Hamaguchi Apps for Speech, Language & Auditory Development's groundbreaking iPad app is designed for adolescents-adults who would benefit from practice interpreting vocal intonation, facial expressions, body language, and idiomatic or slang expressions. Using real photographs, voices and short mini-video clips of a variety of social situations and expressions, this app provides a dynamic way to help learn and practice interpreting the messages that are “between the lines” and simply can’t be replicated with worksheets and static flashcards. Scenes for the body language activity include a shopping mall, office, restaurant, family room, outdoors, school and party.
This Lite app provides 12 samples of each of the three activities for a total of 36 tasks and is for a single user only. (The full version provides 225 total tasks)
This app uses American expressions and body language.
There are three activities in this app:
1. Listening: The user hears a voice speak a sentence, e.g., “Are they gonna turn that music down?!” (Often the same phrase is heard spoken in several different ways throughout the activity, but with different emotion and inflection) A question is then asked, “Who said it?” The user is shown a series of photographs. The user touches the correct facial expression that matches the voice.
2. Body Language: A very short video-clip is shown that depicts an interaction or situation. For example, one teen girl says to another, “I’m thinking I might go out with Jack on Friday night. What do you think?” Her friend responds by making a wishy-washy kind of “I’m not sure” face. The camera closes in on this actor and the narrator says, “What is she thinking?” The user’s task is to look at the choices of responses and select the one that matches the facial expression/body language.
3. Expressions: A very short video-clip is shown that depicts an actor speaking a sentence that contains an idiomatic expression, e.g., “Oh that salesman was a smooth talker!” The user is asked to select the best response to the question, "What does that mean?" Slang phrases that may be considered crude can be added in by being selected within the Activity setting, e,g, "Bunch of BS" and "hit the fan".
This Lite version is for a single user only. The percentage correct is reported for each user’s performance on each of the three activities. The user can select his/her own individual settings. Settings include: Selection of the activities, order of the activities (or random), answer choices (group of 2, 3 or 4), how to display choices (automatically or manually) and whether to move forward automatically or by touching an arrow. Progress can be tracked, and displayed or not displayed. Reward animations are provided at selected intervals for a welcome fun and break. These are not games of skill but a fun diversion.
The lite version includes one game, Dunk Tank.
Data can be printed, saved or emailed.
***Please check out the extension activities at the end of the Information Page, which is on the home page. It is also available on our website.
PRIVACY POLICY: We do NOT collect personal data from our users and have no ads. Personal data regarding user performance on the tasks on this app are self-contained and not transmitted in any way, unless the user chooses to email them to someone else. There are no in-app purchases in this app. A demo link will allow a user with internet access to view a video on YouTube to learn about the features of this app, as well as a link to our other apps in the iTunes store.
Developed by licensed and ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist and author, Patti Hamaguchi, M.A., CCC-SLP. Visit our website: www.hamaguchiapps.com
This app is GREAT for helping students on the Autism Spectrum infer what someone is thinking based on the situational contexts, voice inflection, expressions and gestures - - - and they love the app too! Effective way to target sarcasm, too.
