Reviewed by Mary
Speech-EZ®Apraxia Picture Sound Cards (APSC) by Foundations House Learning, is the first iPad app specifically made to treat Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS), and was developed by SLP and Apraxia expert Lynn Carahaly. Children with other diagnoses such as Down’s Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy and Autism that may also have a motor speech disorder can also benefit from the app. The app is based on the Speech-EZ Speech-EZ® Apraxia Program.
The Speech-EZ® Apraxia Program uses multi-sensory strategies to teach the child the correct movement sequences for speech. This addresses various levels of speech motor control, in particular: motor preparation and execution processes. Teaching the child how to form the correct movement gestures equips the child’s motor planning system to better predict and prepare the articulators to execute the correct target positions for speech intelligibility. There are SLPs trained in this method, there are paper versions of the APSC available and there are the Speech-EZ® apps. The APSC app comes in two versions – a parent version and a professional version. They are identical except the professional version can record data on multiple students and can email data, the parent version can only track data on one child and can not email data. There are also a series of supplemental apps available.
The APSC app has 3 main components:
- Hand Cue Cards: for each sound there is a video showing the Hand Cue (sign) and saying the sound at the same time. If you tap the card it turns over to show the letter (or combination of letters). You can use these videos to learn the signs yourself and your child can learn them by watching the videos and by copying you. Once you have taught a sign you can reinforce it by showing the videos with the sound off and asking your child to identify which sound is being signed. You can also say a sound and ask them to sign it to you.
- Sound and Number Cards: these contain cards representing each sound, and numbers from one to ten. When you turn the sound cards over there is a word containing that sound. There is also a chart containing all the long and short vowel sounds with words demonstrating each sound.
- Picture Cards: there are over 775 Picture cards; each has a high quality photograph on one side and the written word on the other side. You can choose which cards to work on in one of several ways. You can choose to work on CVC, CVCV words, compound words, or one, two, three or four syllable words. Within the CVC words you can choose them by initial sound, final sound or place of articulation (e.g. Bilabial (p, b, m)_ Alveolar (t, d, n, s, d, l)). You can also hand choose which cards to work on. With each card you can press a button to hear the word spoken, and you can turn the card over to see the written word.
You can grade each response – but the grading isn’t obvious to the child as it is represented by straight or curved lines and accompanied by a musical note. After the session ends you save the data from the session. You can see the results of previous sessions in both table form and as a graph.
The app also contains detailed information sections for each card set that have a lot of extra information and tips for using the program. The help section also includes an IEP goal bank with suggestions for IEP goals for a child with CAS – something I found very useful for our recent IEP meeting.
I first found out about this program last summer and I thought it sounded like a great program for a child recently diagnosed with Apraxia, but I wasn’t sure how helpful it would be for a child like my daughter. She has CAS but had already been in speech therapy for several years and is now verbal but still having articulation issues. I read reviews from parents of pre-verbal children using this app who had found it really helpful, but I couldn’t find reviews from parents of older children. I was lucky enough to hear the developer Lynn Carahaly speak at the national Apraxia conference (CASANA), and learned about the theory of why the hand cues can be so helpful for children with CAS. I asked Lynn if the app would still be helpful for a child like mine, and she said yes, so I decided to buy it.
I started off by teaching her five signs – four for sounds she knew well, and one that we were working on. She liked watching the videos and was quickly able to recognize the signs and sign back to me when we practiced the signs. Her SLP was encouraging and willing to use the signs in her speech therapy sessions, so I taught them to her also. Her SLP and I used the signs during speech therapy and home practice, but my daughter wouldn’t sign back except when we were specifically practicing the signs. One day in a ST session I just started moving her hand through the motion of doing the sign whilst she was working on her articulation practice, something just clicked and she started signing back. Once she was signing back, we gradually started introducing new signs, and now she has a large repertoire. She doesn’t use the signs all the time, but if she is struggling with a target word I remind her to sign, and she is definitely able to produce the sound easier when she signs. Since we have started using the APSC her articulation has definitely improved faster, and by watching how much easier it is for her to say a difficult sound when she signs, I can really see how it is helping her. Her SLP has been so impressed by how well the program is working for her that she has started using it with another child too.
I would like the ability to add my own picture cards (with audio), for when she is working on words not found in the app. I would like to see the addition of a record and play back feature in this app, as I find that hearing herself practice is a big motivator for my daughter. More detailed data tracking would also be nice. The developer is currently working on updating the app, so we may see some of these features added in future updates.
