Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Apraxia Therapy Materials: Talking Carl iPhone / iPad App

If you have access to an iPhone or iPad there are a lot of apps that can be used to elicit speech from your little one. One in particular that can work well with a child at any stage is Talking Carl. (Note: There are other "talking" apps as well. Most are free or 99 cents. Just be sure to try a couple and choose the one you like best before you try it with your child. Some of them are not appropriate for children.)

Talking Carl is an interactive little monster with big eyes and a big mouth. He will giggle when tickled, and complain when poked. Children almost always crack up laughing themselves when they tickle or poke Carl. If you have a nonverbal child, just being able to get a giggle or an "ouch" in sympathy is good speech practice.


The other key thing Carl does is listen to what your child says when they talk into your phone and then repeat their words back to them. So if your child says, "Hi!" Carl will repeat, "Hi!" Carl will repeat anything the child says. If you are looking for a fun way to get your child to talk, this might do the trick for you. Check it out.

Here is a short YouTube video that demonstrates most of the things Talking Carl does (except the giggling). I chose this one because it was short, but did a nice demonstration of the speech repetition (not in English, but still a good demonstration).



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2 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing that app! Our ipad comes on Thursday and I can't wait! If you can get a hold of someone who went to the 2010 ASHA convention, there was a presenter who published a list of "good" apps for ipads/ipods. I will search to see if I can find it on a site for you. Also, http://momswithapps.com/ have lists of free/inexpensive apps that are good for kids on Fridays. Hope this helps!

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  2. Thanks for the tips, Gentle Blue. And if you find that list, let me know! Congrats on your ipad. Enjoy it. My husband got one for his birthday and loves it.

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