App Review: Apraxia Ville!

This app from Smarty Ears has been MUCH anticipated by me.  I could not wait to try it out with my apraxia kiddos.  If you are needing something that's engaging for your young kids and that targets the appropriate areas for apraxia, then you are going to loooovvvee this one!  :)

Check out Apraxia Ville!

It uses a cute farm theme and provides lots of visual support.  On the main page you have the option to choose Quick Play, Select Player, view Reports/Homework, or Support.

* Quick Play allows you to jump right in to the game without designating the data to any specific player (good for when your student is screaming, and you're just trying to do anything to get him to engage in something lol).

* When you Select Player, it brings you to the student screen that gives you the chance to input your students.  You can do this via Therapy Report Center or add them yourself.  Just click a player to select, and you can select up to 4 players in a group.

Here is the activity main page that includes 3 levels of games:

The settings even allow you to customize the word lists to your liking.  You can add your own pictures and words as well.

• The Sound Windows activity is great for kids beginning to practice CV sounds.  They can watch and listen to the avatars use correct production of consonant sounds and vowel sounds.  The productions are very clear.  You can even see their tongues and teeth move to the correct positions.  To change phonemes just click on the wooden letter below the pic!  

One of my favorite features is the little camera at the top right corner.  If you have an iPad with a front-facing camera, pressing it will cause the camera to pop up in the window!  Kids can watch themselves practice their sounds.  Yes, that's me practicing my /l/ sound...haha Sorry, it was the end of the day.  

• The Farm House activity moves toward real word production.  You can customize for each student.  Choose whether to target CV, VC, or CVC words, the desired phonemes, and the desired vowel sounds.

Once each is selected, it brings you to the farm house screen.  Isn't it cute?  Above each student's avatar is green, yellow, and red buttons you can tally on.  Click the avatars to switch between turns.  

Clicking the magnifying glass over the faces in the bottom window will take you right back to the Sound Windows screen.  Or you can watch them produce the sounds here and change between the phonemes by clicking the letter.  Click the red circle to record and green triangle to play back.

• The Words Farm activity lets students practice 2 or 3 words together.  They can practice the same words, different words, same phonemes, or different phonemes.  The screens are very customizable.

Clicking on the letters allows you to choose the phonemes to target.  Kids can also record themselves by touching the red circle.  The therapist can tally next to the child's picture.  Hit "done" anytime you are ready to finish.

* Reports and Homework - This app gives a really good break down of data in the report center.  You can view the consonant productions, vowel productions, and overall accuracies.

Share the data by opening the reports in an email or simply transfer it to TRC (a free Smarty Ears app).

Another AWESOME feature is the ability to produce and print a customized homework packet!  Just email it to yourself, print, and hand out to your students.   

What I dig about this app:

- The targets are appropriate for young children with apraxia (CV, CVC)

- It gives LOTS of visual and auditory support and cues

- The option to open the camera in the app to view yourself making the productions

- HOMEWORK feature!

- You can use it with up to 4 kids in one group at the same time.

- Quick play option for if you need to quickly get some productions in.

What might make this app better:

- Ummmm....it's pretty awesome the way it is.  It might be cool for more game-like options such as memory matching, etc.  Kids get bored quickly lol.  

You can grab this app HERE in iTunes for $21.99.  Totally worth it in my opinion.  

Don't Break the Ice Round-Up (with a new pack)!

So I took a little bloggy break last week, but I'm back!  I'm so excited to show you my latest download.  I've had several requests for it, so I'm hoping you'll love it too!  :)

Many of you have purchased my Don't Break the Ice Articulation pack.  I'm hoping your kids have had as much fun with it as mine.  :)  They ask to play it a lot!  From preK to 5th grade - they ALL ask.  Lol.  If you aren't familiar with how I adapted this game, please see this post.

Here is Don't Break the Ice - PreK style!!  It includes visuals for the early developing sounds.  Take a looksy!

The pictures are tiny because the ice cubes on the game are tiny.  They still work perfectly to me.  This packet includes pictures for the following sounds: /m, b, p, t, d, n, w, h, k, g, f/.   This pack would also benefit your early elementary kids who still need to work on these sounds.

