Visual Attention TherAppy app by Tactus Therapy Solutions-Review

This September, I noticed an inquiry on Facebook from Tactus Therapy Solutions looking for bloggers to review their Visual Attention TheraAppy application.  Since I have fully embraced the app world, I volunteered for the review.  

The object is to match 1-2 targets shown at the top of the page within a clustered field.  There are 10 selections you can chose from to create your field and control challenges.  For example, you could set up a field with all the same letters or symbols and 1 target if you need to just focus on scanning from left to right or you could make things more difficult by adding "symbols in symbols and letters" and 2 targets. You can also set the app for practice mode, which helps identify challenging areas, or test mode to gain statistics.  




This screen displays a far more challenging level than the one above.
According to the summary in the app store, Visual Attention TherAppy strives to improve reading, scanning, concentration, memory, attention to detail, and speed of processing.  As a Speech Pathologist, I would find this app beneficial to children in school who need to improve their attention and focus, while Speech Pathologists in a hospital and/or rehabilitative setting would especially find this app helpful for patients who have had a stroke.  I tried the app with a few children between the ages of six and nine.  It was very convenient to be able to change the setting to a "child" mode for this age group! The examiners liked racing against the clock to complete the drills.  I would likely use this app at the beginning of my speech and language session as a warm up for attending to tasks.  It may also come in handy just prior to reading text for comprehension work as it supports scanning from left to right.  I would also suggest sharing this app with resource and reading teachers as it is very applicable to their caseloads!

The developers wanted me to relay that there is a free trial available: Visual Attention TherAppy Lite. This lite version offers one level and one size, but allows you to try the test, practice, 1 or 2 targets, and email results. 




Here is the set up screen for the Lite version.  The complete app
includes all the red faced print selections while the sample allows you
to try the "letter in letters and symbols" only.