The big drawback with this app is the price tag, $180 is a lot of money. However, to put this in perspective the paper version of the APSC costs $900, and the paper Kaufman Apraxia cards (with 225 cards and only covering some of these sounds) cost $200 per set. Children with CAS require A LOT of speech therapy and anything that can speed up their progress, and mean they need less Speech Therapy is a good thing. I really believe this system is doing that for my daughter, and with private speech therapy in my area costing $120+ an hour, the cost of the app is only the equivalent of 1 1/2 hours of therapy. You can watch a video of this app in action here.
In conclusion if you have a child with CAS, or another speech disorder that has a motor planning component, and who is still struggling with articulation I would strongly recommend you consider purchasing this app. I have seen how much my daughter’s speech has improved whilst using the Speech-EZ system and really think the hand cues have made a major contribution to that progress.
Requirements: Compatible with iPad only. Requires iOS 4.3 or later.
Please click on these links if you decide to get an application – it doesn’t cost any extra and a small portion of your purchase helps to support the work we do here at The iMums!
Apraxia Picture Sound Cards APSC (Parent version) reg price: $179.99 (401MB)
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Apraxia Picture Sound Cards APSC
by Foundations Developmental House, LLC
Category: Education Requirements: Compatible with iPad 2 WiFI, iPadFourthGen, iPad WiFi, iPadMini4G, iPad 3G, iPad 2 3G, iPadThirdGen, iPadMini, iPadFourthGen4G, iPadThirdGen4G Size: 400.79 MB |
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Apraxia Picture Sound Cards (Pro version) reg price: $299.99 (401MB)
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****Please note this app has an age 17+ rating, only because Apple makes developers put this on all apps that cost over $100, it does not actually contain any age restricted material*********
Already use this app? Rate it here!
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Mary
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Alison, Amanda, Grace and Mary are four mothers from different parts of the world dedicated to educating parents about the best digital stories, educational apps, fun games and technology products available for their children. We also offer the latest news in apps for kids, interesting articles, developer interviews, free apps and regular giveaways!
I would LOVE to try this app but I don’t have the money! I have two early childhood kiddos right now that I believe have CAS. This app sounds awesome!
Hi! I am the parent of an 8 year old boy, Logan. He has apraxia and I think he would benefit greatly from this app. Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to win it!
I would love this app for my daughter who is non verbal and 12yrs. She is trying so hard to talk and practice her sounds, but it is difficult for her.
WOW what an amazing giveaway! I am a future SLP…currently a graduate student and this program would be highly used as I plan to work in the schools or in an early intervention program. I visited the Speech-EZ’s booth at ASHA this last fall and was wowed by their clear graphics and apps tracking ability. I would be so grateful to win this program!!
Would like to win the parent version. I am an RN working with my 3 year old nonverbal niece. Looks like a great app!
Would love the parent program for my own child and could utilize at school with some of my students who have speech challenges but are not severe enough to qualify for speech therapy services
I’m a parent and would love the parent version to use with my daughter!
I am a speech pathologist and have acquired a good number of new clients this year with apraxia. I used to work in a program designed for only mildly impaired early intervention clients, funded by a grant from Smart Start. Before that I worked a lot with adults. So I do not have a lot of specialized materials for my apraxia clients and only have limited funds for materials. This would be so fantastic for my clients and I could really do so much with it.
I would love to use the parent version for my non-verbal granddaughter. Thank you for having this give away.
Hi I would love to use the professional version. I am very interested to see how the program works for the clients that I see.
I’m an SLP and would love to win this app! I have several kids with Apraxia who would greatly benefit from this program!
Wow! I am a SLP, so would want the professional version to use in therapy. Thank you for the opportunity!
I would love the parent version of this app! My son Dalton 7 has severe apraxia and is just finishing 1st grade. Speech EZ cards has been number 1 on our app wish list since before he got the iPad. This would do him wonders he has been trying really hard at trying to talk at the beginning of the year he said 10 words since the iPad he has been saying more words and trying to form 2 syllable words!
I would use the professional version with several students I work with who have ASD and apraxia.
This looks like a great program to use with my students. I am an SLP, so I would be most interested in the pro version. Thanks!
I see kids with apraxia on my caseload! I need this!
I would use this with 2 of my children, but then also some children that I work with!
My 4 year old son who has Autism was just diagnosed with having Childhood Apraxia of Speech. I am trying to find all the best resources to help him as he tries so hard to learn to speak.
I would love to win this fabulous app! I have a 9 year old daughter with classic autism and if I won would be providing this app to the autism classroom that she attends so that all of the kids could benefit.
I would love to use the Pro version with my speech students.
