available in other countries.
* 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.
* I only post about iOS (Apple) apps since I only have an iPad & iPhone.
* I only post about apps that I have actually downloaded and tried out. There are LOTS of apps out there but only a handful earn a spot in the limited real estate on my iPad. Even with a 128GB iPad Air I am still constantly playing the “app shuffle”.
This fun book app version of the classic Dr. Seuss “Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?” by Oceanhouse Media has great opportunities for repetitive simplified approximations for early speech sounds: moo, bu (buzz), paw (pop), la -or- op (klop), e (eek), doo (cock-a-doodle-doo), whoo, a (rain), i (dibble), aw (drop), oo oo (choo choo), ih (tick), aw (tock), naw (knock), um (gum), pih -or- ip (pip), boo (boom). And imitation of lip positions for some of the harder words: lip rounding for the horn blowing, lip licking for cat slurping, lip smacking for fish kiss.
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The app isn’t free but is definitely worth it with all the sound effects, ability to go directly to any page within the book and option to use in-app recording to record the child (currently $3.99, iOS Universal – works on iPad, iPhone or iTouch, https://appsto.re/us/Ic-0z.i).
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 25 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 and tech products to use with kids of all abilities.
Zoo animal, jungle animals, farm animals, and pets! We love singing about animals, the sounds they make, and the things they can (and can’t) do. The Super Simple Songs – Animals DVD features 12 animal songs, including YouTube favorites, “Hickory, Dickory…Crash!” “Walking In The Jungle,” and “The Animals On The Farm.” Perfect for watching at home, in the classroom, or on the go. Along the way, kids will learn about other topics such as counting, parts of the body, basic time telling, animal sounds, and action verbs. It’s animals, made super fun and super simple! Recommended for children ages 3 and up.
Product Details:
Format: NTSC
Label: Super Simple Learning
Run Time: 31 minutes
Language: English
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Here’s what I love about the DVD:
nice slow pace (the only exception is when the Animals on the Farm song gets faster & faster at the end).
repetitive & predictable lines in the songs.
nice heavy beat.
most encourage movement.
pleasant vocals & melodies (parents, teachers & therapists will appreciate tunes that won’t drive you crazy to hear again & again).
high quality graphics.
has the potential to be incorporated in so many different ways! Parents, early childhood educators, special educators, ELL teachers, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, kids yoga teachers, PE teachers & more could all find ways to incorporate this DVD.
Here are a few ideas I have from the perspective of aSLP & kids yoga teacher:
Good Morning Mr. Rooster could be used to start the child’s day or start a class or therapy session. Many of the patients I see thrive on having routines and respond well to songs to help with transitions.
Let’s Go to the Zoo, Walking in the Jungle, Yes I Can! & Wag Your Tail all depict specific movements. Some even have a split screen with an animal on one side and the character on the other both doing the same movement. This could easily be incorporated into goals for gross motor imitation.
Hickory Dickory – Crash! has 6 animals starting with a tiny mouse. Each animal is bigger than the next. Love the stretched out ending to allow kids time to predict what might happen.
My Teddy Bear incorporates counting & body parts. I love how the video zooms in on each body part.
I have a Pet would be fun to incorporate into goals for imitation of animal sounds & vocabulary.
Yes, I Can! would be fun to target answering yes/no questions either verbally or via AAC.
Mary Had a Kangaroo would be fun to target adjectives.
The Animals on the Farm would be another one to target animal sounds. This song does speed up so the last portion may not be appropriate for kids who are easily over stimulated.
What Do You Hear? would be a fun way to target listening & talking about “I hear a ______” via PECS, AAC or verbally.
Wag Your Tail would be fun to target “fast / slow”.
After A While Crocodile is a nice soothing song that would work well to end a class or therapy session. Again using a song to ease that transition.
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Video Listing
01. Good Morning, Mr. Rooster
07. Yes, I Can!
02. Let’s Go To The Zoo
08. Mary Had A Kangaroo
03. Walking In The Jungle
09. The Animals On The Farm
04. Hickory Dickory…Crash!
10. What Do You Hear?
05. My Teddy Bear
11. Wag Your Tail
06. I Have A Pet
12. After A While, Crocodile
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DVD Trailer:
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FREE printables
One of my favorite things about Super Simple Songs is their website full of amazing FREE printables:
They also have the songs available on a CD and on iTunes. I’ve had it for several years and it is one of my faves in OMazing Kids speech therapy & kids yoga classes!
Disclaimer: I received a free sample of this product to facilitate my review. Opinions expressed are my own. Starting in 2013, a new component of reviews & giveaways hosted on OMazing Kids is that a review will be added on Amazon.com (for products sold on that site). See my Amazon profile at: https://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A1JKVLELLSX7FD?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_aya_bb_pdp.
This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Ashley Light in Florida for the winning entry.
International entries are allowed for this giveaway. However, the DVD is only available in English.
Easy Entry Form:
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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 April 12, 2015.
Rules of Participation:
Must be 18 years or older with a valid e-mail address.
One entry per person.
International entries are allowed for this giveaway. However, the DVD is only available in English.
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 winners will be chosen from valid entries on April 13, 2015.
1 winner will receive one copy of the DVD.
The winner will be notified via e-mail, their name 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 or phone number. 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 & phone number will be forwarded to the company and they will be mailing the prizes directly to the winners. Super Simple Songs will send the DVD via Amazon Standard Shipping. It will take about six weeks to arrive overseas. About a week to USA addresses.
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: $12.99
Other Legal Stuff: I know it’s just a kids DVD 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.
Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP, IAYT, RCYP-2
Speech-Language Pathologist
Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities
OMazing Kids LLC is an organization that promotes inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities. The blog and social media pages share information about books, DVD’s, CD’s, games and other products specifically designed for kids wellness, mindfulness and relaxation, product reviews & giveaways, lesson plan & activity ideas, research, kids wellness in the news and a connection corner with listings of individuals doing adapted yoga and those offering trainings.
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