It was so much fun to share new ideas on adapting mobile apps to meet therapy goals at the SLP Summer Summit! A huge thank you to Sarah and Lisa at SLP ToolKit and Marisha from SLP Now for organizing and hosting another amazing Summit!
For those of you that didn’t have the opportunity to watch the Summit live you can watch the attached video of the presentation where you will learn lots of new ways to adapt Articulation Station Pro andArticulation Test Center Pro to treat language goals in addition to the articulation goals the apps were designed to treat.
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**UPDATE** Articulation Test Center Pro and Articulation Station Pro Classic are no longer available on the App Store. Articulation Test Center Hive has replaced Articulation Test Center Pro and Articulation Station Hive has replaced Articulation Station Pro Classic. Both Hive applications are part of our Little Bee Hive Membership.
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Below I have responded to the questions you asked during my presentation. I've also included the video of the presentation and links to download the handout and presentation slides.
Can you target initial, medial, and final positions at the same time in Articulation Station?
Yes, you can target any combination of sound positions you wish. You can choose the sound position/s before you begin the activity and/or you can add in sound positions once you are in the activity (unless you are doing a matching game in which case the sound positions have to be chosen before you begin the activity).
How did you get to the rotating phrases (spinners) in the app when you showed us the example for the goal about describing?
To access rotating phrases select the sound program you want to target, select phrases, choose rotating, select the sound position and then tap begin. If you want to modify the “lead words” or “target words” that will be rotated through the activity tap on the custom list icon in the bottom right corner of the screen before you begin the activity.
In the presentation, I chose the rotating phrase activity, then tapped on the custom list icon, selected lead words, and then tapped on “+ add word.” I added the following questions for targeting describing skills in therapy. Then I deselected all of the lead words except for the questions I added.
“What does it look like?”
“What does it feel like?”
“What does it smell like?”
“What does it sound like?”
“What does it taste like?”
Any suggestions for keeping track of which descriptions the child missed? Some of my kids are great at “looks like,” but struggle with the more abstract descriptions. Do you just keep that information on the side?
There are lots of different ways you can track which descriptions the child is struggling with:
Record their responses, then listen to them later and make notes in the notes section (in the results) about which ones they struggled with.
Take notes during the session and add the notes to the results after the session is complete.
Create a custom list for a specific task like, “What does it feel like?” and then score their responses. The results will display scores for the specific custom list, in this example you would see scores for, “What does it feel like?”
Can you explain how to make the custom lists again? Or are there tutorials on the app for creating custom lists?
You can access a video tutorial for creating custom lists from within the app. To find the tutorials select the “i” (information button) found on the bottom of the home screen next to the scores button. Then select video tutorials on the left. “Custom Lists” is one of 6 video tutorials available.
We also have the video tutorials available on YouTube. Watch the Custom List tutorial.
Can you share custom lists you make on Articulation Station Pro?
Articulation Station Pro does not currently have the ability to share custom lists with other users.
Can you backup the custom lists on articulation Station or share them between your ipads on the same account?
You can backup all the data you have saved in Articulation Station from the scores screen. This backs up student scores, custom lists and custom images. You can restore that data on another device using the same Apple ID through iCloud.
Here is a link to a video tutorial on how to backup and restore data in Articulation Station. You can also access this video tutorial from the information screen in Articulation Station.
Will you be putting “language” tutorials onto the app (with the “artic” tutorials)?
We don’t currently have any plans for adding language tutorials in Articulation Station.
Do you plan to add to Articulation Station by including some of these other lists such as categories, describing, function? Do you think a future update of Articulation Station will include some of these lists for language intervention pre-loaded?
Since the main function of Articulation Station is to target articulation goals we do not have any plans for making lists that target language goals available in the app at this time.
Is it possible to hide text within the app for sentence-level activities (like when you showed the video for working on WH questions)? Thinking of my students who are readers and would rely on the written text as a compensatory skill for auditory comprehension difficulties.
It is not currently possible to hide the text for words, phrases or sentences.
Is there a limit to how many custom images that can be added to Articulation Station Pro?
No. It is only limited by the space available on your iPad. But we have made a great effort to keep the file sizes low when saving custom images so they won’t take up too much space.
