Problem Solve It vs AlphaTopics

Research suggests that performance on cognitive tasks resembling daily challenges (i.e. everyday problem-solving tasks) is a better indicator of functional cognitive abilities in individuals with cognitive deficits (e.g. Gold, 2012; Kimbler, 2013). The Problem Solve It app is designed to help individuals with cognitive impairments resulting, for example, from a stroke or early stages of dementia. The problems selected in this app are functional in nature and relate to social communication, management of finances, health, literacy, education, and personal thinking. Problem solving is an important skill in our day-to-day activities, and while performing various tasks in this app such as problem-solving based on case scenarios and sentence completion with “if,” the user will be able to identify the problem, examine the possible options, and think creatively to seek strategic approaches to problem solving. The app has six different types of tasks geared toward problem solving. The tasks pertain to everyday math problems, analysis of short scenarios, case-based solutions, sentence completion, missing links in a sequence of activities, and predictions of problems in given scenarios. Problem Solve it is engaging, with real photographs, multiple-choice options and open ended questions. Problem Solve it is easy to navigate and allows users to employ several tools to perform the following: - enter multiple users - change settings - save selected targets for the next session - select auto-scoring - select alternate counts for multiple users - enable or disable special effect sounds - audio record users’ responses - track correct and incorrect responses - view reports in table and graphical forms - e-mail results at the end of the game References: Gold, D. A. (2012). An examination of instrumental activities of daily living assessment in older adults and mild cognitive impairment. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 34, 11-34. Kimbler, K.J. (2013). Everyday Problem Solving and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living: Support for Domain Specificity. Behavioral Sciences, 3, 1, 170-191. Author: Jayanti Ray, Ph. D. CCC-SLP Developed by: Virtual Speech Center Inc.

Sometimes just giving a hint or context is all your listener needs to understand you. The first letter or two. The general topic. AlphaTopics is the perfect AAC app for people whose natural speech is not always clear. Stop wasting time navigating to the right word or typing it out. Get your point across faster by touching just the first few letters of the words you say. Give your listener context by starting the conversation with the topic. Write it out with your finger or draw a picture. Don’t let overly complicated apps slow you down. Tactus Therapy, a trusted name in speech therapy apps, brings you a new take on a classic communication tool. AlphaTopics includes 3 AAC communication boards loaded with features: 1) Letter Board - 26 letters in alphabetical order or 2 variations of frequency order - 10 single digits allow you to express any number - Vowels highlighted and aligned for faster navigation - Natural or automated speech reads out the name of each letter or number - Yes, no, question, smiley, space, and backspace buttons for prosody and function 2) Topic Board - Fully customizable text you can re-order - Voice output with adjustable speech rate - Two sizes of grid to display 12 or 24 topics - Pre-filled with functional topics for adults 3) Whiteboard - Write or draw on the screen - 6 colors and 4 widths - Export to Photos or e-mail When used together, alphabet and topic boards have been scientifically shown to make the speech of people with motor speech disorders far more understandable. Combined with the whiteboard, these tools help people with aphasia express themselves more clearly with self-cueing and strategy use. Stroke, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, and motor neuron disease are all conditions that can impair speech production. Pointing to the first letter in each word not only gives the listener more information about the word, it also encourages the speaker to slow down and separate words, actually making the words clearer! Using alphabet supplementation, studies show intelligibility of sentences improves 25% on average. Pointing to the topic before speaking narrows the range of possibilities for the listener, giving context. Studies show using a topic cue improves word understanding by an average of 28%. Topics can also be used by people with aphasia, a language disorder, to help pinpoint the intended message. Additional Features: *Adjustable settings for visual, physical, language, and cognitive impairments *Works with built-in scanning and guided access *4 color schemes *Pick which board comes up when you start the app *Export any board you've customized to print or share "People whose speech is hard to understand often just want to provide extra clues to their listener and don’t require all the features of a comprehensive AAC app. It’s terrific that we now have an app that provides this level of support on a mobile platform.” - Lois Turner, SLP & AAC specialist Visit tactustherapy.com for more information on how to use this app, the evidence to support this form of AAC, and a day-by-day account of how this app was made.