Visual Attention Therapy Lite vs Austin Assessment Work

Visual Attention Therapy helps brain injury and stroke survivors, as well as struggling students, to improve scanning abilities. It also helps rehab professionals to assess for neglect and provide more efficient and effective therapy for attention deficits. Visual Attention Therapy Lite gives you a free taste of the customization and utility of the full app: Visual Attention Therapy. This lite version lets you try Test and Practice modes with one level and layout, but is otherwise a fully functional app, allowing you to try 1 or 2 targets, all the signal and target colors and styles, and send e-mail reports. Practicing scanning from left to right across a page helps retrain the brain to move the eyes correctly. Strengthening this essential skill can improve reading, concentration, memory, attention to detail, and speed of processing. Using two targets at once can help users with working memory and alternating attention. 1) Use the Test mode to help determine if a scanning or attention deficit exists. 2) Use the Practice mode to train scanning to find targets in order. _______________________ CANCELLATION TASKS JUST GOT BETTER This professional cognitive training app takes traditional cancellation exercises, the evidence-based standard for testing and treating visuospatial neglect, and enhances them with benefits that are only available through technology: * Targets must be tapped from left to right, top to bottom in Practice mode, training users to slow down and scan the entire screen before they can move forward. * Sidebar signal can flash in a variety of colors to draw attention to the left or right. * Auditory and a variety of visual cues give instant feedback and keep users engaged. * Timed exercises increase motivation to work quickly and accurately. * No need to spend time counting errors. Automated scoring includes data for accuracy by quadrant, time for completion, and mistakes in professional e-mailed reports. * Adjustable layouts and 10 levels of difficulty allow you to customize the experience to meet changing needs or multiple users. * An endless variety of combinations eliminates the need to photocopy exercises and saves paper. Visual Attention Therapy was developed by a certified Speech-Language Pathologist and is used worldwide by SLPs, occupational therapists, vision specialists, and neuropsychologists to help adults and children with dyslexia, dementia, and attentional deficits. People of all ages enjoy racing against the clock to challenge themselves to improve on their scores while improving their cognitive and reading skills. Levels featuring letters can support literacy goals, while symbol-based levels challenge visual memory skills. _______________________ WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING “This app takes a simple, familiar format and turns it into a dynamic, interactive tool with the ability to be age appropriate for anyone from preschoolers to elderly adults.” —SLP “Visual Attention Therapy is guaranteed to be one of those beautiful apps that, when you see it and try it out, will make you exclaim 'Finally!' We were this close to hugging it, to be honest. Thanks for yet another amazing release, Tactus Therapy.” —SLP “I was not sure if children would be motivated to use this app, but the 'no nonsense' approach really seemed to help the children with their attention & task persistence. They especially enjoyed the immediate feedback they got regarding their speed & accuracy. I recommend this app for school-aged children having difficulty with visual scanning/tracking, reading, working memory, & copying skills.”—OT _______________________ This app contains no outside ads or in-app purchases, does not collect or transmit personal data, and links can be deactivated. Supporting evidence for the design of this app can be found at www.tactustherapy.com.

The Austin Assessment is a fun, simple card-matching game that screens children for cerebral visual impairment (CVI). It works by comparing children’s performance to the normative range for their age group. It has been validated on over 900 children. Who can use it? The Austin Assessment for Professionals allows teachers, therapists, researchers and clinicians to: • easily screen children for CVI-related visual issues • email or print results • log in to the online dashboard to view and search data • download data as .csv file if needed for statistical analysis. If you’re a parent or caregiver who wants to screen your child, we recommend our other app, the Austin Assessment. The Austin Assessment is a screening tool, not a diagnostic tool. It can identify if there is a possibility a child has CVI, but you’ll need a diagnosis from a medical professional to confirm this. Who can I screen? The Austin Assessment has been validated on children from three age groups: • 5 to 8 years • 9 to 12 years • 13 to 18 years. We’re working to validate it on adults and younger children. To complete a screening, the child needs to be able to: • understand the goal of the game • recognise individual cards • use their finger to drag cards. This means children with some types of cognitive, visual or motor difficulties may not be able to complete a screening. How does the app work? There is a multi-coloured version of the game and a single-coloured version. Children need to complete both to finish the assessment. Both versions start at a basic level and increase in complexity. The way a child with CVI-related visual issues looks at things is different from the way a child with typical vision does. The Austin Assessment identifies these differences. They include: • darting eye movements • taking longer to match the cards as more cards are added • becoming less accurate as more cards are added • slower response times to visual stimuli. These differences can also be found in other conditions. While a positive result from the Austin Assessment indicates the child may have visual issues due to CVI, a medical assessment is needed to confirm the diagnosis. Your results After completing a screening, you’ll be able to download, email or print a report that summarises the child’s results and whether CVI has been identified as a possibility. You can also access the screening results via the online dashboard, which allows you to search and download data in .csv format. Data privacy and storage The data from your screenings is held securely and meets health and medical data storage privacy laws and requirements. We may use anonymised data from your screenings to improve the Austin Assessment and help with CVI research. We collect the following information from your participants: • age at time of assessment • known conditions (if provided) • assessment data including eye movement data, accuracy and time taken We do not collect any personal identifying information, biometrics or face data. However, anonymised data may be shared with third parties for research purposes. You may withdraw your consent at any time by deleting your account using the feature provided in the app. Origins of the Austin Assessment The Austin Assessment was developed by Dr Nicola McDowell, who established the Austin McDowell Foundation to provide education and support for those affected by brain-based visual issues. The foundation is a not-for-profit that aims to help improve quality of life for people with CVI through research and by providing access to simple and effective screening tools. The development of the Austin Assessment app is backed by peer reviewed published research findings, focused on identifying and understanding CVI. The Austin Assessment can be used in research, as long as the assessments are carried out correctly, in line with the terms and conditions, found on our website.