Can you use the original Articulation Station or do you need the Pro version to create custom lists and/or add custom images?
Custom images and custom lists are pro features. But you can upgrade to Pro from the original version which will unlock these features.
How can I access /ts/ in the medial position within Articulation Station?
We don’t currently have the /ts/ blend available in Articulation Station. You can add custom images of /ts/ words and save them to the medial /s/ program. Then you can select those words and create a custom list for them.
Do you have suggestions on how to use the app in a group setting, with 3-4 kids? I only have 1 iPad to work with.
Select the group feature (located on the bottom of the Home screen between Multiple Sounds and Settings), then select the students you would like to add to the group. You can work with up to 6 students at a time. Once you have selected the students tap begin. Then tap on the name of the student (found at the top of the screen) and select the activity you want to target. Each student can work on their own goals. You can switch between students at any time.
For more information on group sessions you can access a video tutorial for Group Sessions from the information screen within the app or you can watch the tutorial here.
If using articulation station with a group is there a way to track/collect data individually?
When you end a group session and tap save all the data recorded will be saved to the individual student’s scores.
Is there a way to save groups?
Currently, there is not a way to save groups. You have to open the group feature and select the students you want in your group each time you meet with a group.
I haven't made the big purchase out of my materials budget yet, but am seriously considering it... Would you mind sharing which device you use/suggest?
I would suggest getting the newest (Apple) device you can afford so that you don’t miss out on new apps you may like because your operating system is too old.
Here is a great article you can read which shares research from a school district in America that wanted to determine which device is more effective for SLPs, Apple or Android and if Apps are more effective therapy tools compared to traditional therapy materials. It’s called, “Is the Tablet an Effective Tool for Speech Language Pathologists?” Hopefully it will help you make your decision.
Please review the speech intelligibility portion. Where can I find this within the app?
The speech intelligibility measure is found in Articulation Test Center Pro. After you have saved a recording for the speech sample you can access that speech sample from the data screen. When you open the speech sample you can choose to update the good, fair or poor rating to a percentage. If you choose percentage it will open the intelligibility rating tracker where you can tap a “+” for every word you understand and a “-” for every word you do not understand. In real time you can get an accurate intelligibility score.
Is the quality of the recording within the app adequate for some basic acoustic analysis? If so, can it be exported?
The audio is good enough for basic acoustic analysis. You can email the recordings from Articulation Station Pro and you can email the speech samples from Articulation Test Center Pro.
Does Articulation Test Center evaluate students older than 6 years?
Articulation Test Center is a complete articulation evaluation tool. It assesses consonants, blends, vocalic Rs and vowels. It can be used for all ages. The screener is divided by age to save time by only testing the sounds that are developmentally appropriate. The 6+ screener can be used for 6 year olds and older. Although it does not test all the vocalic Rs and the vowels. If you want to test all the sounds you will have to do the full test in Articulation Test Center.
Can you print the results from Articulation Test Center?
Yes. You can email or print all the results from the screener, the full test and/or the speech sample.
What research/norms did you use to determine average age of acquisition?
We referenced the following research:
Arlt, P.B., & Goodman, M. J. (1976). A comparative study of articulation acquisition as based on a study of 240 normals, aged three to six. Language, speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 7, 173-180.
Bleile, K.M. (1995). Manual of articulation and phonological disorders. San Diego, CA: Singular Publishing Group, Inc.
Bowen, C. (2011, Nov 9). Elimination of phonological processes in typical development. Retrieved from
Chirlian, N.S., & Sharpley, C.F. (1982). Children's articulation development: Some regional differences. Australian Journal of Human Communication Disorders, 10, 23-30.
Dodd, B., Holm, A., Hua, Z., & Crosbie S. (2003). Phonological development: A normative study of British English-speaking children. Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics, 17(8), 17-43.
Flipsen, P. (2006). Measuring the intelligibility of conversational speech in children. Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics, 20(4), 303-312.
Fudala, J.B., & Reynolds, W.M. (1986). Arizona articulation proficiency scale (2nd ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Press.
