Sentence Mosaics 1.3

Developed by Alyse O. Baker, CCC-SLP, alongside members of the Design for America chapter at Carnegie Mellon University, this application serves a vital role in enhancing language skills for a diverse range of users.

The app is designed for use primarily on an iPad, which provides ample screen space for sentence creation; however, it is also fully operational on an iPhone.

The primary aim of this application is to aid students in constructing novel, complete, and contextually meaningful spoken sentences with the help of photographs or illustrations. A language "coach"—such as a speech-language therapist, teacher, parent, or tutor—facilitates the process to emphasize proper syntax. This tool benefits various groups of students, including:

• Regular education students in Language Arts at the elementary level
• Tier II Reading or English students at the middle school level
• English Language Learners (ELL) at any educational stage
• Students with receptive and expressive language disabilities
• Individuals impacted by hearing loss who experience language skill challenges
• Learning Support students with written language objectives
• Adults recovering from cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs) such as strokes and those with dementia, for whom familiar imagery may enhance memory retention

The application allows for high levels of individualization through the use of photos captured on an iPad or iPhone. These images can be imported into the app prior to engaging the user in structuring complete thoughts. Across age ranges from pediatric to geriatric populations, individuals often respond positively to personalized images of people (including self-portraits), animals, places, and events that hold personal significance.

Program development and implementation is led by Alyse O. Baker, CCC-SLP based in Wexford, PA. The design team from Design for America includes Heidi (Jackie) Kang, Christie Chang, Ashley Lai, Elizabeth Board, Ambika Chetal, Mehar Sawhney, Eddie Dryer, Sashank Gogula, Elizabeth La, Sabrina Zhai, and Jennifer Chou from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. Oversight for the project is provided by Dr. David Kosbie of Carnegie Mellon University. Initial support was facilitated by Dr. Stephen Pellathy from the Hampton Township School District in Allison Park, PA.

Appreciation is also extended to parents and colleagues who contributed their time and allowed their children to participate in initial trials during the app's development phase.