Sunny Articulation Phonology Test {Guest App Review}

This post has been long overdue. For those of you who don't follow me on my Facebook page, I have recently relocated from New York to Pennsylvania with my new hubby. Actually, tomorrow will be my first day of work with the 3-5 population! After working with middle schoolers for the past 2 years, I welcome the change that preschoolers offer! Needless to say, my posts will be reflective of the new age group that I will be working with. I hope you all stay tuned as I write about my new adventure!

I'm excited to introduce you to a fantastic SLP that I was fortunate enough to work with during my time at my middle school. Jeanette will be reviewing the Sunny Articulation Phonology Test app. Take it away Jeanette! 

I am very excited to bring you all my very first product review from Smarty Ears! As a pseudo-techy Speech-Language Pathologist, I can appreciate the Sunny Articulation Phonology Test (SAPT) and its uses with the iPad ($49.99). At first glance it appeared to be just another artic app, but as I continued to use it I found that it had a plethora of features.  

First, the app features a video tutorial. It is a quick and easy to understand resource to get you started. Manual information for the SAPT can be found within the app. Like many other apps out there, the SAPT allows you to enter each individual student’s demographic information.  This app separates itself from the competition in that it lends itself to both articulation screenings and a full evaluation of the student’s articulatory repertoire.

Next, is a must-see feature, which includes the ability to change orientation depending upon where the clinician is seated in relation to the student’s seating placement. This allows you to document the student’s articulation while testing is going on.

The screening version contains 30 words and evaluates 65 different phoneme targets including both consonants and consonant blends. Whereas, the full evaluation consists of 46 words with 103 targeted phonemes!

During testing the clinician can readily view the target phoneme as it is written in green. Once the clinician indicates the student’s error, the target phoneme turns red. You also have the option of utilizing the single recording feature to record the student’s production of the picture stimulus. Clinicians are also able to take notes, note the level of intelligibility, and indicate the type of error observed (i.e. distortion, substitution, omission).

As an often-frazzled school-based SLP, I can appreciate the detail that goes into the test report. The report includes:

·      sound development norms

·      detailed descriptions of the student’s articulation errors

·      break down of accuracy across the initial, medial, and final position of the word

·      a review of the types of errors the student made

·      discussion of place, manner, and voicing of target phonemes

·      transcription of the student’s articulation errors

Once the clinician has completed the administration of the screening or test, the scores and reports are immediately available to print or email.

I absolutely LOVE the Sunny Articulation Phonology Test! This app is a valuable resource as it allows for you to screen, evaluate, and track progress over time. I found it very easy to use and extremely detailed in the report it generates. As a school-based SLP I can already see the advantage of using such a test for Response to Intervention (RTI) and elementary level speech screening purposes. The one caveat that I found while reviewing this product is that this is not a standardized assessment tool and therefore cannot be used to meet eligibility criteria. Other than that, this is a product that I would recommend to any speech-language pathologist, especially the techy ones!

I hope you all have enjoyed my very first product review almost as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Thank you,

Jeanette L. Clarke, M.A., CCC-SLP/TSSLD

Phono Learning Center {Guest App Review}

I'm excited to have Jocelyn over at Ms. Jocelyn Speech do a guest post about Phono Learning Center! 




Phono Learning Center is an app developed by Smarty Ears. This app is designed to help children improve their speech production. I am always looking for new practice materials for articulation and phonological delays, so I was happy to receive the opportunity to try this app out.

To start, click on new session. There you can pick one or more children to target during the session. You can specify each child's specific need. To adjust a child's target, double click on their plate symbol.

When you are ready to begin, the session begins with Auditory Bombardment, where balloons rise and students tap on them to identify target words for practice. Then, there are four games that can be used for targeted practice; matching, hot air balloon, puzzle, and basket paper activity. During each game, you can keep track of how the student is doing by tapping on "Got it!," "Almost," "Missed it."



During the matching game, the child is presented with a target word and asked to find it's match.



The hot air balloon game presents the child with a target card that they drag in to the hot air balloon basket. As you drag cards to the basket, the balloon inflates with air. Once the balloon is full, it takes off.

The puzzle game presents the child with a target word on a puzzle piece. As they say the word, they drag it on to the puzzle board. The goal is to complete the puzzle.



The basket paper activity, my personal favorite, present the child with a target word on paper. After the child says the word they tap the paper so it rolls up in to a ball. Then, the child slides the ball toward the basket trying to get it to go in.

A helpful feature is the results page. The app stores student information, but you are also able to email or print the results from each session for your records.

The most surprising feature to come across was Homework! Yes, this App provides you with printable practice sheets that align with the targets you set for your children in the game.

Phono Learning Center from Smarty Ears is available for $14.99 on iTunes for the iPad.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: A free copy of this app was provided to Ms. Jocelyn Speech for review. No other compensation was provided. The opinions expressed are solely the reviewers and were not influenced by the developer.