Question
Are there any applications that you would recommend to help facilitate improvement in your client's social pragmatic abilities?
Answer
If you consider group therapy, an application of turn-taking and topic switching would facilitate improvement as would the use of expressive writing, and mentoring. Also look at increasing self-awareness through videotaping and getting other family members to provide feedback.
There are some specific apps that may be useful as well. I use the iTouch® and podcasts. For apps that I use on the iTouch or the iPad, I have a whole section just for brain things. It has Brain Trainer (by Lumosity.com), Brain Challenge™, HowStuffWorks (by HowStuffWorks.com) which explains how things work. There are various games like Scrabble®. Usually if you do a search for it, there are always lots of different games. I found Brain Trainer apps are the ones that work the best. They have memory tasks, picture memory, speech things, but one of the things I found I use a lot is a podcast called BrainReady™. There are newer ones, but this is an older one. It’s a podcast you listen to, and they'll have you repeat things, have you do memory things - it’s not therapy, but different kinds of techniques for brain strengthening. That is the audio, while the apps are more visual. Usually I found if you do a search for any of them – this field is just getting more popular. You see it’s needed more, from the TBIs in sports, or TBIs in the military from wars – it’s a lot more prevalent on different ways of using things. Search for “brain exercise” or “brain therapy’ or “brain training” for the iPad® or iTouch®. There is always a lot to choose from, but BrainReady for the podcast and Brain Trainer are my favorites for the iTouch®.
Jean Neils-Strunjas, PhD is a professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Armstrong Atlantic State University and at the University of Cincinnati. She has taught graduate level courses on cognitive communication disorders and has conducted research on cognitive disorders and remediation strategies.
Brendan Wiese, BA is a student and athletic trainer. He has had a remarkable recovery from a severe traumatic brain injury. Brendan lectures about his recovery and strategies that have helped him.
