Technology definitely has been a boon for speech therapists: the number of free online assessment and screening tools can help make your job much more efficient and help you make more accurate diagnoses and treatment plans.
Read below for a listing of some free online communication tools we found for speech therapists.
- M-CHAT is an online tool that can help you screen for autism (and autism spectrum disorder) in children ages 16-30 months. It stands for Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers. M-CHAT is a questionnaire you can score and then receive feedback online. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends M-CHAT for autism screening. Download it here.
- Communication Matrix helps you understand how a patient is communicating and helps you in forming communication goals for the patient. Communication Matrix is especially handy when it comes to assessing the expressive communication skills of children with severe or multiple disabilities. This tool breaks down communication into three different areas: levels of communication, reasons to communicate and categories of communicative behavior. Download Communication Matrix here.
- Edmonton Narrative Norms Instrument allows you to collect language information from children ages 4-9 through storytelling. The ENNI uses pictures that tell a story and are presented to the patient, who then is asked to retell the story in his/her own words. The ENNI also provides norms and information on how to perform analysis. Download it here.
- The Narrative Language Measures (NLM) are tests that measure different aspects of narrative language for children of preschool and elementary school age. The NLM includes the following tests: the Test of Narrative Retell, the Test of Story Comprehension and the Test of Personal Generation. These tools can be used for screening as well as monitoring progress and planning intervention. All are available for download but you have to email a request for the test and then the creator, Language Dynamics Group will send the tests to you. Visit the company’s website for more information.
- Rainbow Sentences is an iPad app that will help students improve their ability to build sentences that are correct grammatically with the help of color-coded visual cues. Download it here.
- Verbally is a free augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) app for the iPad. It brings speech to patients who don’t have it and provides real conversation with a simple and intuitive design. The patient just needs to tap what he or she wants to say in Verbally and the app speaks for the patient. Download it here.
If you’re a speech pathologist, what free apps have you found helpful for your practice and your patients?
If you have one or two years of recent professional experience as a speech therapist and are interested in a career as a traveler, send your resume to the recruiters at MedPro Healthcare Staffing. We look forward to hearing from you.
