RESOURCES TO SUPPORT LANGUAGE PROCESSING

Language Processing Disorder (LPD), refers to "the mental operations by which we perceive, recognize, understand and remember sounds, words and sentences." (Dollaghan, 2013). Students tend to experience some amount of difficulty attaching meaning to sounds that form words. There are many options available to help students who experience LPD. With the right tools, students who experience some difficulty processing language can successfully integrate in the classroom and develop some independence and control of their learning.

Common Signs and Symptoms

  • Poor reading comprehension
  • Some difficulty understanding or gaining meaning from spoken language
  • Difficulty articulating or expressing thoughts verbally
  • Experiences frustration in trying to express thoughts and feelings
  • Written work is poorly constructed

A wide range of technology resources are available to provide some support for students who experience Language Processing Disorder (LPD). 

Audacity

Audacity is a free open source software tool that can be used to record and edit live or pre-recorded sounds which can be downloaded for playback in several formats.  This tool is very easy to use and available for free download across multiple platforms. There are multiple options available to the teacher to support language processing.


Audacity Overview


Autism iHelp

Autism iHelp is a vocabulary teaching aid developed by parents of a child with Autism and a speech-language pathologist. Autism iHelp was inspired by the need for specific language intervention tools for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder focusing on their unique strengths and difficulty with expressive vocabulary.


Comprehension Aphasia

The Comprehension Aphasia app was created by a certified speech and language pathologist for adults and children. The app can be extremely useful by students who experience cognitive deficit, receptive language disorders as well as autism. There are many other options that are available to support language processing disorders. 


Dragon speech recognition software is a cost-effective accessibility tool for students with physical disabilities. Speech recognition software is a necessary tool in the classroom for students at different levels of development. Students with mild or severe learning or physical disabilities are able to experience a greater level of independence in and out of the classroom. It also provides opportunities for a richer learning for ELL or ESL students.

iSequences

iSEQUENCES is an educational app for children with Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome that enables them to practice 100 different sequences about everyday situations, such as:

- Autonomous habits like brushing their teeth, washing their hands, getting dressed or going to bed
- Fun activities like going to the beach, to the movies or do sports
- Every day situations like falling down, taking the bus, going the doctor, buying bread or getting wet in the rain
- Emotions like happiness, sadness, surprise or fear


iTranslate Voice

iTranslate Voice is a voice recognition app that captures the user's voice in one language and translates it into another language. There are over 50 languages available for users to choose from. Once completed, the voice script can be shared by email or text. 



Kurzweil 3000

Kurzweil 3000 is award-winning educational software designed to provide literacy support for those who struggle with literacy in the classroom, at home, or in the workplace. Built-in features for reading, writing and study skills helps students to become independent learners, active participants within inclusion classrooms or sheltered instruction programs




Raz Kids

Raz Kids is a great website for online reading for the K-5 students. It features a collection of interactive leveled ebooks spanning 29 reading levels. The site is available to students anytime and anywhere. There is also an app that can be downloaded on devices across several platforms.




Smalltalk by Lingraphia

The SmallTalk family of communication apps can assist users with a range of options to assist with practicing speech and communication. 


Speech Sounds on Cue

Speech Sounds on Cue is a Speech therapy treatment software for articulation difficulty caused by apraxia of speech or other speech difficulties. 


Starfall

Starfall uses phonics to teach children to read. It uses a systematic approach, in conjunction with audiovisual interactivity to meet the needs of a range of learners from preschool, kindergarten, first grade, second grade, special education, homeschool, and English language development (ELD, ELL, ESL).




This app provides a rich engaging environment for learners to improve their ability to create a narrative. Story Builder is designed to assist children with inferencing, paragraph formation and integrating their ideas. It promotes improved auditory processing for special needs children with autism spectrum disorders or sensory processing disorders.  

Talking Tom

Talking Tom can help students to play with sounds and words, receiving auditory feedback about how they said it.

Tumble Books

Tumble Books is a collection of online, animated, talking picture books. A yearly subscription is required to access the full range of resources. Users can create an account and get access to free preview.



This is by no means an exhaustive list. Please feel free to comment and provide information on any other resource that might be used to support learners who experience difficulty processing language. 



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