I am speech therapist in schools with several apraxia students. I would love to try this app with them! Pro version would be great as I have multiple students but I am not picky :-)
I would love to win the Parent Version. Our son has recently started an ABA program and he is doing very well with the PECS program. He is currently on level 3. But he also has learned so much from his iPad and is surprising us everyday with his independent learning on it. I am very excited to see how he would progress with this type of program. He is non verbal but very interested in communicating.
Hi! I am a professional SLP working in public schools. We are in proration and there is no money in the budget for a wonderful program like this. Winning this would be a dream come true. I would eagerly use this with my speech students. I have several apraxic students and I really need a professional resource. We desperately need this in our speech room. Thankyou so much for this generous giveaway!
I would love to have this app to work with my autistic 13year old son who has apraxia. I would really help both of us keep track of his progress and have the data in a clear and precise for his SLP to review.
thanks.
I am a speech language pathologist working in a large elementary school. I have several children with severe CAS (they are unintelligible or close to it for listeners who are not very familiar with them) and several other students who either have less severe CAS, or have been in speech long enough that you can understand them, but they continue to struggle with motor planning. I’ve looked at this app in the past, but can’t afford it on my own, but could definitely use the professional version with multiple children on my caseload.
I work for a special education cooperative and work with many kids who have CAS associated with Autism and a few students who have down syndrome who would also benefit from this app. This looks like such a fantastic APP for my students. I would truly use it every day!
I would regift this app to our SLP ;)
Hi,
Sure I’ll be very grateful to win the Pro version. Indeed, this app will help a lot of my autistic clients !
Very impatient to use it !
Thanks
HIya.. I am an OT but would love to win this so I can gift it to my district’s SLP as there are many kids on her caseload that would benefit from it!
I would love this app to use with my three apraxic preschoolers that I am currently serving!
This will be used for my son and for an essentially non-vocal student to whom I provide therapy services. If I’m lucky enough to win a copy, I could use either version – since those of us serving this students live in three counties, having the ability to e-mail data would be a wonderful plus, but it’s not a deal-breaker. Thank you for offering this great giveaway!
I am the parent of a 13 year old nonverbal boy. He is learning however and tries very hard to make the sounds of the words, but has great difficulty. Being very visual, I know this app would help him. Thank you for the opportunity.
i am the mom of a 2.9 yr old boy with CAS. I would love the opportunity to win an app we can’t afford right now. Thanks!
I am a parent who would like to win this app for my 6 yo daughter.
As an SLP, this would be a great addition to my iPad . Our therapy delivery has changed so much with the introduction of the iPad. This would offer yet another great tool in our treatment choices.
I would like to win the PRO version of this app for my son’s speech therapist. She works tirelessly to help so many, including my kiddo, and I think this app could really help her. Thanks for doing this giveaway!
I would love to win this app! Not only do I travel extensively to serve the 3 yr-5 yr old population (which makes portable materials a plus) I have several children that I feel would benefit….I just don’t have the funds!
I would love this app for my daughter! She has apraxia and would greatly benefit from this app, the price has held us back. I would love to b able to offer this tool everyday at home when we are practicing, we would be so blessed to win! We would love the parent version. :)
Thanks for the opportunity!
I’m a parent of a non-verbal autistic 7 year old. I know this would benefit everyone here and thank you for this opportunity. If we won this fabulous app we would donate it to my daughter’s speech therapist at school. My daughter is the first at the school in incorporate her personal ipad at school and the therapist has her own ipad that she will use to help other kids in our small school for the next school year. This would help out so many families.
I am an SLP in the school district and have multiple kiddos that I could use this with. I use a multi-modality approach to teaching articulation and apraxia which this app would help encourage correct productions. Would love to win it. Thanks so much.
I am a parent, but would LOVE to win the PRO version for my 2 favorite SLPs who will share it in their office with their co-workers!
Holy moly! As an SLP this is the golden ticket of all your giveaways! I have several young kids on my caseload that would very much benefit from the use of this program. I always use visual/hand cues when teaching sounds and the fact that this program comes with cue cards is fantastic!
Would love to have the parent version
i would love to give this to one of the SLPs that works with my daughter (she has 2).
I would love this app for my identical twin daughters who have apraxia and are 2.8 years old! We have an ipad but our speech therapist does not but we would love to be able to get her one to use or use with the girls and other kids.
Parent of a 3 year old with Apraxia. I would love this app to help him with his language skills.
Imam a SLP working with school-aged children. Would love to win the Pro version to use with several kids on my caseload!
I have this app but would love to get it for my sons school SLP!
I would love this app to help my son be able to speak in time for school next year.
I have students with CAS and this app would be very beneficial when working with them in therapy!
