‍**UPDATE** Articulation Test Center Pro is no longer available on the App Store. Articulation Test Center Hive has replaced Articulation Test Center Pro as part of our Little Bee Hive Membership.

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I was thrilled to be invited to present at the SLP Summit last month! There were some amazing presentations by other SLPs during the 2 weeks of the Summit and I enjoyed watching and learning from each of them. A huge THANK YOU to Marisha at SLP Now and Sarah and Lisa from SLP Toolkit for all of their work putting this awesome event together!

I also want to say thank you to all of you who watched my presentation and had questions. Since I ran out of time to answer all of your questions I have taken the time to answer them for you below.

For those of you that did not get to watch my presentation "Assessing and Treating Articulation and Phonology Disorders with Mobile Apps", I've added the video below.

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Articulation Test Center Questions

What is the name of the testing app?

Articulation Test Center Pro‍

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How will we know when the next update will be released?

Version 2.5 was released on February 1, 2017. We will also announce updates on our social media so be sure and follow Little Bee Speech on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter.

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When the update goes through, can we go back and edit screenings/tests to utilize the phonological feature?

The auto marking feature only works at the time the substitution is made. So previous tests that already have the substitutions marked will not be marked automatically with the associated processes unless the test administrator edits the results and marks the substitutions or omissions again.

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Are you able to mark multiple errors on the Articulation Test Center (e.g. cluster reduction and substitution? skate—>tate)

In the example you provided, yes. For example, when the s is deleted it will be auto-marked as cluster reduction. When the /k/ is substituted with a /t/ it will be auto-marked as fronting.

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Please share exactly which phonetic keyboard you have downloaded. Thanks.

The name of the phonetic keyboard I used in the presentation is called, “Phonetic Keyboards” but you can search the App Store for "phonetic keyboard" and find the keyboard app that you like best.

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Do you have to press the red record button for each stimulus card separately or can you tap it once at the beginning to record all?

Yes, currently you have to press the red record button each time. We plan to update this in a future update so you will only have to press it once and it will record the entire test and then save each recording under the corresponding stimulus word.

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Does the microphone pick up the background noise in the speech sample?

If the background noise (environmental sounds) are on, they will be recorded by the microphone. If you do not want the background noise in your audio recording simply turn off the environmental sounds by tapping the audio button in the upper right hand corner of the speech scene.

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How much space does this take up on an iPad?

The download size of the app is 175 MB. As you save test data and make audio recordings in the app this size will increase. We have worked to optimize the size of the audio recording so that they take up the least amount of space as possible.

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What is the general amount of space that this app uses when all features are used for let's say 20 students?

A rough estimate of space taken up by Articulation Test Center for 20 kids tested would be about 350 MB.

We have put a lot of work into optimizing the audio files to keep the app size down. Of course this number will fluctuate depending on how long your speech sample recordings are and how many audio recordings you take and save. It also depends on how many data backups you have saved to your device. To keep the size down be sure to manage your data backups by tapping on “data backup” from the scores screen. Then delete any unnecessary data backups that are being saved to your device by swiping left on them. The app will automatically update to your device once a week. It only keeps the last two updates. Any updates made manually will have to be deleted by the user when they are no longer needed.

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Is the distortions feature available now? If so, how do you locate it?

The distortions feature is available now. To access the distortions open the substitutions menu (tap the down arrow to the right of the word tiles on the top of the flashcard) then tap on the button for distortions located in the bottom right corner of the substitutions menu.

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If you are doing an artic assessment as part of a larger assessment, can you 'cut n paste' the report into other reports?

You can copy and paste anything from the email but unfortunately the formatting will sometimes be lost. We are working on improving the way reports can be shared and edited and it will be included in a future update.

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Would this be a stand alone test or would you follow up with a standardized test?

That depends on what your therapy setting requires. If standardized tests are not required you can use it as a stand alone test. If your therapy setting requires a standardized test you can use this as a supplemental assessment in conjunction with standardized tests. Or you can use it as an informal assessment to monitor progress.

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As an informal assessment, can we still use it to qualify a student with a speech-language impairment, articulation? How would you recommend using it along with the GFTA-3 or other formal assessments?

That depends on the qualification requirements of your therapy setting. Most therapy settings require two forms of assessment for qualification. One of which can usually be an informal assessment.

If only a standardized test is required I would still administer this test as a supplemental measure. Two measures are always better than one.

A few of the benefits of administering Articulation Test Center in addition to the GFTA-3 are:

• Saved recordings of each word- allow you to make sure test results are accurate, and can be easily accessed to monitor progress.

• Auto-marked phonological processes save you so much time.

• Detailed reports that breakdown sound substitutions/ omissions, phonological processes/ distortions as well as the percentage of occurrence among the errors.

• Speech scenes that make acquiring speech and language samples easy and fun.

• Intelligibility tracker that makes acquiring an accurate intelligibility rating easy.

• Full written report, written so parents can understand. This will save you so much time.

• It’s quicker to administer because kids are more engaged and you can record productions and score them later.

• The ability to add Speech Sound Norms that are based on my geographic location or are recommended by my therapy setting for qualification.

