APP-Y HOUR: Bubbles

Bubbles (.99 cents)

Totally worth the money. I have used this app for EVERYTHING! I use this app with children who are unfamiliar with the iPad.  I have had a lot of success with teaching skills used, such as drag/tap with the appropriate pressure.

Reinforcement (earn the game)

**Teach pre-iPad skills (drag and tap with the appropriate amount of force/pressure)

Articulation: (labial facial control, mandibular control, lingual control)

         -"Pop" 

         -"More" 

         -"oh-no", "uh-oh"

        -"Me"

Language:

         -Turn taking (You make bubbles, I make bubbles)

         -Requests (More bubbles please!)

         -WH?

Pop-on friends.

APP-Y HOUR: Glowcoloring

Glowcoloring

I love to use this with one of my school aged clients.  We practice writing spelling words, and she loves to pick a color to write in (one only, otherwise we would be picking colors ALL day!)

This is a great app not only for free-hand drawing, but for coloring/worksheets! Yes. You can import any picture from your photo album and bam! Boring old sheet because super fun and exciting with colors and stamps.  I use Dropbox to store all my exciting papers.

What are you waiting for. "Glow" and download it!

APP-Y HOUR: Questionit

Questionit (LITE/$24.99)

Users answer: who, what doing, where, when questions.  There are different areas to answer these questions: sorting, sentences (basic/advanced) and paragraphs.    Within the areas there are 3 levels.  Level (1) is easy and color coded for easier sorting, Level (2) is medium as only the borders are color coded and Level (3) is the hardest with no color hint.

I have used this with various students (preschool, school aged, adolescent and even adults!) The school aged students don't even know they're learning "WH" questions and categorization skills! We are able to learn and have fun.

Can you believe they pay me to have fun?!

APP-Y HOUR: BabyDJ

BabyDJ (FREE + additional songs for purchase $.99 cents)

Welcome to Club Speech!

BabyDJ is 9 animals in colored circles.  Each has their own unique sound.  Tape a variety of animals and create your own jam.  Record it. Dance around!

Great in collaboration with teachings animals and colors.

LANGUAGE: Where do they live? What has feathers?, match animals to picture cards, follow directions (press the animal with a long nose, press the animal in a red circle).

Make your song and dance like the different animals!

APP-Y HOUR: Token Board

Token Board ($3.99 iTunes,)

Story unrelated to review, scroll down to find what you came here for:
Personally, I have always had success with a token board.  (Sometimes not TOO much, but enough to be headed in the right direction).

During my student teaching stint, children with autism would come to speech with their laminated boards in tow.  They moved 5 "pieces" or "tokens" (spongebob, thomas, etc.) in order to earn what they desired (bubbles, a *BIG* potato chip, cookies, beanbag, etc.) It would change from day to day depending on what they felt like.

After graduation and my CF started, on my caseload was a child who would not listen! No matter how many bubbles I blew, or stickers I offered he was self directed.  I came across "Token Board" and thought $3.99?! No way.  I own a laminator. Construction paper. Glue. Velcro. I will make my own!

Days past and here I am under the table with this child, promising him that if he accepts the PROMPT facial cues I will blow bubbles until the cows come home!

Weeks later another child gets added to my caseload more self directed than the last.  He runs out of the room. Cries. Face plants into the couch.  Rolls on the floor. Hits his mother. Demands "OUK!"

WHY HAVEN'T I MADE THAT !@#$%^&* board.  I cave. I buy it instead of being Martha Stewart, I am Daddy Warbucks (+ hair).

REVIEW:

I LOVE THIS APP.  I use it for a variety of clients and it allows me to instantly change what we work for.  Oh you want to work for bubbles? No problem.  Changed your mind to "Elefun"? Not a problem! Oh you want to work for chips? Hmm...I don't seem to have a picture of that, let me just ::SNAP:: insert new picture, TA-DA!

Best part, my self directed clients are so happy to be "playing" on the iPad they forget what they were refusing to do in the first place.  They love the different celebrations when they achieve the desired number of trials.  Horns play.  Man yells, "congratulations!".  My little ones are excited and eager to work, I mean play.

You are able to customize not only what you are trying to earn, but how many trials it will take.  Need some instant gratification 1.  Want to try more, 10?  

Ready. Set. Enjoy!

APP-Y HOUR: Fuzzy Friend Leonard

Fuzzy Friend LITE/.99cents

I saw this on Pinterest and thought, "Sure let me try it.  Maybe my 3 year olds will use it for a couple of minutes."