I’m the friend of a 3 year old with apraxia and an SLP who would love to have this app in my toolbox for apraxia therapy at my schools.
This would be a wonderful tool to use with the kids I work with!
I am a professional and I have kiddos on my caseload that I could use this app with.
I would love to win the app for professionals. I am just starting my career as a speech language pathologist, and this would be so helpful to me in my practice!
I have been fascinated by this app for a while. When D who has ASD and cas says pour the juice he goes puwuh wuh wuh wuh the juice please. I then give him a syllable tap and he gets pour with out the wuh wuh wuh or only one. So he has enough speech that is poor enough to really make this worthwhile.
I would love to win this for my 3.5 year old son who is diagnosed with CAS. I can’t afford to buy one, and he doesn’t receive private therapy either.
I am a SLP. I would use this app with many of my students.
As a school SLP, i dont have a lot of money to spend and I would love to use this with the early childhood kids that have CAS!
Looks like an excellent and much needed app. Would really like to have this for my speech therapy caseload.
I would LOVE to win this app! I recently graduated with my Master’s in Speech Pathology and am looking to build my library of therapy materials!
It would be great to have an app that is oriented to articulation practice for students with apraxia. The orientation for students with apraxia requires a different style of practice with increasingly complex motor targets. I work with preschoolers and school age students as an SLP and would love to have this app as one of my tools.
I would love to win this app! (The Pro version as I have multiple kids struggling with apraxia as well as ASD) I work primarily with children with ASD, ages birth to 10 and their families. This would be a great addition to therapy for so many of my kids. I like to be able to try apps out with my kids and make sure it’s a good fit for them so parents have a better idea of what apps to buy for home use. I hope I win!! Thanks for the chance.
I would love to win this app to use in my classroom for children with special needs. Many have speech impediments and some are non-verbal and would really benefit from this wonderful app! Our school system is just now getting iPads for the self-contained classrooms and I would love to show how this app is useful so that perhaps our system could purchase more for our SLPs and SpEd teachers!
I would like to win the Parent version for home use with my brother. Thank you.
I am a professional and I love the parent version of this app. I’ve seen a colleague use it with students. I want the professional version for the data collection for multiple students. I love the photos, the categories, the word/target selections. I have wanted this app for a long time…here’s hoping….
I am hoping to win either the parent or the professional copy of Speech Ez–I have young son with Down syndrome AND I am a speech-language pathologist. These apps look very promising for both my professional practice and improving the speech and quality of life of my own son!
Would love to win this as I am a SLP with students with apraxia on my caseload.
I’m an SLP and I have a few little cuties that would benefit from this.
I am an SLP working in the public schools. I have multiple students on my caseload that I know would greatly benefit from this program.
I am a professional — school-based SLP. I work primarily with children who have complex needs, and many, many of them have apraxia. This app would be a wonderful way to address issues that are often frustrating or boring for my students — they all seem to gravitate to my iPad, and with this app I can lure them into some really functional ‘playtime’. It would be wonderful!
This app looks amazing. As an SLP working with the early childhood population, I often service children with apraxia and would love an approach that is both beneficial AND motivating :)
I’m an SLP. I’d love to have this for my students w/ apraxia.
I’m a SLP and would love to win this app as I know many students who would really benefit from this. It looks like an awesome app!
I am a parent of an apraxic son and we have been looking at this program for a while. We have been having good success with our iPad and I would love to try this with him!
I teach kindergarten. The parent version would probably work for me, though.
I would love to win the professional version. I’m an SLP who works with preschoolers in the public schools. This sounds great!
I first heard about this app from the imums website! I was so excited to check it out, then I saw the price. Yikes! How great it would be to win! I know she would respond terrific to this. Thanks!
I am a speech-language pathologist. This would be a great program to use with my speech students!
This would be great for my little girl!!! I would love to win it!!!
I am a parent and I would love to use this app with my son. I do my best to do as much in house therapy since the closest therapist is 50 miles away.
I am an elementary school SLP who works with several students with Apraxia. Sequencing speech sounds is difficult enough to target in itself but keeping therapy fun and rewarding when you have several sessions per week is even more difficult! This app would greatly benefit my students.
i have a 12 yo son with autism and apraxia. would love to use this program with him to help him with his speech production. thank you!
This sounds fabulous. I have 2 kids on my caseloadcurrently that would benefit! I am passing this along to one of the moms who is on FB. This would be a treasured addition to my therapy tools! Thanks for what you do!
I’d like to win this app mostly for my son who is 6 years old and has autism with articulation challenges. I’m not sure how much this app may help my severely autistic and non-verbal 9 year old daughter though. I would try it with both of them if I win it.
