Conversation TherAppy Goals
May 27, 2013 by Tactus Therapy

Aphasia: This app is perfect for aphasia group and individual therapy. Use the Describe question for rich stimuli for Response Elaboration Therapy. Many of the Decide questions require only a single word response, selecting one of the words given as an option, allowing people with aphasia to assert their choices more easily. The Brainstorm questions work on generative naming beyond the simple category level. The goal of using the app could be to self-cue when having word-finding difficulty by tracing the first letter of the word or using a synonym – any question can be used to elicit spontaneous speech to practice strategy use. When people with aphasia move to the sentence and conversation level of therapy, it can sometimes be difficult to come up with things to talk about. This app will be your go-to tool for higher-level therapy.

May 13, 2013 3:19 PM by Megan Sutton for Advance

One of my favorite features of the iPad for people with reading impairments is the ability to read any selected text aloud. This one accessibility tool makes it possible for people with aphasia or dyslexia to listen to emails, websites, and e-books instead of reading them. As an added bonus, the feature can be set to highlight each word as it is read, providing extra therapeutic stimulation. What if the device could also read text from any source? Using OCR (optical character recognition) technology, the text embedded in photographs can be turned into editable text, allowing users to take photos of printed materials, extract the text, and use it just like any other digital writing.

One app that employs OCR technology to recognize text in photos is OCR Scanner by Smart Mobile Software, available on App Store and Google Play. The recognized characters are displayed in plain text that can be copied, emailed, or read aloud within the app. The app works best when the picture only contains text displayed on a plain background. Five scans per day are included in the free app; unlimited scans are available through in-app purchase or you can buy the unlimited version of the app called Mobile OCR Pro for $2.99.
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Incorporated in 2011, Tactus Therapy Solutions was founded to bring the latest technology and proven therapy methods to therapists and people with aphasia and other communication disorders. “Tactus” means touch in Latin, and the touch screen is what makes Tactus Therapy Solutions unique and so easy to use. Based in Vancouver, BC on the west coast of Canada, Tactus Therapy Solutions aims to deliver quality speech, language, and cognitive rehab applications to the world.

Professional Apps for Speech Therapy – Apps for ALL AGES for Rehabilitation & Education

About Our Apps

Tactus Therapy Solutions offers a line of apps for mobile touch-screen devices designed as therapy tools for SLPs & OTs as well as a practice tools for clients affected by communication disorders including:

aphasia
apraxia
dysarthria

A TBI survivor using our apps for ongoing practice to supplement his therapy
cognitive-communication disorders
dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease
brain injury or TBI
stroke
autism or ASD
Down syndrome
developmental delay
other special needs
Our apps provide a range of activities perfect for use in:

Tactus Therapy Solutions

Memory Apps – Smartphones prove to be worthy options as assistive technology for cognition for memory compensation following TBI. This article is by Tracey Wallace, MS, CCC-SLP, posted to Advance Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists.

The app world explosion has opened up new opportunities for people recovering from TBI to cope with memory problems. Smartphone and tablet computer applications are proving to be worthy options as Assistive Technology for Cognition (ATC) for memory compensation following TBI.

In many cases, people already own wireless mobile devices, making installing apps to customize and increase the functionality of a device fast and affordable. However, with countless new apps added every day, sorting through them and finding one that is well matched to a person’s needs, abilities and preferences can be challenging and time consuming.

Remembering Facts
Tools to recall and organize contact information – phone numbers and email addresses – typically come preloaded on wireless devices.

Several apps can enhance the use of these contact tools. Bump allows users to share contact information including photos, phone numbers and email addresses by bumping two devices together. CardMunch can scan a business card and convert it into a contact in the user’s address book, allowing for fast, accurate entry.

Emergency contact apps provide the ability to quickly retrieve critical contact information, making an emergency phone call fast and simple. Emergency contact apps include Unus Tactus, which can also send an email to an emergency contact with a map link showing the location of the user. ICE: Emergency Contact or ICE Alert both include the ability to store basic medical information (e.g., allergies, blood type).

People with TBI often use note-taking as a strategy for recalling information. Notes tools that often come preloaded on wireless devices can record factual personal information and provide instructions on how to check email or perform a therapeutic home exercise program. Devices that have a camera also provide the option to record step-by-step instructions using photos or video.

