Is that Silly? 4.0

Is That Silly offers an engaging and effective method for teaching children of various ages to enhance their attention to detail and improve their language skills. Featuring over 120 carefully designed images that captivate children's interest, the app fosters both receptive and expressive language abilities while promoting visual and auditory focus. Each pair of images includes one ‘silly’ and one ‘not silly’ representation, with the non-silly images reflecting everyday or realistic scenarios. The variations are introduced through a humorous twist in wording.

Gameplay Mechanics

During each round, a narrator provides a description of the situation depicted in the picture (e.g., “He is wearing his shoes on his hands.”). The child then chooses whether the image is 'silly' or 'not silly.' Successfully selecting the correct image prompts a congratulatory response. If the child identifies the silly image, the app advances to an expressive feature where they must articulate what makes the picture silly. The accompanying adult evaluates the child's response as "correct," "almost correct," or "not correct," indicated by discreetly tapping one of three flowers positioned within each scene. A 'next' arrow facilitates scene progression as needed, while a tally of correct responses is subtly displayed in the corner of each screen.

Customization Options

The customization feature in Is That Silly allows for adjustments directly from both the opening screen and within individual scenes. Adults can choose to enable or disable verbal/written prompts and verbal rewards based on the child's readiness. Additionally, if the student is unprepared for the expressive component, the prompt for explaining why an image is silly can be deactivated. At session’s end, a report card is generated showcasing the child’s performance, which can be emailed or printed from within the app. The default display of percentage scores can also be toggled off by the adult.

Educational Purpose

The primary objective of Is That Silly is to facilitate language development. Children diagnosed with ADHD, Autism, language disorders, and other learning challenges often encounter difficulties with attention to details. This app serves as a valuable resource for parents, Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs), and educators to cultivate essential expressive and pragmatic language skills in these children. By continuously prompting discussion about each picture, adults encourage students to elaborate on their language use. The enjoyable and imaginative nature of the app sustains children’s motivation as they engage with each new scene.

Key features of Is That Silly include:

• High-quality images designed to capture student interest.
• Receptive language development through listening tasks.
• Expressive language enhancement via 'wh' questions and pic ture discussions.
• Visual/auditory discrimination fostering attention to sensory cues.
• Data collection capabilities for individual student tracking.
• Compatibility with Therapy Report Center for streamlined reporting and progress monitoring.
• Customizable elements tailored to specific therapeutic needs.

References:

1. Characteristics of Autism
2. Yoder, Davies, Bishop, Munson (1994). Effect of adult continuing wh-questions on conversational participation in children with developmental disabilities. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research Vol 37, 193-204.