I've also included a picture key for each sound at the bottom of the page.  This will be a great addition for my little bitty kiddies!

Articulation isn't the only thing you can work on with this game.  You can use these pictures to practice describing, vocabulary, categories, same/different, etc.  Sort them however you wish!  :)

I've also created a Sight Word edition for Don't Break the Ice.  Check it out!

It includes Dolche sight words for pre-primer, primer, first grade, second grade, and third grade.  This would be a great way to practice reading their sight words at home.

You can grab any of these three packs at my TPT store!  Click on the links to find them:  Articulation pack, PreK pack, Sight Word pack.

Some of you were also asking how I organize all of these little cards, since there are SO many.  :)

Weeelll, I get those small snack size ziplock bags and label each sound on the bag with a sharpie.  I separate all of the cards into each bag.  That way, I can quickly pull the sounds I need for that group.  Since the words are different colors based on sounds, the kids know which color is theirs, and they are responsible for putting all of their sounds back into the designated baggie before they leave speech.

I keep all of these bags in a large gallon size ziplock with the instructions inside.

What do y'all think?  Do you play this game in your speech rooms?

**I'm also ready to give a copy of ALL 3 packs to a follower to be chosen at random.  Just comment below to enter, and I'll pick a winner tomorrow!  :)  Good luck!

Apraxia Packet for Early Sounds

I am so excited about this packet!  It's taken me a while to put together, but it's finally finished!  After completing the Apraxia Packet for Later Sounds, I got some great feedback from several therapists as to how they address apraxia in younger students.  I also had some awesome proofers for this packet that gave me some great suggestions (ahem Jenna!).  Check it out!

Here's what's included in the packet:

• 9 Game boards to practice syllable and vowel combinations as well as rate of speech.  They target bilabials as well as alveolars.

• Functional vocabulary cards for bilabials, alveolars, and multisyllabic words.

These cards can be used with the blank game board enclosed or using just the cards themselves.

• There are also some wild cards that will make you put all your cards back!

• Motor planning cards for the deletion of initial or final consonant cards targeting /p, b, m, t, d, n, f, l/.  These are phrases in which the first word ends with the same sound the next word begins with, making it easier to motor plan.  

• Vowel/syllable drill cards

• Carrier phrases to be used with the fish cards, helping with the planning of connected speech.

• Pacing strips to give visual support to rate of speech.  My apraxic student tends to mumble a lot.  Having a visual really helps him with slowing his rate down.

Hope this packets helps some of your apraxic and severe articulation kids!  You can grab it at my TPT store HERE.   

What kind of goals do you target with your apraxic students?

PS: I'll give a free copy of this packet to the first 2 blog followers that comment with their email!  You can press the "join this site" button on the righthand side of my blog to become a follower.   :)

Apraxia Packet for Later Sounds

This year I have one student with apraxia.  He's in 5th grade.  Although he has significant academic difficulties, his apraxia of speech makes it very difficult for others to understand him.  Many of the apraxia materials I've seen are geared toward younger kids, so this next packet was much needed for me.

After lots of research, here's what I put together.  Check it out!

There are 4 game boards to practice syllables and rate of speech.  You start out slowly then gradually increase speed.  The packet also includes 2 blank boards to use with any syllable combination or with other cards.

There are also sentences with increasing lengths to help with motor planning.  They focus on /r, s, l, k/. Sometimes I have my student highlight the letter of the focus sound in each card before he reads the sentence (wow...that was a lot of prepositional phrases in a row).  

My student is constantly deleting final consonants in words, especially /r/ and /s/.  These next sentences help him to practice articulating those sounds by the following initial sound being the same.  There are sets for /r, s, k, g/.  You can also use these if they delete initial consonants.

Most kids with apraxia have difficulty with vowels and repeating syllable combinations, which affects their diadochokinetic rates.  There is a set of 4 cards for syllable drills.

Multi-syllabic words are also a huge problem.  I've included a set of 4 cards with words of varied stress patterns.

Anyway, these are just some things that I've found effective with my older apraxic student after much digging and research.  :)  Maybe you'll find it useful too.  Check it out at my TPT store HERE!

Stayed tuned for a packet geared toward younger apraxic kiddos soon!