Evernote is an integrated note-taking app that allows users to take notes and record information through typing, voice-recorded memos, photos and videos which can be organized and synced to multiple devices, as well as shared through email. Inspiration Maps uses graphic organizers with notes to visually map out ideas. Corkulous, a virtual corkboard, can also be used for note-taking because it allows people to organize ideas and information using text and photos.

Some note-taking style apps are designed to record or track very specific types of information, assisting people with managing a variety of personal and medical needs. Water intake trackers and reminders include iDrated and Water Tracker. Additionally, apps like Total Baby or Feed Baby can help parents record a detailed log of their baby’s care, such as feedings, naps and diaper changes.

Future Events
The use of to-do list style applications can be helpful with both memory and planning. Calendar tools often come preloaded on wireless devices and can be expanded by installing to-do list apps. The options range from simple lists that allow a user to check off tasks when they are completed to more complex versions which allow lists to be categorized and prioritized with alarm reminders. Some also sync with a calendar or other devices.

Text based to-do style apps include Air ToDo and GoTasks, Remember the Milk,Pocket Informant, gTasks, Astrid Tasks & To-do List, and Tasks and To-Do with Alerts. Several to-do apps rely on voice and pictures rather than text, increasing access for people with limitations in vision or language. For example a voice to-do list can be created in VoCal, an app that sends alert reminders in the form of voice recordings, and a picture list can be made with Pic List by taking pictures or drawing items and organizing them into lists.

Some to-do style apps remind a user to perform one specific task. For example, Pillboxie allows people to visually manage their medications and schedule reminders to take medications. Similar medication management apps include Rxmind Me Prescription, Med Minder and Pill Reminder which also provides reminders to refill prescriptions.

Pet owners can receive alerts with Feed Me to remind them to feed their dog, as well as perform other pet care tasks such as giving medications or grooming.

Financial management apps, such as Bill Tracker or Bills Reminder, send alerts to help people remember when their bills are due.

Selecting the right app requires more than simply knowing the options available. Apps should be selected based on how well their functions and features match the needs and abilities of the user, taking personal preferences and available resources into consideration.1,2,3 But with so many options to help people cope with memory problems, remembering details about the functions and features of each app can be challenging for clinicians.

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Speech-language pathologists take their practice to a whole new level thanks to SLP apps.

In many cases, people already own wireless mobile devices, making installing apps to customize and increase the functionality of a device fast and affordable. However, with countless new apps added every day, sorting through them and finding one that is well matched to a person’s needs, abilities and preferences can be challenging and time consuming.

Read all about APPS.

Apps help caregivers coordinate medical care, and more
By JIM FITZGERALD, Associated Press
April 23, 2013, 1:26 pm
NBCNews.com

As her mother and father edged toward dementia, Nancy D’Auria kept a piece of paper in her wallet listing their medications.

It had the dosages, the time of day each should be taken and a check mark when her folks, who live 10 miles away, assured her the pills had been swallowed.

“I work full time so it was very challenging,” said D’Auria, 63, of West Nyack, N.Y.

Now she has an app for that. With a tap or two on her iPhone, D’Auria can access a “pillbox” program that keeps it all organized for her and other relatives who share in the caregiving and subscribe to the app.

“I love the feature that others can see this,” D’Auria said. “I’m usually the one who takes care of this, but if I get stuck, they’re all up to date.”

From GPS devices and computer programs that help relatives track a wandering Alzheimer’s patient to iPad apps that help an autistic child communicate, a growing number of tools for the smartphone, the tablet and the laptop are catering to beleaguered caregivers. With the baby boom generation getting older, the market for such technology is expected to increase.

The pillbox program is just one feature of a $3.99 app called Balance that was launched last month by the National Alzheimer Center, a division of the Hebrew Home at Riverdale in the Bronx.

“We thought there would be an opportunity here to reach caregivers in a different way,” said David Pomerantz, executive vice president of the Hebrew Home. “It would be a way to reach people the way people like to be reached now, on their phone.”

The app also includes sections for caregiving tips, notes for the doctor and the patient’s appointments, plus a “learning section” with articles on aspects of Alzheimer’s and an RSS feed for news about the disease.

Mended Hearts, an organization of heart patients and their caregivers, is about to start a program to reach caregivers by texting tips to their phones.

“We hope this will be the beginning of several patient- and caregiver-based texting programs that reach people where they are,” said executive director Karen Caruth.

One of the most popular online tools for caregivers is one of the oldest: the message board, available all over the Internet and heavily used by caregivers of dementia and autism patients, who perhaps can’t find the time for conventional support groups.

