SnapType For Occupational Therapy Has More Updates And Features Now

This post has been written by Amberlynn Gifford - creator of the ever popular app "SnapType for Occupational Therapy".

When I created SnapType last year, I knew it would help children struggling with handwriting. However, I could never have imagined the outcry of support I received from therapists and parents. Each week I read several emails from users with stories of how SnapType has changed their lives.

"Thank you for this app! You are a blessing! I can honestly tell you that I have spent many hours crying and hurting inside while watching my son struggle to write pages of sentences and spelling words and other homework assignments. He screams out with frustration. It's been so bad that I have stopped him and honestly wrote for him, left handed to make it look more like a neater version of his because I could not take it anymore! Now, with SnapType, he completes his worksheets, show off his intelligence and feels more confident than ever. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!"

That was an email I received from a mother who felt like she was losing her son. I tear up while reading emails like this from parents and it brings me so much joy to know that these children are succeeding with the help of SnapType.

I have learned along the way that SnapType helps not only children with dysgraphia but also individuals with several other learning disabilities, low vision, low muscle tone, and Parkinson's. It is so exciting to learn that a variety of individuals can benefit from SnapType.

When I first had the idea for SnapType, I wanted to test out the idea as quickly and inexpensively as possible. So I paid a developer in India $300 to build the first version of the app. It was so basic, but it was the perfect way to quickly find out if anyone would find value in my idea. With tens of thousands of downloads, and over a hundred emails from users, it was clear that people were finding value in the app.

Every week emails came in from users who were so happy to have found SnapType. But they were also asking for more functionality. They wanted to print and email from within the app, save documents to work on later, import documents from the image gallery and much more. The initial SnapType app lacked all of these features yet people still used the app because there was nothing else like it on the market that could help their kids and students.

I wanted to give the users what they were asking for. But being a full time occupational therapy graduate student, I couldn't afford to pay thousands of dollars to get the app made. I asked the developer in India if he would be interested in partnering with me to create a new app but without the cash, he wasn't interested. So then I reached out to a community of app developers and received interest from a few. Shortly thereafter, I started working with a developer and it was going great. Then the emails stopped. He fell off the face of the earth it seemed and I was back where I started.

Feeling defeated at the end of September, I reached out to another developer who previously expressed interest and he jumped on board right away. Instantly, we were going back and forth, exchanging ideas and building the app's fundamental layout and features. The communication was prompt and continuous as we crafted the upgrade. I say upgrade, but it's really an all new app, built from the ground up.

The developer, Brendan Kircher, has been instrumental in making SnapType a success. There were

times when I felt overwhelmed because we were moving so quickly and there were so many questions he needed me to answer. I was juggling being a full time grad student, working a part time job 25 hours a week and also spending several hours a day on SnapType. Nevertheless, I appreciated Brendan's speed and pushing because it has helped create a wonderfully powerful and intuitive tool. Without his speed, knowledge, enthusiasm and commitment this would not have been possible.

By Thanksgiving we were ready to share the app and we enlisted the help of two dozen users who were equally passionate about this project. We spent the month of December working with our team of testers to debug and refine the feature set. By early January we submitted the app to Apple and crossed our fingers that they would approve it. Two weeks later we received confirmation that it was in the app store and ready for the world!

As I write this article, SnapType version 2.0 has been public for just a few days. But already the comments are pouring in. Parents, occupational therapists, teachers and students are loving the new features!

SnapType is available for free on the App Store. We wanted to keep it free in order to help as many people as possible. Interestingly, many users asked us to charge for the app. That took me off guard, but they wanted to make sure that we receive some revenue to ensure that we continue to keep the app updated. After lengthy discussions with mentors, users and each other, we decided to keep the app free, but also offer an in-app purchase to provide advanced features for the power users. SnapType Pro enables users to work on multiple documents and also access the a whiteboard feature which turns documents into simplified black and white images, to save ink when printing. SnapType Pro is $4.99, but for a limited time, we're offering it for $2.99.

Another frequent request we receive is for an Android version. I'm happy to say that we've just started working on SnapType for Android (which by the way, requires writing the app all over again in a different programming language with it's own set of challenges). To learn more about the Android version and to stay connected for other SnapType updates, follow SnapType on Facebook or Twitter.

