Appy New Year from Speechie Apps: My Top 10 Apps of 2014

Appy almost new year from Speechie Apps! We’re getting ready to kick off 2015, but it would be a shame to ignore all the great apps we SLPs used in 2014. To celebrate, YappGuru.com is hosting an “Expert Linky Party” (click to see details) with a great group of app review bloggers from around the world. We’re all sharing our top 10 apps we’ve used and recommended in 2014. This is a brief compilation of the ones I personally have been using and showing the most at work and in presentations over the past year, in no particular order…

STAC

Oh hey – I’m back! I have been meaning to review this app for months. I’m *finally* getting around to it and quite excited to share. After all, it’s a pretty rare tool – not only is it an assessment app, but it’s for adults AND it’s fully standardized. As far as I’m aware, it’s the only one of it’s kind.

App: Standardized Touchscreen Assessment of Cognition (STAC)

What It Is: An app for standardized assessment of cognitive/linguistic function in adults. By Cognitive Innovations.

Conversation TherAppy

Oh, my. Has it really been over six months since I’ve done an app review? Time to get back on track! Update on me: I’ve switched from acute inpatient to a rehab facility (rehab, SNF, LTC). There are things I miss about acute, but I am excited about the new position, especially being able to use apps in therapy again! In other words, hopefully you’ll be seeing more of me. 🙂 The number one app I’ve used so far is Conversation TherAppy. The app has been out for a number of months now, but I’ve used it so much in the past two weeks that it’s impossible NOT to share about it. (And I even found a few times to use it in acute, so I’ll share about that, too.)

App: Conversation TherAppy

What It Is: An app for stimulating conversation by Tactus Therapy.

Dr. Panda’s Veggie Garden

I’ve been neglecting you Android users lately, so I wanted to share a little love and tell you about a relatively new app that works on both Android and Apple operating systems! It’s also one of the few kids’ apps available on Google Play to measure up to what is available on iOS, in my oh-so-humble opinion. 🙂

App: Dr. Panda’s Veggie Garden (Android) (Apple) (Amazon)

What It Is: An app for growing fruits and veggies in an interactive garden by TribePlay.

Category TherAppy

App: Category TherAppy

What It Is: An app for addressing various categorization skills by Tactus Therapy.

Mask Doodle

App: Mask Doodle

What It Is: A mask-decorating app by Shoe the Goose.

Speech Cards Professional

App: Speech Cards Professional

What It Is: A flashcards app with customizable text and image by RWH Technology.

“Talk Like a Pirate Day” Apps

Ahoy, mateys! I be writin’ a blog message fer ye ’bout apps to use on Speak Like a Scurvy Pirate Day! (Translation: Oh boy, who the heck convinced me to do this?!) Kookoo bananas Bill Binko ‘o LessonPix shanghai’d a few ‘o us bloggers to do pirate-themed posts to celebrate ’tis “holiday,” so here’s me best spin on it. (Thanks postlikeapirate.com for the goofy pirate talk translations.) This post is a bit different than my usual, but I’m hoping it’ll give y’all some fun ideas for Talk Like a Pirate Day on 9/19! If you’re one of those scoundrel SLPs that loves to get kids hyped up then send them on their way, this post (and holiday in general) is for you! I’m going to discuss three apps: one new (to me) pirate-themed one and two that I’ve already reviewed but am adding a “pirate twist” to. Enjoy, and let me know if you have any questions or other pirate-themed ideas!

Dr. Panda, Teach Me!

Another app that Android users can download, too! I’ve gotten a few great suggestions for Android apps, but if any readers have any more, comment below or email me. I’m always open to more ideas for using with adults or children!

App: Dr. Panda, Teach Me! – Fun Educational App for Kids (Apple Version) (Android Version)

What It Is: Minigames set within an interactive scene by TribePlay.

WH Question Cards – Pro

I am VERY excited to be reviewing this new Super Duper app that was just released last week! I’ve long used Super Duper’s flashcards for wh questions (both app and card versions), but this app is a totally different level of interaction! Also, you may have noticed I’ve been adding a few extra details to my blog lately (OS, Version, etc). Another addition I’ll be making is to provide the link directly to the app, either to iTunes or the app’s site, depending on what I think will be most useful. I hope this helps avoid any confusion about which app I’m reviewing as well as increases the ease of use of this site for you wonderful readers. 🙂 Enjoy!

App: WH Question Cards–Pro

What It Is: A collection of interactive games addressing wh questions by Super Duper.