Some tools are not specific to a particular disease or condition.

CareFamily, which prescreens in-home caregivers and matches them to customers over the Internet, has online tools that let a family remotely monitor a caregiver’s attendance, provide reminders about medications and appointments, and exchange care plans and notes via email, texting or phone.

“We’re in the infancy of what technology can do for caregiving and it’s only going to grow,” said Beth Kallmyer, a vice president at the Alzheimer’s Association.

But she cautioned that it’s too soon to depend entirely on online tools.

“It’s not a good fit for everybody,” she said. “When you’re looking at people impacted by Alzheimer’s disease, including some caregivers, you’re looking at an older population that might not be comfortable. We always have to remember technology is great — when it works.”

Read original article by Clicking Here .

Free Apps for People with Aphasia: The SmallTalk™ Apps are Updated and Ready for Download from Lingraphica, The Aphasia Company™.

SmallTalk™ . . . BIG Update

New updates to all 13 of the SmallTalk apps are now available on the App Store. By updating your SmallTalk apps (or downloading them for the first time), you can expect to see:
A new elegant, sleek design
A better experience for iPad users
Easier navigation within the apps
The SmallTalk Family of Free Apps offers extreme portability when practicing your speech and communicating on the go. SmallTalk apps use the same icons, voices, and videos found in our speech-generating devices.

Call Lingraphica is The Aphasia Company™. today with any questions at 888-274-2742 or click here to start downloading the SmallTalk Family of Free Apps!

What is Verbally?
Verbally is an amazing, comprehensive assisted speech solution for the iPad. Verbally is a top-selling Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) iPad app and it’s totally free. Unlike all other AAC solutions available, Verbally’s unique, simple design allows users to communicate quickly and effectively in any setting.

Verbally enables creative communication, self-expression, and, most importantly, conversation.

Why choose Verbally?
Ease & Speed
Core Words Grid offers over 50 essential words, which can save you over 50% of the taps required to input your sentences
Core Phrases Grid offers a dozen common phrases to enable faster & easier conversation
Text Prediction that learns the words & names you use and makes entering your thoughts significantly faster than typing
Customization
Three Keyboard Layouts so that you can find the one that’s best for you
Choice of Male or Female Voices
Cost & Convenience
Free App!
No WiFi or 3G connection required
Is Verbally for me?
Verbally is an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) app for speaking unique thoughts and feelings, designed to minimize keystrokes and to maximize ease & speed. Verbally is an invaluable communication aid for people with apraxia, ALS, stroke, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s, or muscular dystrophy.
How do I use Verbally?
Just download Verbally from the iTunes app store. Then, just use your finger or stylus to tap your sentence into the text box & tap speak. It’s that easy!

For more information on how to use Verbally, Click on , Features.

SPOT A STROKE F.A.S.T.
F.A.S.T. is an easy way to remember the sudden signs and symptoms of a stroke. When you can spot the signs, you’ll know quickly that you need to call 9-1-1 for help. This is important because the sooner a stroke victim gets to the hospital, the sooner they’ll get treatment. And that can make a remarkable difference in their recovery.

The F.A.S.T. Mobile App can help you identify the signs of a stroke F.A.S.T.

DOWNLOAD in I-Tunes

Locabulary is an iPhone app developed for augmentative and alternative communication. Words and phrases are made available based on your GPS location. Custom lists of phrases can be stored on the iPhone, and also in the Locabulary Cloud, so you never have to worry about losing your hard work. You can also share lists with others, and download lists they’ve shared. With Locabulary, you can easily speak the right words in the right place.

“Locabulary”, available for download free through Apple’s iTunes Store allows individuals with communication disabilities to their iPhone to speak when they are unable. Created by an collaboration between a team of clinicians at the MDA clinic at Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, AL and the design firm PUSH Product Design; the Locabulary application transforms the iPhone into an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device by making groups of words available to the user depending on their location at the time. Locabulary allows users to construct sentences by manipulating the touch screen on their iPhone to select from menus of location-specific words. The phone then speaks the selected words. The Locabulary features two different text sizes; a quick-phrase list containing general conversation words; an assistance list that allows users to ask for help; a moods list permitting users to broadcast their current mood status; and is compatible with iPhone and iPod Touch.

Locabulary Lite is a free app through I-Tunes. See I-Tunes for cost of Locabulary Pro.