Click here to download SnapType for free on the iPad or iPhone.

Amberlynn Gifford is a 2nd year OT student at Springfield College in Massachusetts. When she's not studying, which is rare, you can find her coaching gymnastics and working on all sorts of creative projects. She will graduate with her masters degree in 2016 and looks forward to working in pediatrics. Connect with Amberlynn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberlynngifford. 



Image source: Carissa Rogers

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MusicGlove: World�s First FDA Approved Music-Based Hand Rehabilitation Device

When it comes to therapy for stroke patients, we picture mundane, boring exercises that they have to perform for months, and sometimes years. How great would it be to add excitement and fun  to the entire regime so that patients are actually motivated (and even look forward) to continue to exercise and feel better?

MusicGlove does just that. A glove that lets you play a Guitar Hero like game on a tablet or a bigger screen, it is meant for people who have survived strokes or have other neurological and muscular injuries that limit the movement of their hands. A study has shown that patients who use MusicGlove for therapy show significant improvement in their hand movements only after two weeks as compared to people who go through traditional therapy. It requires minimal interaction with the  therapist and the patient can "play" it whenever they want to.

Plus, there's music!

MusicGlove is priced at $1,149 (or $99 for 12 months) for the Home Version (comes with a 10 inch tablet) and $4,199 for the Clinic Version (comes with a 21 inch monitor.

Watch the video to see it in action and read the following press release to know more about MusicGlove - what it does, how it does it, and where to order it from.

Press Release

(Irvine, CA) - October 23, 2014 � Flint Rehabilitation Devices today introduced MusicGlove� (#musicglove), the world�s first FDA approved, clinically validated hand rehabilitation (#rehabilitation) device that uses music and gaming to make therapy (#therapy) fun and effective for the over six million people with stroke or other neurological or muscular injuries. The device, which helps increase users� attention span, neuropsychological scores, cognitive functioning, well-being and recovery, empowers them to regain their independence by delivering a motivating therapy regimen that significantly restores hand function in just two weeks (Friedman et al., 2014). MusicGlove is now available for purchase at www.musicglove.com/shop/ in both a Home Version from $1,149.00USD (or $99.00USD/month for twelve months) and a Clinic Version from $4,199.00USD.

The device features a sensorized glove that tracks a user�s hand movements. This allows them to play the included therapy-based game by completing specific movements along with scrolling notes displayed on a touch screen console that are timed to the rhythm of upbeat songs (similar to Guitar Hero). These movements, such as �pincer grasp� and �key pinch grip,� are vital to regaining the ability to use the hand after neural damage. MusicGlove motivates a high number of intensive and functional movements that have been proven[1] to lead to clinically significant improvements in hand function.

MusicGlove is portable, easy-to-setup and easy-to-use so users can practice effective rehabilitation from the comfort of their home or on the go. Initial setup takes less than two minutes and requires no prior knowledge of how to use a computer. MusicGlove comes with everything needed to get started, right out of the box, including a dedicated 10-inch tablet (Home Version) or a 21-inch monitor (Clinic Version), the Glove, custom headphones, all connection cables and a user manual. MusicGlove is FDA approved for purchase without a prescription so users do not have to wait to start playing their way to a better life!

�Engaging with music offers a form of therapy that will keep users motivated to continue their rehabilitation regimen, and facilitates a user�s hand�s ability to recover after a stroke,� said Nizan Friedman, Ph.D., president and co-founder of Flint Rehabilitation Devices, LLC. �As music is naturally highly repetitive, people using MusicGlove typically make over 2,000 movements in a 45 minute session. In rehab, the number of repetitions is one of the most important factors for regaining hand function. Users involved in clinical studies with the device love MusicGlove and are laughing, singing along, and enjoying the experience while seeing measurable results in a short period of time.�

In addition to being fun and effective, MusicGlove changes the way clinics provide hand therapy. The device requires minimum intervention from a therapist while users play the game, so clinics can provide more intensive group therapy without increasing staff. MusicGlove also records accurate quantitative data that allows therapists to set goals for their patients and track functional improvements over time. The low price and ease of use of MusicGlove is a breath of fresh air for clinics that typically do not have access to other smart rehabilitation technology and equipment that can cost over $50,000USD and require advanced training to use.

