Jigsaw puzzles and foam or wooden shape sorting puzzles can target several communication and cognitive goals during therapy. I have found packs of three sturdy twenty-five piece puzzles for under ten dollars at a local grocery store in the educational supply/ toy aisle. The puzzles I am favoring currently are made by Puzzle Patch; I like them ...

Cursive Writing HD is an inexpensive and simple app that can be used to practice handwriting. Many older clients prefer to write using script letters, and schools are slowly abandoning cursive in the curriculum, so this app can be used as intended to practice forming letters or words. It can also be customized and used to practice printing any ...

At this time of year, many work settings are caught up in the holiday spirit. I find that many patients welcome the diversion from therapy as usual, and enjoy the excitement that surrounds decorating, celebrating, reminiscing. Facilities might decorate from top-to-bottom with lights, door decorations, bulletin boards, and music, or choose a more ...

 In my last post, I talked about turning off the home button in apps through guided access. I have discovered other ways to use guided access so that my students' access to apps is limited by ME! If you have guided access enabled (settings > accessibility > guided access ON, > set password) you can render parts of the screen off ...

Etsy knows best. How many of you know Etsy? According to Wikipedia, Etsy is an e-commerce website focused on handmade or vintage items as well as art and craft supplies. These items cover a wide range including art, photography, clothing, jewelry, food, bath and beauty products, quilts, knick-knacks, and toys. Many individuals also sell craft ...

Holiday or seasonal craft activities can target many cognitive and language skills, while giving both the SLP and the residents a break from workbook activities, paper and pencil tasks, and lists of questions and directions. I have a favorite coloring activity that I have used for several years that targets receptive language, memory, sequencing, ...

Executive functioning goals can be addressed using mainstream apps when a skilled therapist adds coaching and cueing. Executive functioning is the highest level of cognitive function - encompassing the ability to set goals, plan, initiate, and self-monitor with self-awareness and self-correction. Commonly impaired in brain injured individuals and ...

Atlanta--The ballroom of the Georgia World Congress Center was filled to the brim with early-rising speech-language pathologists and audiologists this morning. They gathered to hear Dr. Maya Angelou, the celebrate poet, activist and educator give the opening keynote at this year's American Speech and Hearing Association Annual ...

It was early October. The air in Las Vegas, Nevada was still not real crisp but it was better than the 120 degree temperatures that had baked the desert golf courses in July, August, and September. The sky overhead was clear blue. It was a good day for a hole-in-one. That's part of my story, A Hole in the Sky, about the day my son, Doug, who has ...

 While most apps on this blog are for use in therapy, this week I'd like to discuss an app that may benefit clients living with brain injury, dementia, or other memory impairments in their lives outside the therapy room.  Qcard is a new life management app for iPhone designed by a brain injury survivor to help others like him. ...