If you follow all the great speechie blogs out there, then chances are, you’ve seen the latest reviews and giveaways for the app iName It by Smarty Ears. Have you entered all the giveaways for this app yet? Well, if you want one more chance to win a copy, then check out my review and enter the rafflecopter giveaway below to win this simple yet versatile app!
So here is the WHO,WHAT,WHEN, WHERE and WHY of this awesome app…..
WHO will this app benefit? and WHAT skills will it address?
Although this app was originally designed for adult patients with aphasia experiencing word finding difficulties, I was pleased to find it appropriate for other populations, namely, the pediatric population, including children with word retrieval weakness as well as those working on life skills who need to strengthen their understanding and use of functional vocabulary. Also, if you are working on a thematic unit in your therapy room related to “household items,” “rooms within a house,” or any theme related to the home, this would be a great way to address new vocabulary. Additionally, Smarty Ears suggests this app is appropriate for students with apraxia. According to the research sited by the app creator, “literature suggests using initial syllable cues and sentence completion cues may trigger motor commands for articulation and be beneficial to individuals with apraxia of speech as well.”
WHAT does this app look like?
The app consists of 50 words for objects typically found in rooms of a house including kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, living room and garage. There are 10 target items included for each household scene. The photos scenes are clear and well organized—Your kiddos will feel like they are standing right in the middle of these beautifully designed rooms!
HOW do I start using the app?
iName It is available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Select the language you wish to use in the settings. Click on the “start practice” button to add/choose users, then choose the room you would like to start in.
A task bar at the bottom of the screen shows the objects to be found in the scene. After selecting an item, a bar will display the prompts that you can choose from to help with naming the item.
If the user doesn’t need a prompt to name the item, tap the “got it” button.
For demonstration purposes, I am showing the kitchen scene and tapped on the cupboards. The item being addressed then becomes highlighted.
Need help with retrieving the label for that item? The screen looks like the one below and a cue bar becomes available to help prompt you.
The five different prompts available include:
1-phonetic–a spelling cue is given to help with word retrieval. (pencil icon)
2-semantic—a word meaning is provided. (book icon)
3-phrase completion-A sentence fill-in is provided using the word in the appropriate context. ( frame icon)
4-phonemic—an initial sound cue is given to assist in naming the word. (speech bubble icon)
5-whole word–the word is displayed. (ABC symbol)
WHERE are results kept?
Data is collected during use of the app and stored in the results section. Go to the main screen to access the results tab and then click on the player name/avatar. Information provided includes: the dates the app has been used, overall accuracy without cues, overall accuracy with cues, and which type of cue was most successful. Each session is recorded by date and visual scene name. As with all of Smarty Ears apps, the session report can then be emailed, printed, or exported to the Therapy Report Center and used for monitoring progress and report writing.
WHY do I like this app?
- It’s easy to use!
- It can be used with a variety of populations.
- The photo scenes are visually appealing—(loving the modern home design–when can I move in?!)
- When tapping on an item, that item is highlighted, while the rest of the screen becomes grey and fades into the background. A great feature for individuals who may be visually distracted by all the stimuli on the page.
- The “most successful cue” feature allows the user to see what “strategy” was most helpful in getting the correct response.
- Versatility—I can use this with students on my caseload to address: Categorizing (Can you name some other items you would find in this room?) WH question formulation (Have student ask a question and another student guess the correct item–“What is something you store food in to keep it cold?”) Sentence completion (Have students use the household items in sentence of their own.)
The iName It app is available in the iTunes Store for $14.99.
Ready for the giveaway!? Check out the rafflecopter giveaway below and enter!!!!
Disclaimer: Smarty Ears provided me with a free copy of the app to review as well as one copy to give away. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.
I think this would be an awesome app for my aphasia patients! they love my “new games” on my ipad so this would be perfect!
I work with two classrooms of students with cognitive impairments. They would really benefit from this app.
This would benefit my caseload by adding in a new, fun way to address vocabulary and wh- questions for my students.
I like that I could use it with my mixed-skill groups, from low cognitive/language kids to typical kids (who are models & coaches) to typical-but-learning-English kids all at the same time, and everyone would have fun and learn something at the same time.