Happy Halloween

One of my good friends, and also a fellow SLP, posted a great message about Halloween and Trick or Treating...it seemed to come from Melissa Joan Hart (Facebook).  I found it especially meaningful for the many students I have worked with over the years. Thank you to my friend (and Melissa Joan Hart) for reminding everyone how important it is to think about children of all abilities during special activities. I know this posting comes after many have trick or treated, but it is a great reminder for the future, and for other holiday/special activities as well!

"In a few days, a lot of creatures will visit your door. Be open minded. The child who is grabbing more than one piece of candy might have poor fine motor skills. The child who takes forever to pick out one piece of candy might have motor planning issues. The child who does not say "trick or treat" or "thank you" might be painfully shy, non-verbal, or selectively mute. If you cannot understand their words, they may struggle with developmental apraxia of speech. They are thankful in their hearts and minds. The child who looks disappointed when he sees your bowl might have a life-threatening allergy. The child who isn't wearing a costume at all might have SPD or autism. Be kind, be patient, smile, pretend you understand. It's everyone's Halloween. Make a parent feel good by making a big deal of their special child. ♥" 

  Happy Halloween to ALL!  

Toca Tailor!

Of course, immediately after I said I would do more non-iPad posts...my first post is about apps; but, I had to!   Toca Boca, a wildly popular developer, released Toca Tailor today!  It is....AwEsOMe!  As you can imagine, it has the normal Toca Boca qualities:
--super cute graphics,
--flawless, smooth operation,

--awesome application to therapy and social skills,
--and of course, it is, super fun!

I think my near-3 year old daughter just might be in love!

What is it about?
--Pick a character (4 choices)
--Try different clothing shapes/styles, select a style (shirt, pants)
--Go to the 'Tailor' box (bottom left corner, with thread/spool icon)
--Choose your fabric! Just an FYI, you can do several pieces of fabric on one selection, you can resize and put the fabric on an angle just by using different pinching/sliding techniques
--Make your own fabric using the camera option!!!  This would be so much fun to have a matching outfit to the student's!
--Add embellishments: buttons, jewels, bows, feathers, stitching, zippers (again, you can move them to go up/down or left/right)
--Do all of these options for the pants and top!
--Now watch your outfit appear on your character!
--Add some fun features from the box (bottom right corner, hat/glasses icon), such as: scarf, hats, leis, earrings, glasses, shoes, etc.
--Take a picture of your person! Either with the camera icon in the top right corner, or the green scenery icon directly below...this icon allows you to use YOUR background and imposes the character in the room!
 **I don't feel that this app is geared too heavily towards girls.  There are boy and animal characters, plus the ability to make the fabric/material more masculine. I know that my 5-year old son will love this app just as much as my daughter!

Speech/Language Application
--Articulation: Allow the student to choose an item after several productions of their targeted sound.  Have the student say sentences about their character's outfit, try to address the targeted sound in sentences and spontaneous speech!

--Language: Very similar to my other posts about Toca Apps...the possibilities are endless!

• Role Play
• Non-verbal Communication: take turns in a group selecting items using non-verbal communication instead of words!
• Description: have the student use adjectives and describing words for each item, i.e. "a fabulous pink scarf", etc.  Have the student formulate sentences.
• Sequencing: have the student formulate sentences in sequential order about HOW they made the clothes for their character
• Reasoning: have the student explain why they chose certain items and why they did NOT choose other items.
• PLUS tons of other goals that I haven't even thought of it!

 Here are some screen shots from the iTunes store!

        

  

        

Changing Things Up!

Fall means change! 

I have decided to change the format and content of my blog to also include more non-iPad content.  There still continues to be plenty to talk about in regards to the iPad and apps, so I didn't want to totally abandon the subject; however, as always, it is just one aspect of therapy.  So I will be changing the title, but not the domain name (jenny-slp.blogspot.com).  I will still try to post new and exciting apps, tips/tricks that I learn, and other tech-related information.