All my boys 3-4 years old LOVE THIS APP.  I had to buy the rest of his activities.  Leonard is a silly monster that plays with a pinwheel, balloons, bubbles, eats a sandwich, drinks soda and takes the occasional nap.


This interactive app allows the user to blow the pinwheel, pop the balloon/bubbles, tickle Leonard and wake him up.  Leonard repeats what you say back and takes a nibble at your finger if you try to poke him.  The boys love to pop the balloon and scare him.

Articulation/PROMPT:
pop, oh-no, ha-ha, eat, Shhhhhh, nap, wheeeee

Language:
WH?, Follow directions

Totally worth .99 cents!

APP-Y HOUR: Lazoo

LAZOO: let's color (FREE!)
LAZOO: squiggles (FREE!)

That's right folks. Free. This is another triple threat: articulation. language, pragmatics.

Tell your occupational therapist friends! Drawing shapes/lines to create a picture that is put into motion.  Wonderful app to work on a variety of goals.

Articulation: Tons of pictures with many possible words to work on.  At the end of drawing you press the "go" button and your picture is animated!

Language: WH? (What's coming out of the hose? What color? yada yada yada)

Pragmatics: Turn taking, **spoiler alert** there is a picture of a toliet, and you can flush whatever you'd like down.  It tells you to "draw poops".  Personally, I avoid this one picture.  But there are certain situations where this would work (i.e. potty training, fear of pooping).

Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch? What about an app!?

APPY-Y HOUR: Toca Boca Doctor

Toca Boca Doctor:$1.99

Best part about this app; there is a LITE version.  Try it out and when you love it splurge and buy it!

I use this app with my 3 year olds (mainly boys).  They can't get enough of it.  It's great for speech and occupational therapy.  There are various games that you play and help fix a patient.  Bloody nose. Shots. Cuts/Scrapes. Lice. Indigestion. Broken bones. Splinters.

Yes this game has a gross factor component.  But it makes me laugh (side effect of hanging out with preschoolers all day).  Be prepared to hear some rude body noises (burps & farts) and see some cartoonish blood.

This is a versatile app. It's a triple threat: articulation, language pragmatics.

Articulation/PROMPT lexicon for mandibular control, labial-facial control and anterior lingual control:

boo-boo, oh-no, out, put, on, ow/owie, tap, man, head, eat, feed, need

Language:
WH? (What happened? What do we need to do? What color band-aide? Who do you ask for help when you're hurt?)
Expressive: "I need help" (the mazes are a little tricky for the younger kids, great way to request assistance!)
Receptive: Make matches, find the same shape during puzzle activities

Pragmatics:
"Excuse me" (good for providing a script! Everyone makes silly sounds, just have manners and say "excuse me" when you do)
Social Story pairing for going to the doctor/dentist.

"SOUND OFF"

Our bodies sound off all the time.

What noises we can make!

It happens when we're fast asleep,

or when we're wide awake.

Hands clap and slap, and fingers snap.

We cough and sneeze and snore.

Our hungry stomach growl for food,

then rumble for some more.

Our feet tap and our bones go pop.

Our lips smack and they slurp.

But most unusual of all

is when our bottoms burp!

Susan D. Anderson

(From Miles of Smiles 

edited by Bruce Lansky

illustrated by stephen carpenter)

APP-Y HOUR: Toca Boca Tea Party

Toca Tea Party $1.99

Out of the hundreds of apps I have downloaded, this is my favorite!

Invite 3 people (or stuffed animals) to a lovely tea party.  Set the table with plates and cups, choose snacks and enjoy! During the party you can make spills and clean up the mess.  Everyone at the party can simultaneously play!

I haven't met anyone that does not enjoy this app! All my preschoolers beg for "tea party"! We have so much fun, and I can integrate both language and articulation goals into the game.

Language: Answer "WH" questions (What color plate? What do you want to drink? What do you want to eat?)

                Ask "WH" questions **the dreaded will "comprehend and use "WH" and yes/no questions** The way I have elicited questions from my students is through some tough love.  When they try to give me a dessert I reply "I don't want that" until they finally ask, "What you want?"**

               
Pragmatics/manners (Only eat off your plate, offer tea/food to the other guests/asking questions).

I have recently become PROMPT trained.  I have created a brief lexicon to use for this app:

Mandibular: /a/, /ae/, /u/, /o/
Labial-Facial: /o/, /i/, /u/
Anterior Lingual: /t/, /d/, /n/, /s/

me, tea, two/to/too, need, one, eat, oh-no, oopps, set, put, on

In the wise words of Marier-Antionette, "Let them eat cake!"