Parent:)
Would love to win the parent version. This has been on our wishlist for a long time!
My daughter just turned 3 last month and has been dx with CAS. We currently use Kauffman method in therapy but don’t have the resources to purchase the extra help for home – we do what we can and I have made my own “cards” to work with her but they are definitely not of any caliber like this would be for her. She is labeled as severe and any extra help would be amazing! Also just the parent version.
I am a parent of a 10 yr old with severe autism who is non verbal. I would love to win this to work with her. Thank you so much for the opportunity!!
Thank you for the opportunity! I have a 15-yr-old daughter with severe apraxia of speech (and motor apraxia) and would love to have the parent version of this app!
WOW! I am so impressed! Another application I have not heard of until now. This application looks like it would be a great addition to my therapy toolbox. Children with apraxia need a lot of repetitions and this looks like it provides just that. I am a professional working in an elementary school setting.
I would use this in therapy.
My daughter is 4yrs old and has severe gloabal apraxia. We have been wanting to try this program but can’t afford the high price tag. We are hoping this may be our chance!
I work in settings from home based preschoolers throught 8th grade, so I need a range of materials. I particularly need materials for my students with apraxia–they all work so hard but need so many repetitions that I like to have a variety of materials. This app looks very interesting.
As an SLP I can definitely use this with a number of kids on my caseload (I have a couple with severe phonological impairments who could definitely benefit from this app :- )). I really appreciate the opportunity to win this app and think it will be really useful as I work with kids on my caseload.
I am an elementary SLP working with the DCD population in one of my rooms. This app would be perfect for several students in that room.
I want to win this because it is a comprehensive program. I love the fact that it has hand cues. I have done research into this program and have found positive reviews.
I am a speech therapist in a school. I would love to try this out with some of my speech kids.
I’m a public school SLP. I would love this app to work with the k-5 students that are on my caseload, especially my lower functioning students, and the ones in the functional life skills class.
I am an SLP in an elementary school and have multiple kids that could benefit from such a wonderful app. Thank you so much!
I would love to use this app with my students!
I would love this app for my daughter. She is 12 years old and has autism and apraxia. Would love to have the parent version for her. Thanks for the chance.
I am an SLP and would love to use this app with some of my students!
I have a friend whose son could really use this, he has Apraxia of Speech and is totally non verbal.
PS My link here is in my blog sidebar.
I am an educational SLP that would love to have the opportunity to use this wonderful program with a few of my students.
I would LOVE to have the parent version of APSC. My son is 4 years old an has CAS (childhood apraxia of speech) as well as other special needs. He has few words. His SLP has recommended this app to us, but the price tag is too intimidating. :( I just want to say good luck to all who have entered!
I’m a parent of a non-verbal child, and I believe this would really help her increase her speech. This would definitely be out of our reach budget-wise, so it would be great to win! Thank you for the chance!!
I would love to use this in speech therapy.
I am an SLP! I would love to win this to help children communicate better!
I would love to use it with my students!
Thank you for the opportunity! I am a professional (SLPA) but would be happy to win either version to use with my Pre-K through 5th graders at two school sites. We have several children that would benefit from this app greatly, but it is out of reach financially.
Thank you for the opportunity! I would love to be entered for either the Pro or Parent version- I am a SLPA working at two school sites, Pre-K through 5th. We have several children this would be so helpful for, but it is out of reach financially.
Tell us why you’d like to win – are you a parent or professional ? Who will this be used for ?
I am a parent with a son who has a speech communication issue among other issues that add to this.
I would love to use this with my daughter who has autism and severe apraxia of speech. It would also be great for parent trainings!
I am a parent, would like this for my son, I would like to try this but its not in the budget.
would love this app for my 6 year old with Ds and autism! He struggles with communication.
Anything that helps encourage speech would be great. I’ve heard lots of great feedback about this app
i would love to win the professional version of this app for my daughters special school.. many children would benefit from the proffessional version.. including my daughter.. they have done so much to help us id love to give something back!
I’m a parent!
I would love to win this app because it will help me to work with my son to help with articulation of letter sounds. We currently use hand cues to help with certain sounds, and this app would help us to expand on our ability to help him.
I am a parent of 3 lovely children (2 are young adults now), and this program will be used with my youngest, Rory !!
I’m an SLP with some students who have apraxia. This is one of those apps I could never buy (it would take my whole budget!!!), but I would love to be able to use with my kids.
I am a parent and would use this with my 24 year old son.
I work with many speech students who have been diagnosed with Apraxia of Speech. This app is one that I have wanted to use with them but have not been able to afford, I would LOVE the chance to use it with them!!! Thanks for that chance!!!!