Different Roads meets President Clinton! The UBS/CEO Mentorship Program Leads to the Creation of Different Roads to Learning App Tell Me About It!

It’s been a really exciting few months here at Different Roads to Learning and we wanted to share some of the highlights with you. Different Roads to Learning was one of ten small businesses selected for the CEO-UBS Small Business Advisory Program, a philanthropic partnership between UBS Wealth Management Americas and the William J. Clinton Foundation. Our App – Tell Me About It! – was developed by the incredible and innovative talent at inFusion, and is a product of this program.

The entire process was really exhilirating for all of us here. As a small business, we gained so much incredible knowledge and had the opportunity to work with a team of gifted individuals. And to top it all off, our App was unveiled at a dinner where we had the privilege of meeting President Clinton! That was a truly exciting night for all of us.

Julie and Abigail meet President Clinton along with our mentors Amy Butte and Sharon Sager

At the dinner, they even showed a short video about the making of Tell Me About It! which we wanted to share with you here. Along with interviews and demos, you’ll learn about how and why we created this App for children with Autism and a bit more about Different Roads in general. You can also read the full press release for Tell Me About it here. We hope you enjoy it!

 
 

We also wanted to share the absolutely wonderful reviews of Tell Me About It! that we’ve received thus far from trusted sites devoted to reviewing Apps for children and those with special needs:

Best Apps for Kids: https://bestappsforkids.com/2012/02/tell-me-about-it-learning-language-by-receptive-funtion-feature-category/

I Heart This App: https://iheartthisapp.com/tell-me-about-it-an-app-to-teach-labelling-to-a-child/

Special Apps, Special Kids: https://specialappsspecialkids.blogspot.com/2012/02/app-review-tell-me-about-it-different.html

 

Tell Me About It! App Press Release, Page 1

Tell Me About It! App Press Release, Page 2

Pick of the Week: Talk Blocks & Boards

We’ve loved these Talk Boards and Talk Blocks since we first laid eyes on them for the myriad possibilities they offer to fully customize a lesson or activity for each student. They’re designed to fit perfectly with the Basic Vocabulary, Alphabet, Kindergarten, and First Grade Vocabulary Photo Card Sets.

The Talk Boards  are double-sided with write-on/wipe-off surfaces and come in a set of 3. You can record a 10-second message for each one enabling you to get creative in endless, fun ways!

 

 

The Talk Blocks come in a set of 5, each a unique color, and you can record 30-seconds for each one to adapt activity instructions, assess or reinforce skills.

This week only, save 15% on all Talk Boards and Blocks as well as the 4 sets of Vocabulary Cards – Alphabet, Basic, Kindergarten and First Grade – by entering the Promo Code BLOGTBT2 at checkout.

 

*Offer expires on February 28, 2012 at 11:59 pm EST. Not compatible with any other offer. Be sure there are no spaces after the Promo Code when you enter it at checkout.

 

Tell Me About It! Sweepstakes – Win A Free Copy of Our New App!

 Different Roads to Learning is thrilled to offer you the chance to win a free copy of our latest iPhone/iPad App for teaching language to students with Autism or speech and language delays: Tell Me About It! Learning Language by Receptive Function, Feature & Category. This special offer ends on February 17, 2012 at 11:59 PM EST.

 Tell Me About It! teaches the label, category, function, and features of more than 235 language targets over 6 levels of incremental difficulty with over 1000 unique testable attributes. The presentation of each language target conforms to an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) discrete trial program, with reinforcement provided by a token economy system. Once the user collects the given number of tokens, they are rewarded with an adorable 5-10 second animation clip of the token character.

 Tell Me About It! provides a self-contained discrete trial program that error corrects and provides direct reinforcement to the student while collecting and synthesizing data for up to 10 students. There is a Student Report Card in the format of a data sheet that displays data for each student, with an option to email the results.

For complete details on our sweepstakes and to enter, click here

Currently, our new app Tell Me About It!is being sold in the iTunes store for $9.99. You have the chance to win it for free by entering our Sweepstakes!

 To learn more about Tell Me About It!, visit the store in iTunes by clicking here! 