Gordon-Brannan, M. (1994). Assessing intelligibility: Children's expressive phonologies. Topics in Language Disorders, 14, 17-25.
Gordon-Brannan, M., & Hodson, B.W. (2000). Intelligibility/severity measurements of prekindergarten children's speech. American Journal of Speech Language Pathology, 9, 141-150.
Hedge, M.N. (2001). Pocket guide to assessment in speech-language pathology (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Singular Publishing Group, Inc.
Ingram, T.T.S., Anthony, N., Bogle D., & McIsaac, M.W. (1971). The Edinburgh Articulation Test. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.
Irwin, J.W., & Wong, S.P. (Eds.). (1983). Phonological development in children 18 to 72 months. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press.
James, D., van Doom, J., & McLeod, S. (2001). Vowel production in mono-, di-and poly-syllabic words in children 3;0 to 7;11 years. In L. Wilson & S. Hewat (Eds.). Proceedings of the Speech Pathology Australia Conference. (pp. 127-136). Melbourne: Speech Pathology Australia.
Kilminster, M.G.E., & Laird, E.M. (1978). Articulation development in children aged three to nine years. Australian Journal of Human Communication Disorders, 6(1), 23-30.
Linguisystems (2009). Phonological pattern suppression by age. Retrieved from:
https://www.linguisystems.com/pdf/200908/Phonological%20Pattern%20Suppression%20By%20Age.pdf
Lowe, R.J. (2000). ALPHA (Assessment Link Between Phonology and Articulation Phonology) Revised Test of Phonology. Mifflinville, PA: ALPHA Speech & Language Resources. Retrieved from http://speech-language-therapy.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46:speechax&catid=9:resources&Itemid=117.
McLeod, S., & Bleile, K. (2003). Neurological and developmental foundations of speech acquisition. American speech-language-hearing association convention. Chicago. Retrived from http://www.speech-language-therapy.com/pdf/docs/ASHA03McLeodBleile.pdf
Otomo, K., & Stoel-Gammon, C. (1992). The acquisition of unrounded vowels in English. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 35, 604-616.
Peña-Brooks, A., & Hedge, M.N. (2000). Assessment and treatment of articulation and phonological disorders in children: A dual-level text. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed, Inc.
Pena-Brooks, A., & Hedge, M.N. (2007). Assessment and treatment of articulation and phonological disorders in children (2nd ed.). Austin, TX: PRO-ED.
Pollock, K.E. (2002). Identification of vowel errors: Methodological issues and preliminary data from the Memphis Vowel Project. In M. J. Ball & F. E. Gibbon (Eds.), Vowel disorders (pp. 83-113). Boston: Butterworth Heinemann.
Poole, I. (1934). Genetic development of articulation of consonants sounds in speech. Elementary English Review, 11, 159–161.
Prather, E.M., Hedrick, D.L., & Kern, C.A. (1975). Articulation development in children aged two to four years. Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders, 40, 179-191.
Sander, E.K. (1972). When are speech sounds learned? Journal of speech and hearing disorders, 37, 55-63
Selby, J.C., Robb, M.P., & Gilbert, H.R. (2000). Normal vowel articulations between 15 and 36 months of age. Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics, 14, 255-266.
Smit, A., Hand, L., Freilinger, J., Bernthal, J. and Bird, A. (1990). The Iowa articulation
norms project and its Nebraska replication. Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders, 55, 779–798.
Templin, M. (1957) Certain language skills in children: their development and interrelationships. Institute of Child Welfare Monographs, Vol. 26 (Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.)
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Waring, R., Fisher, J., & Atkin, N. (2001). The articulation survey: Putting numbers to it. In L. Wilson and S. Hewat. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 2001 Speech Pathology Australia national conference: Evidence and innovation (pp. 145-151). Melbourne: Speech Pathology Australia.
Watson, M.M., & Scukanec, G.P. (1997). Profiling the phonological abilities of 2-year olds: A longitudinal investigation. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 13, 3-14.
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Will Articulation Test Center be standardized in the near future? I would love to use this as an assessment tool that can help qualify a student but I need a standardized measure.