• The ability to quickly and easily email reports to parents and or other professionals working with a client.

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Does the app come pre-loaded with multiple articulation norms or just the Articulation Center Norms?

It only comes with the Articulation Test Center (default) norms. You will need to add any additional norms that you want to use.

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How long does the typical student take to administer the full test?

If the student's productions are recorded and then scored later it's typically 5 minutes or less (without a speech sample).

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Will Articulation Test Center ever be standardized?

We have no plans to standardize the test at this time.

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Does Test Center come in English and Spanish too?

Articulation Test Center is only in English.

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Will you be making a Spanish version of Test Center Pro?

We have no plans at this time to make a Spanish version of Articulation Test Center.

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When you change your norms, does it change it in the report?

Yes, the results in the report will be based on the norms you have selected.

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What research are the original norms based on in the Articulation Test Center?

All research and norms can be found on the Little Bee Speech website.

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Articulation Station Questions

Any chance of including vowels in future updates? Or maybe a completely brand new app :D

Adding vowels is something we are considering but no definite decisions have been made.

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If you already have Articulation Station Pro are future updates automatic or do you have to repurchase?

Currently, all updates are free.

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Do you have to press the red record button for each stimulus card separately or can you tap it once at the beginning to record all?

In Articulation Station you can tap the red record button once to record all speech productions on each word.

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How did you get to the 3 word phrases?

To access 3 word phrases, select "phrases", then "unique phrases".

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Will there ever be a way to collect data on the target words in sentences that aren’t bolded? Just curious. I still collect that data but we always debrief at the end and go over what the student misses.

We don’t currently have any plans to do that, but that is a good suggestion, we will consider it.

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Where do you go to add a custom word list again?

Select the sound program, select words, phrases or sentences, select your activity, and as soon as you select your sound position, an icon will appear below the “begin” button called “Words/ Lists.” When you tap on “Words/ Lists” your word list will be available for you to modify and save.

For more details on Custom Word Lists you can watch the following video tutorial:

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Can you work on more than one sound at a time with an artic kid, such as a kid working on 'th' and ‘r’?

Yes! To target multiple sounds at once tap the “Multiple Sounds” button at the bottom of the home screen. Then select the sounds, and positions you want to target.

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How did you group pics by food and drinks?

I opened “Multiple Sounds” and then selected all the sounds and sound positions, then I tapped on the “Words/ Lists” button. I deselected all the words, then I quickly scanned the word lists selecting all the food words. Then I saved my list and named it “Food.” Next time I want to access this list all I have to do is open “Multiple Sounds” and tap on the “Words/ Lists” to access my custom word list with my “Food” list on it.

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Where are Phonological Processes on Articulation Station located?

Phonological processes are only available in Articulation Station Pro. If you do not own Pro you can upgrade to Pro from within the free version of the app and get a special discounted price based on how many in app purchases you have previously purchased. If you own Pro, simply tap on the red “Phonological Processes” button in the bottom right corner of the home screen.

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Can you target the phonological process at the phrase/sentence level?

Currently you can only target phonological processes at the word level.

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Is all of this based on “independently”? Is there a way to mark if a model was given?

The yellow “approximation” button is intended to be used as a “catch all.” Meaning, if a child’s speech production is close but not quite right, mark it as an approximation. If a child requires prompting to produce the sound correctly, mark it with the yellow “approximation” symbol to indicate they are getting close but they can’t quite produce the sound independently. You may also make a note in the notes section of the results for which words required prompting.

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How do you add photos?

The custom image feature is only available to Pro users. To upgrade to Pro tap on the Store button in the upper right corner of the home screen.

If you are a Pro user, tap on the “Custom Images” button in the lower left corner of the Home Screen. Then tap “add,” then “add image”. Then select a photo or take a photo. Then give your image a name, type a phrase and a sentence then save your image to the sound program you would like the image saved to.

For more details on adding custom images watch the following video tutorial:

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Are there separate lists for Vocalic R sounds?

Yes. To access all the vocalic Rs open the r program, select words, phrases, sentences or stories. Then select your activity. Then when you choose your sound position (initial, medial, final, or blends), more options will be revealed. For example if you choose r- initial you will then be given the choice to practice the prevocalic r or initial ‘air,’ ‘ar,’ ‘ear,’ ‘ire,’ ‘or’ or ‘er.’

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General Questions

Do you primarily work with articulation/phonology clients? Do you see them only at your home therapy office and how often?

I have been working exclusively on developing apps for the last 4 1/2 years. Prior to that I saw clients in my private practice. I saw mostly school age clients focusing on articulation/phonology as well as language skills. I saw clients once a week.

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Any more apps in mind?

Yes, we have another AMAZING app underway! I can’t wait to share it with you. We don’t project it will be done until later this year. Be sure to sign up for our email list, or follow us on social media so you can be the first to know when it is released. :)

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Any Little Bee Speech apps targeting language coming our way?

Yes! They’re in the works.

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Any thoughts on having seasonal backgrounds in the future?

We have considered it, but it isn’t currently on our list of priorities.

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Any plans for Android?

No plans at the moment. If we do decide to develop for Android we will announce it on our FB page.

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