The First (of many!) Update for SanapsisPro

We’re in the process of updating all the materials in SanapsisPro, and I’m happy to share that the first big update is now out. The Comprehension category has been refreshed, with all-new content for each of its four core exercises:

• YES-NO

• Follow Instructions

• Questions Based on Text

• Listen to a Story.

To walk you through the updates, I’ll be sharing short posts about each exercise, starting with a favorite: YES-NO questions — the simple, versatile staple in every SLP’s toolkit.

185 Questions

On the surface, this task is very simple. You see a question and two checkboxes (green and red). You read the question to your patient and ask them to respond yes or no. Then you tick the corresponding box.

The questions cover a mix of types:

• Related to the patient or the current situation (“Are you wearing shoes?”)

• Silly and engaging (“Is a banana green on the inside ?”

• Slightly more demanding (“Are there rocks in the forest?“ or “If Ida is older than Tina, was Tina born first?”)

This update brings the total to 185 questions, with an even split between yes and no answers.

Note. Currently, these updates apply to Finnish and English. Swedish to follow!

Why I Use This So Often

This task may look basic, but it’s incredibly versatile with adult patients.

First, it’s great for establishing a consistent YES-NO response. Many patients experiencing apraxia or perseveration can struggle to express yes or no clearly, even when they have a clear idea of the response they want to give. This task offers a structured and low-pressure way to practice, using any response method, be it spoken, gestured, or utilizing AAC.

Second, this task is great to work on focused listening. Many patients who struggle with language comprehension tend to anticipate or guess rather than make an effort to focus on listening. Varied question types, including questions with unexpected information (“Is a hammer something to eat?”), help encourage more active processing. For patients who tend to respond impulsively or who have reduced self-monitoring, this task gives you a way to gently challenge those habits.

Third, working with varied YES-NO questions works well for self-monitoring when fatigue starts to affect performance. If accuracy drops as you progress in the task, you can point this out and open up a conversation about cognitive fatigue, attention, and the need for breaks and pacing. These moments often lead to some of the most valuable discussions in therapy.

Lighthearted YES-NO questions are also a great task when you’re figuring out what’s going on. If a patient struggles across tasks and you’re not quite sure where the breakdown is, running through a set of YES-NO questions can quickly give you insight into auditory comprehension, judgment, impulsivity, or fatigue awareness.

This is also a task I like to return to often—sometimes at the start or end of multiple sessions in a row. It’s familiar, simple, and opens space for useful clinical observations while providing a familiar anchor for the patient.

So that’s what’s new in the YES-NO exercise. It’s updated, expanded, and ready to use in the latest version of SanapsisPro.

Would love to hear how you use it with your patients—drop me a note and let me know!

NOW YOU CAN HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO (or introducing SANAPSIS PRO, with three languages in one app for professional use)

Have you ever wanted to use Sanapsis in a different language than on the one you have on your iPad? Have you noticed how our new Sanapsis+ for patients asks you to choose a language when you first launch the app? And when the time is right for your bilingual patient to switch to a different language, how easy it is to switch back and forth between languages in Sanapsis+? (Hint, tap settings icon, choose language, and hit save!).

Well, you are about to find out how easy and swift switching between English, Finnish, and Swedish can be for your Sanapsis for professional use too!

We have been working behind the scenes on the original version of Sanapsis to streamline our family of apps. Currently, our apps include three language versions of Sanapsis as separate apps: English, Finnish and Swedish. We also have a demo version of Sanapsis for professional use, SanapsisLite, available for free download. And this year, we added a new app, Sanapsis+, for patients to use at home independently. That is a lot of apps.

To streamline our selection, we have decided to combine all language versions into one app, SanapsisPro. This means that now you can download only one app for professional use and have all the content in English, Finnish and Swedish in the same app! And what makes this even better is that while adding languages, we also managed to reduce the size SanapsisPro takes up on your iPad. Kind of cool!