 

Share Your Experience: Call for Photos

 
 
Would you like to be featured in the next Different Roads catalog? We’d love to shine a spotlight on you and your child’s journey. Send us a photo of your students using your favorite product from Different Roads. Or send us one that captures your child’s triumphs, both large and small. We’ll be honoring your experience in our next issue.
 
If you’re interested in participating, send a photo with your name and contact information to abigail@difflearn.com with the subject line CATALOG PHOTO.

 

 

 

Different Roads Introduces ‘Tell Me About It! Learning Language By Receptive Function, Feature & Category’ – An iPhone/iPad App

We’re thrilled to introduce you to our latest iPhone/iPad App for teaching language to students with Autism: Tell Me About It! Learning Language by Receptive Function, Feature & Category.

Tell Me About It! teaches the label, category, function, and features of more than 235 language targets over 6 levels of incremental difficulty with over 1000 unique testable attributes. The presentation of each language target conforms to an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) discrete trial program, with reinforcement provided by a token economy system. Once the user collects the given number of tokens, they are rewarded with an adorable 5-10 second animation clip of the token character. Tell Me About It! provides a self-contained discrete trial program that error corrects and provides direct reinforcement to the student while collecting and synthesizing data for up to 10 students. There is a Student Report Card in the format of a data sheet that displays data for each student, with an option to email the results.

 

 Categories

The App covers 15 categories of language targets that include: Animals, Body Parts, Clothing, Food, Household Items, Dishes, Utensils, Tools, Toys, School Supplies, Sports, Vehicles, Accessories, Furniture, and Musical Instruments.

 

 
 

Levels
The App advances from the basic building blocks of language – simple labeling – all the way through shared features across categories. The Levels presented in incremental difficulty are: Labels; Categories; Function; Feature; Randomized Feature, Function, Category; and Shared Featured, Function, Category.

 

Teacher’s Console
Teachers and parents can delve into the Teacher’s Console to control the settings for each student by turning the written labels for each language target ON/OFF, selecting a specific token character, selecting the default Level, and choosing a Reinforcement Schedule.

There is even a motion that administrators can use while a game is in progress to access the Teacher’s Menu to adjust the settings or view reports. To access the Teacher’s Bar, simply swipe 2 fingers in an upward motion from the bottom of the screen up.  

 

 

Reinforcement Schedule

The Reinforcement Schedule determines how many targets the student must answer correctly in order to complete a trial session and receive a 5-10 second animation reward.  There is an option for 3, 5, or 10 tokens and you can even select the token character you want or keep the default setting of Random.

 

 

 

 

 

Reward

Once the student obtains the set number of tokens, they are rewarded with an adorable and engaging animation clip, complete with stimulating images and sounds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Reporting & Data

Tell Me About It! tracks each student’s progress and provides a report after every trial as well as a comprehensive Report Card accessible in the teacher’s console. You’ll see a + for every correct response and a for incorrect ones. If a student hasn’t yet mastered a target, you’ll see the number of presentations in parentheses after the score. You can also email the Report Card to share data and progress.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

Determining Mastery of Targets

This App strives to mimic an actual one-on-one instructional session with a therapist as much as is possible in an application. For this App, we determine which targets will be defined as mastered by the program in a variety of ways depending on how many times they have been presented.  When answered correctly on the very first presentation, the student receives both a token and verbal praise and that target is considered “known” or mastered and not presented again on that level.  If the answer is not correct on that first presentation, the target will be reintroduced in subsequent trials and must then be answered correctly on two different, consecutive presentations to be considered mastered. When an incorrect response is given, error correction is provided by having the correct image flash while auditory correction is also provided. The App then shuffles the placement of the images, and re-presents the same question. If the student answers correctly on this second attempt, they receive verbal praise only (no token) and then move to another question.  Note that your Data sheets will display, in parentheses, how many times each target has been presented so that you are always aware of your student’s progression and where there might be deficits.

 To Purchase


To purchase Tell Me About It! for $9.99, visit the App store in iTunes by clicking here!

 

 

 

Other Apps

We’re proud to offer two other quality Apps for developing language and cognitive skills.

What Goes Together?

This app teaches young learners early association skills, relationships, reasoning by asking them to match what items go with others.

