Between the Lines Level 1 HD 4+

A great way to practice social communication skills for elementary age kids!

Hamaguchi Apps for Speech, Language & Auditory Development presents this groundbreaking app for the iPad designed for elementary students and up, who would benefit from practice interpreting vocal intonation, facial expressions, perspective-taking, body language, and idiomatic or slang expressions. Using real photographs, voices and short mini-video clips of a variety of social situations and expressions, this app provides a dynamic way to help learn and practice interpreting the messages that are “between the lines” and simply can’t be replicated with worksheets and static flashcards. Scenes for the body language activity include a shopping mall, kitchen, restaurant, park, bedroom, school, gym, birthday party and more.

*THIS IS NOT A SOCIAL SKILLS MODELING APP. Some people say and do things that are rude, such as interrupt a conversation, say something that is insensitive, lie, etc. That is why we suggest adult coaching to supervise and provide input regarding situational language use.

Check our demo on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRy4QF1E1Y8

This is Level 1, which presents content that is an introduction to our Between the Lines app series. This app uses American expressions and body language.

There are three activities in this app, with 204 tasks total:

1. Listening: The user hears a voice speak a sentence, e.g., “Ewww!” A question is then asked, “Who said it?” The user is shown a series of photographs and touches the correct one.

2. Body Language: A very short video-clip is shown that depicts an interaction or situation. For example, a family is shown at a restaurant. A friend walks up and says, “Hey, did you hear the news about Mr. Becker?” (smiling) The camera closes in on this woman and the narrator says, “What is she thinking?” The user’s task is to look at the choices of responses and select the one that matches the facial expression/body language.

3. Expressions: A very short video-clip is shown that depicts an actor speaking a sentence that contains an idiomatic or slang expression, e.g., “She’s kind of nosy.’” The user is then asked, “What does that mean?” There is a separate setting (a new feature!) that allows the user to select several slang/crude phrases to be incorporated if desired such as, "pissed off", "feel like crap" etc. (The default does not include these phrases. They must be specifically selected.)

The game can be played by up to 75 users or as a group. The percentage correct is reported for each user’s performance on each of the three activities. Individual users can select their own settings; the group must have the same setting selections for the entire group.

Progress can be tracked, and displayed or not. Reward animations are provided at selected intervals for a welcome fun and break including Dunk Tank, Bull’s Eye (darts), and Knock ‘Em Down. These are not games of skill but a fun diversion.

A perfect app for speech therapy and for children with social communication difficulties!

*Please contact our tech support if you are experiencing any technical issues with our apps. We cannot respond to reviews and there are generally easy solutions to every issue. info@hamaguchiapps.com

PRIVACY POLICY: We do NOT collect personal data from our users and have no ads. Personal data regarding user performance on the tasks on this app are self-contained and not transmitted in any way, unless the user chooses to email them to someone else. There are no in-app purchases in this app. A demo link will allow a user with internet access to view a video on YouTube to learn about the features of this app, as well as a link to our other apps in the iTunes store.

Designed by Patti Hamaguchi, M.A., CCC-SLP, a licensed and ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist. Check out our other apps at www.hamaguchiapps.com