Unfortunately, this means we have to say farewell to our Sanapsis Suomi and Sanapsis Svenska as separate apps. If you have downloaded them before, you can absolutely keep using them for the foreseeable future on your device. However, you will not be able to download them again from the AppStore if you happen to remove them from your device. Also, all updates will from now on only happen on SanapsisPro.

If you have recently purchased Sanapsis Suomi or Sanapsis Svenska from the AppStore, send us a message. We will see if we can help make the transition to SanapsisPro smoother for you!

Sanapsis+ is here!

We are delighted to announce the arrival of our app for independent home practice for people with acquired speech and language challenges! 

With Sanapsis+, patients can work at their own pace on word-level exercises at home. We have put a lot of effort and thought into bringing you a user-friendly app with relevant content for your patient to work with - but without restricting the user experience to a one-dimensional game-like experience. 

Every step of using Sanapsis+ has been designed with the needs of our patients in mind. We have created an open-ended experience for users to stay in control while still providing feedback on their work. There are four different exercises in Sanapsis+.

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Listening

These exercises help your patient to identify the single words they hear. There are four images on the screen. After a brief pause, the app names one of the images. The goal is to tap the image that corresponds to that word. If the answer is correct, a green frame appears around the image. If the answer is incorrect, a red frame appears around the image. Simple! Patients can listen to the target word again by tapping the megaphone button. When they tap any of the pictures, they hear the name of that picture. 

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Speaking

In this exercise, patients work on word recall and speaking by naming pictures they see on screen. They also record and listen to their own voice and speech. No feedback is provided in this exercise as patients get to evaluate their work themselves!  

There are multiple levels of clues embedded in the exercise. To listen to the whole word recording of the target word, patients can tap the image. They can tap the question mark for a written clue to see the letters revealed - one letter for each tap. For an auditive hint, patients can tap the megaphone icon. All words can be recorded as many times as needed before moving to the next one. 

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Reading

In this reading exercise, there is an image and four words on the screen. Patients read the words and tap on the one that corresponds to the image. When the answer is correct, the button turns green. If they tap the wrong word, it turns red. It is always possible to try again as many times as needed, no rush! Patients can listen to the names of all images by tapping them. 

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Writing

In the writing exercise, there is an image and a keyboard on the screen. The goal is to use the keyboard to type the name of the image. When correct letters are typed, they appear on the line. After two incorrect tries, a hint appears, showing the following letter. When the word is completed correctly, the background turns green. It is possible to write the word again by tapping the refresh button on the keyboard. 

In all exercises, patients move forward at their own pace by tapping the arrow in the right corner. They can also go back to the previous word by tapping the back arrow on the left.  

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Saving the best for last! 

After the last task in an exercise, you see our most favorite feature! On the final screen, patients see an idea of how to practice the same skills they just worked on in the app in their everyday environment. These ideas correspond to the skill patients worked on and the category they chose to use for this particular session. 

Ideas for working outside the app range from simple independent work at home (reading, home: Browse through a newspaper. How many ads can you find?), to getting out and about (reading, surroundings: "Pay attention to street signs in your community. Which words do you recognize?"), and to work around the house with a loved one ("naming, clothes: Next time you do the laundry, name all the items as you put them in the dryer or as you hang them up to dry. Take turns!").

We are super excited about this feature and hope you are too! After all, the real world is where the magic of communication happens! We are also looking forward to hearing your best tips and ideas on working on language skills in the everyday environment. Send us your idea and it might be featured in the app!

Sanapsis+, coming soon!

We are super happy to introduce a new family member, Sanapsis+ - an app for working on speech and communication skills at home.

Sanapsis+, coming early 2021 to AppStore and GooglePlay!

Like all our apps, Sanapsis+ is designed for people with acquired speech and communication difficulties due to neurological deficits. These can include aphasia, stroke, traumatic brain injury, or a neurological illness.

With Sanapsis+, you can enhance active communication in all language areas: Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing. 

In addition to specific language exercises, Sanapsis+ provides ideas and guidance on working on speech and communication skills at home, in our everyday surroundings. After all, the real world is where the magic of communication happens! We are looking forward to sharing Sanapsis+ with you soon!