 

 
What’s That Sound? Learning to Listen and Identify Sounds

This app develops auditory processing and listening skills. Hear a sound and touch the image of what makes that sound.

Pick of the Week: Reading Comprehension Practice Cards

While most of our products cater towards early language development and social skills, do you know that we also offer educational materials for students who are developing academic skills and early reading? This week’s pick highlights our Reading Comprehension Practice Cards. These are ideal for practicing critical reading and auditory processing skills. One deck focuses on Inference and the other on Cause & Effect. Each card consists of a leveled reading passage and a multiple-choice question that asks the student to infer meaning from the text. You can always adapt it for early or non-readers by reading the passages aloud and developing auditory processing skills.

This week only, save 15% on the Inference and Cause & Effect Reading Practice Comprehension Cards by entering the Promo Code BLOGRC2 at checkout.

*Offer expires on January 24, 2012 at 11:59 pm EST. Not compatible with any other offer. Be sure there are no spaces after the Promo Code when you enter it at checkout.

Pick of the Week: Token Boards and Reward Charts

It can be a tall task to structure children’s days and reinforce good habits and behaviors. Daily chores such as getting dressed, brushing teeth, making the bed, and getting out the door on time can lead to a bit more excitement than desired. Token Boards and Reward Charts are a great way of visually structuring the tasks at hand and providing tangible reinforcement for a job well done. There’s the I Can Do It! Reward chart which covers all sorts of daily activities such as Get Dressed, Set the Table, and Say Please and Thank You. The I Can Do It! School Chart specifically organizes the early morning rush while teaching children independent, daily living skills. We even have charts specifically for Potty Training and Brushing Teeth.

This week only, save 15% on all of our Token Boards and Reinforcers by entering the Promo Code BLOGTBR2 at checkout.

*Offer expires on January 17, 2012 at 11:59 pm EST. Not compatible with any other offer. Be sure there are no spaces after the Promo Code when you enter it at checkout.

Pick of the Week: Timers, Counters & Clocks

The new year offers us a chance to take stock and approach things with a newfound zeal. It’s a time to feel energized and motivated. To help you stay on task, this week’s pick is our full selection of Timers, Counters & Clocks as even the most determined of us could use a bit of a reminding. The MotivAider is a great tool for behavioral modification of any kind, and the Vibralite Watch offers a private reminder to engage in any situation. Whatever your goals and resolutions may be, all of us at Different Roads to Learning wish you a happy and healthy 2012!

To save 15% on all Timers, Counters and Clocks, this week only, enter the Promo Code BLOGTC2012 at checkout.

*Offer expires on January 10, 2012 at 11:59 pm EST. Not compatible with any other offer. Be sure there are no spaces after the Promo Code when you enter it at checkout.

Pick of the Week: The Language Builder Picture Cards

What more can we say? The Language Builder Picture Cards are the premier set of flashcards for any home or school program aimed at developing language skills. There are 350 beautifully photographed noun cards that take you through teaching and generalizing Animals, Foods, Vehicles, Furniture, Clothing, Toys, Everyday Objects, Shapes and Colors. The Language Builder is the first thing any parent or teacher needs to set up an ABA program and start teaching expressive and receptive language skills.

This week only, save 15% on the Language Builder Picture Cards by entering the Promo Code BLOGLB22 at checkout.

*Offer expires on December 27, 2011 at 11:59 pm EST. Not compatible with any other offer. Be sure there are no spaces after the Promo Code when you enter it at checkout.

Pick of the Week: Understanding Emotions

The holiday season can be filled with anticipation for children.  Understanding and being able to express their emotions  is important for being able to manage them. Understanding Emotions is a small, simple deck of flashcards that teach how various emotions feel and when they might occur. Emotions depicted include happy, sad, angry, frustrated, excited and more. The 30 cards come on a handy ring and can be removed to provide multiple learning options.
Save 15% this week only on the Understanding Emotions Flashcards by entering the Promo Code BLOGUE11 at checkout.

*Offer expires on December 20, 2011 at 11:59 pm EST. Not compatible with any other offer. Be sure there are no spaces after the Promo Code when you enter it at checkout.