Results of a randomized controlled trial of MusicGlove with individuals with stroke published in the

Journal of Neuroengineering and Rehabilitation showed that people using MusicGlove had significantly greater improvements in hand function than people doing conventional hand exercises after only two weeks. Users reported regaining the ability to open doorknobs, type on a keyboard, wash dishes, use silverware, bathe and wash themselves, and use the restroom independently after exercising with the device.

�Options for hand therapy are typically limited to using things like play-dough, rubber bands or simply following a handout of exercises,� said Dr. David Reinkensmeyer, professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of California in Irvine. �People lose motivation to do these exercises and do not recover to their full potential. With MusicGlove, they can have fun with their therapy while receiving quantitative feedback on their performance. This makes it easy for them to stick to their regimen, and when users get better in the game, they are actually improving their hand function.�

Another key unique benefit of MusicGlove is the continuity it provides between users� home and clinic regimens. People with hand impairment typically only have access to therapy in outpatient clinics for one to two days per week. The rest of the time, they are left without any motivating tools to help them recover. With MusicGlove, users can continue their therapy on their own with ease. When users return to the clinic, therapists can see exactly how much exercise they did at home and how much they improved over the course of the week.

About Flint Rehabilitation Devices, LLC

Founded in 2011, Flint Rehabilitation Devices, LLC is located in Irvine, CA. Its mission is to develop effective, engaging rehabilitation devices based on the latest clinical research and engineering innovations in order to provide the spark people need to break through plateaus in their recovery and reach their maximum potential. Its flagship product, MusicGlove, which is backed by the National Institute of Health and the National Institute of Disability and Research Rehabilitation, was developed by a team of world renowned researchers and physicians that specialize in rehabilitation at the University of California in Irvine (UCI), and is now used in top rehabilitation programs in the country including the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (#1 in the country), Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center (#1 in California), University of California in Los Angeles, and UCI. For more information, please visit www.musicglove.com.

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[1] Friedman, N., Chan, V., Reinkensmeyer, A. N., Beroukhim, A., Zambrano, G. J., Bachman, M., & Reinkensmeyer, D. J. (2014). Retraining and assessing hand movement after stroke using the MusicGlove: comparison with conventional hand therapy and isometric grip training. Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation, 11(1), 76.

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Prosthetic Hand Lets Amputees Feel Texture Of Objects

Over the years, prosthetic hands are becoming more and more viable for people who lose their hands in accidents or were perhaps not born with one. Prosthetic limbs are great in that they help the users get back to daily routine operations. The one thing that most prosthetic limbs don't do however, is allow the wearer to feel the texture of objects that they grip. Scientists at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH have taken the prosthetic hand one step ahead by adding sensation and "feel" to the hand they have created. 

"Touch perception on the fingers and hand is essential for fine motor control, contributes to our sense of self, allows for effective communication, and aids in our fundamental perception of the world." ^[1]

Turns out, sensation is not felt or generated by a hand but by a certain part of the brain. When a person lose their hand, they inherently lose the input that switches on those parts of the brain responsible for sensation. By sending electric signals by a computer into nerves in the user's arm and eventually to a specific part of the brain, sensation or touch can be reactivated.

Igor Spetic, a man who lost his right hand in an industrial accident in 2005, says that he can see his arm hair raise when a cotton is brushed against his prosthetic hand.

Since the amputees can now feel the texture of the object they are handling, they also know exactly how much pressure to apply to form their grip without damaging the object. With other prosthetic hands, gripping tomatoes and grapes meant creating juice instantly!

Currently, this arm can be tested and improved only in a lab setting, however, the team plans to create an implantable hand in the next five years so it could be tested at home. Detailed description of how this hand works was published in this article.

Watch the video to learn about all the research that has been going on to make this hand a success.



