iName it

iName It is specifically designed to help individuals with difficulty recalling the names of common items found in the home. Developed by speech-language pathologists, iName It provides users with a systematic way to recall functional words needed for activities of daily living. iName It consists of fifty nouns that are displayed within the context of the rooms where they are typically located, such as bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, etc… Each target word can be elicited by using one of more of the five different types of cues available: phonemic, phase completion, whole word or semantic.

This version of iName It is available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

How to Use
iName It is a single-player app specifically designed to be used by a speech-language pathologist or caregiver such as a family member. From the home screen, the user has the option to select “start practice,” “about,” “results,” or “support.” By selecting the “start practice,” the user can choose, or create, a client avatar. Once the client is selected, the screen automatically populates with a choice of five visual scenes. A tap of the screen allows the scene to be selected, and a task bar displays the items to be found within the scene. By selecting one of the items, the available prompts are displayed. If the client doesn’t need to utilize a prompt to name the item, a simple tap of the “got it” button tracks the answer.

Data Collection
iName It tracks data throughout the app. In the “results” area, the user selects the appropriate client avatar. The data report will display indicating the dates the app has been used, overall accuracy without cues, overall accuracy with cues, and which type of cue was most successful. Each session is recorded by date and visual scene name.

The session data report can then be emailed, printed, or exported to the Therapy Report Center for easy progress monitoring and report writing.

Purpose
iName It is designed to work on word-retrieval secondary to aphasia, and includes 10 target items for each household scene: bedroom, kitchen, living room, bathroom, and garage. Each scene is realistically depicted specifically to assist with visual and sentence completion clues. In addition, the app contains several types of clues or prompts to assist with the verbal recall.

The primary objectives of iName It is to:

Improve word finding of common functional words found in the home and community.
Provide several types of cueing options to meet the needs of a wide range of clients at varying communication levels.
 

These include printed cues, a definition prompt, a semantic prompt, a phonetic cue (initial sound), and the written word. Each of these prompts was designed using the five types of evidenced based cueing suggested as being useful for word-finding (Hillis, 1993; Nickels, 2002, Wambaugh, 2007). Literature suggests using initial syllable cues and sentence completion cues may trigger motor commands for articulation and be beneficial to individuals with apraxia of speech as well (Love, 1977).

iName It can be used effectively by Speech-Language Pathologists and caregivers working with individuals experiencing word finding difficulties. It is specifically designed to assist people with a wide variety of word-finding deficits. Although the app is designed primarily for use by adults, it can be used with adolescents and children.

Target Audience (s):
This Application is designed for adults, but can also be used with adolescents and children. I Name It targets individuals with word finding difficulties secondary to aphasia. Additionally, it can benefit individuals with apraxia that are assisted by visual and sentence completion cues.