One of our favorite things about Articulation Test Center is how flexible it is. For that reason we do not have any plans at this time to standardize it. It is a criterion-referenced test that saves audio recordings for easy progress monitoring, it has thorough data tracking for goal setting, a summary of phonological processes present, the ability to make and save speech samples and an intelligibility measure that makes scoring intelligibility easier and more accurate. All these features make Articulation Test Center an outstanding choice as an additional measure for qualifying students for services.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act states that it is inappropriate and unacceptable to base any eligibility decision upon the results of only one procedure and that using a variety of assessment tools and strategies to gather relevant functional and developmental information about the child is required. Additional measures may include observations, interviews, criterion-referenced tests, curriculum-based assessments, and so on.
Is the GFTA 3 included in your norms?
No.
Do you use the GFTA 3?
As a private practitioner I only use Articulation Test Center.
Is Articulation Test Center Pro the same as Articulation Station Pro?
Articulation Test Center Pro and Articulation Station Pro are two separate apps.
Where do I find the Articulation Test Center Pro once the presentation is over? I can’t find it on the App Store.
Articulation Test Center Pro is only available on the iPad. You cannot find it in the App Store if you are searching for it on your iPhone. You have to search for it from your iPad.
What app/program do you use to put your apps on the computer screen? Or are you holding your ipad near the camera? Would love to be able to do this for teletherapy.
There are a couple of different options for mirroring your iPad to your computer screen.
A great wireless option is an app called Reflector. Here is a link to the website for additional information. http://www.airsquirrels.com/reflector/
A great wired option is to hook your iPad to your computer with the usb cable it came with and open Quicktime, a video app from Apple. It’s a free download. Here is a link with more information on how to mirror your iPad screen to your computer (Mac) using Quicktime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8yi9bJtkLY
Here is a link to another app called Lonely Screen which is another wireless option that works great with a PC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA0Clw4q-nA
Is there any way to pull up these apps onto a computer (either mac or pc)? It would be nice to use these apps during telepractice using a screen share function.
Our apps are only available on iOS devices (iPad, iPhone).
Most of the time when I hook my iPad up to a larger screen monitor the sound for the app no longer works. Any suggestions?
I would suggest that you check the settings on the TV or projector that you’ve connected the iPad to. I would also suggest to make sure you have the correct cable that will provide both video and audio: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202044
Do you have logistic ideas on how to use your apps in teletherapy?
Since our apps are developed for iOS devices you'll have to be more creative but it is possible to use them in a teletherapy setting. I have never done teletherapy so I am not familiar with the software that can be used. One suggestion is from another SLP who does teletherapy and she said the following: “I have used the apps in teletherapy - you need to share it, watch the kids mouse and then tap the device yourself.” Of course this is more challenging but it works for her. I will do some additional research on using apps in a teletherapy setting and post any additional information here that might be helpful.
Can you get articulation station on an HP touch screen laptop or is it only iPad or iPhone?
Articulation Station Pro is only available on the iPad and iPhone.
Will this be available for Windows or Android?
At the moment we are focused on developing for iOS however we are interested in Android and if we decide to develop for Android we will announce it on our Facebook page first so be sure and follow us! www.facebook.com/littlebeespeech
Did you use a word processor to make the word strips on the handouts?
The word strips that are found in the handouts were created in Adobe Illustrator.
How do you get admin to buy in to the value of using apps? We are so restricted.
That can be tough, especailly when budgets are limited. I would suggest having them read this research study done by a school district here in the US: “Is the Tablet an Effective Therapy Tool for Speech Language Pathologists”
Do you have a bilingual Articulation Test Center app?
Articulation Test Center is only available in English
Are these apps available for other languages?
The only app we have available in another language is Articulation Station Español.
Heidi, I love your Spanish articulation app and use it daily. After seeing this presentation I have to know: Are you planning to add Stories to the Spanish app as well!?
We would love to add stories but we don’t have any plans to at this time.
Where do I get the handouts?
You can click the links at the top of the page to download the handouts.
What's the best way to contact you if we have any lingering questions?
You can email me at: hello[at]littlebeespeech[dot]com
The Little Bee Hive
Articulation & Phonology Assessment and Treatment for your iPad & iPhone