Source: CWRU via Gizmodo, Science Translational Medicine [1] 

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Talkitt - App/ Software That Lets People With Speech Impairment Communicate In Any Language Using Their Voice

In many cases, disabled users with speech disorders find it extremely difficult to communicate, primarily because people around them have difficulty understanding their speech. Speech disabilities can be caused by a variety of conditions including Cerebral Palsy, Autism, Brain Damage, Parkinson's and many more. It is a struggle not just for those who have speech disorders but also for their caregivers and loved ones. In the recent past, various companies have come up with text to speech apps and software that let users either type or choose words that are spoken by the app, and thus help the users communicate. However, the one aspect that these apps sideline is the fact that the users are very much capable of speech and would ideally like to use their natural mode of communication.

Talkitt, a new "speech to speech" app in the works, plans to give disabled users more freedom and expression in the most natural way possible - it helps them communicate by just using their voice. Talkitt has the ability to recognize the user's vocal patterns and translate them into words that are more understandable. As you will see in the video below, it does a very good job of translating unintelligible pronunciation into perfect sentences with utmost accuracy. This also means that Talkitt works very well with any spectrum of speech severity - from mild to extreme.The best part about this app is that it is not just limited to English - it can translate any language the user is speaking! 

The accuracy of this app will let users gain more confidence, and encourage them more to use their speech to communicate, not to mention that it will make communicating easier and convenient for their family, friends, and caregivers as well.

Very soon, Talkitt will be available on all smartphones and tablets. The next phase will see it run on computers and wearable devices, giving much more flexibility to users wherever they are. Once Talkitt is available, there will be a monthly subscription charge of $19.99 per month.

Currently, it is being tested by various partners and hospitals in Israel and Europe, and there is also a Indiegogo funding campaign going through which the team behind Talkitt is raising money to get it out to the masses quick (as soon as Q1 of 2015). Visit the Indiegogo page if you want to contribute to this campaign.

Definitely watch the video below to see the inspiration behind this app and what the team is doing to make this app a reality.

Indiegogo page
Source: Trackitt via Engadget

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SnapType For Occupational Therapy: For Students Who Have Difficulty With Handwriting

 

 

A little compassion, zeal for problem solving, and a sketch on a napkin can do wonders to bring real world solutions for some people! Today's post is written by Amberlynn Gifford, an occupational therapy student, who helped a student diagnosed with dysgraphia keep up with his peers by developing an iPad app for him.

 

Steven* is a 5th grader that I met during my occupational therapy fieldwork this spring. He is diagnosed with Dysgraphia however his mind is sharp, but his handwriting is so messy that he can't even read his own writing. His OT tried countless ways to help him improve his penmanship but nothing seemed to work. The caring OT went so far as to scan his worksheets into a computer but that consumed too much time during class was quite a hassle. Even worse, Steven was very frustrated and getting left behind in class because he couldn't complete the worksheets with the rest of his peers.

 

I thought that there had to be a better way to help Steven keep up with the other kids in his class. Then I had an idea, what if Steven could take a picture of his worksheet using an iPad and then type his answers directly on the screen? I searched all over the app store, but there was nothing that did what I wanted. Well, there were a few apps but they were designed for business people and were far too complex for a child to use.

 

So I sketched out my idea on a napkin and shared it with Steven's OT. She loved the idea. So I put together a detailed mockup of the app and worked with a developer to build it. A few weeks and a few dollars later, I had a working app!

 

Steven's OT and teacher are thrilled. However, the real joy comes from seeing Steven use the app. It's effortless for him to take a picture of a worksheet and use the iPad keyboard to type in the answers. He's no longer left behind in class and is now more confident than ever! While he continues to work on his penmanship, he's now able to keep up with his peers.

 

SnapType is an iPad app that anyone can use. It's available on the app store for free and I'm hoping to help as many kids as I can by reaching out to OTs, teachers and parents.

 

*Name changed for privacy.

Amberlynn Gifford is a 2nd year OT student at Springfield College in Massachusetts. When she's not studying, which is rare, you can find her coaching gymnastics and working on all sorts of creative projects. She will graduate with her masters degree in 2016 and looks forward to working in pediatrics. Connect with Amberlynn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberlynngifford

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