iAutism

Zorten, a software developer, has introduced Color SlapPs, a useful tool for SLP (Speech Language Pathology) therapies that uses a discrete trial teaching (DTT) model. To finish this first paragraph with even more acronyms, I would like to give my first advice to Zorten: expand the description of your application and add that it is also useful for people with ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorders).

In a more plain language, Color SlapPs is a tool to help children to learn colors in a way that is very typical of therapies for children with autism involving exercises, reinforcement and token economy, and adding simple but colorful graphics that start at the main menu.

Selecting colors

Typically, you start using the app by touching the cloud labeled “Colors” to enter a color selection screen, where you can choose whether you want to work with all colors (there are a total of 12) or only with some of them. This allows you to gradually introduce colors in the exercises to perform later.

New colors

Returning to the main screen, you can select a difficulty mode, which is nothing more than the number of colors that will be shown simultaneously when practicing.

So, if you select level 1 and proceed to “Play”, Color SlapPs will show colored squares using the colors that you have previously chosen, but one by one. Every time you start an exercise, you will hear a message like “Find green”, which is repeated after a few seconds until you touch the square of that color. In doing so, the square will make some visual effects (there are many) and a chime or similar will sound (again, there are several different sounds).

This mode is easy, and indeed I consider it rather a way of training or introduction of new colors, as there is no option to make a mistake.

After 5 well-done exercises, you get the main reinforcement. It consists of a couple of kids jumping gracefully while you hear a group of children crying with joy. After that, the app gives you the opportunity to start a new series of exercises.

Higher levels

At levels 2 and 3, there are two and three colors each time, always including at least one color that you have chosen to work with, but possibly also others still considered as unknown.

Every time you start a new exercise you will hear also a message like “Find blue”, but now you must distinguish between the colors shown. If you touch the wrong one, nothing happens.

Settings

The Settings option allows you to configure the mechanism of the exercises. Thus, you can choose whether the reinforcement will appear after every 5 or 10 exercises, and if a new exercise will automatically appear after the previous one is done.

You can also choose if the aid at the start of each exercise should be audio (to hear the message “Find blue) or text (to see the text “Find Blue” at the top of the screen).

And finally, you can choose whether you want visual and sound effects after each exercise as reinforcement.

Rating

I would prefer if Color SlapPs would give the option of hearing some sound if the wrong answer is made, and also have it display the number of correct answers that were given for the turns allowed (5 or 10), as a token economy banner, or even statistical results of each color in particular.

Interestingly, the main menu theoretically allows you to purchase a “full” version, which does not currently exist. Zorten also sells Word SLapPs, with is similar but focused on words. I hope to analyze that app soon.

Color SlapPs, for those who do not speak English, can still be useful. I think that using the text mode (no audio) and simply staying besides the child and saying each color in his/her language can work. Naturally, I would like to see the app translated into other languages.

In any case, as it is, Color SlapPs is a complete and useful app for its purpose, very intuitive (there is no manual but you do not miss it), with a clean and attractive design and it’s free!

-Francesc Sistach

——————————————————————————————————————————

Color SlapPs 1.0

Web: http://zorten.com

Developer: Zorten

Languages: English

Functions: Colors learning.

iPhone/iPod touch version: No.

iPad version: Yes.

Price: Free.

——————————————————————————————————————————

This post is also available in: Spanish