Listen4Words app for iPhone and iPad

Listen4Words has been designed by The Shepherd Centre as a unique teaching and practice tool for developing listening skills at a word level by Auditory-Verbal Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists, Teachers of the Deaf and Paediatric Audiologists; as well as parents of children with hearing loss, and adults with hearing loss.

Listen4Words offers professionals working with children and adults who are learning to listen and develop spoken language a diagnostic tool to determine their auditory skills at a word level; and a fun and engaging tool to practice and improve these abilities. It provides parents with an entertaining way to practice listening skills at home with their children, and adults with hearing loss an opportunity for feedback and practice on their auditory skills.

The Shepherd Centre is a world-leading early intervention centre, teaching children with hearing loss how to listen and speak. Based in Sydney, Australia, The Shepherd Centre works closely with hearing-impaired children and their families to ensure each child is given the opportunity to fully engage with the hearing world. Our specialist team of Audiologists, Listening and Spoken Language Specialists and Family Counsellors work with the families of deaf and hearing-impaired children with the aim of developing each child’s listening and spoken language skills in readiness for school.

About Listen4Words:
The Listen4Words App works through Auditory Discrimination of an 18 step Hierarchy of paired words from easy word listening tasks (e.g.: ‘Words that differ by four syllables versus one syllable’), through increasingly levels of difficulty. (e.g.: ‘Words that differ by place of articulation only’).

Once a level has been selected, either a male or female Australian voice can be chosen and a name of the participant entered to track progress. Listen4Words will begin by providing an example question prior to commencing all levels.

All levels consist of a Familiarisation Stage (Step 1) and a Selection Stage (Step 2). Correct and incorrect choices are reinforced appropriately and progress tracked from the eight items in each level. Results can be shared via email, printed or saved for monitoring of progress and abilities over time.

Features:
- Paired words in 18 step Auditory Hierarchy
- Example pair plus 8 sets of paired words for each level
- Ability to track progress over time for unlimited number of users
- Flexibility to skip words/sets as needed
- Able to start or finish at any level depending on individual need
- Can be used with parents, professionals and individuals,
- Choice of male or female Australian voices
- Items can be presented using live voice
- Immediate feedback on selection items and responses reinforced
- Training and familiarisation stage for all items

The hierarchy includes paired words that differ by:
1. 4 vs 1 syllable
2. 3 vs 1 syllable
3. 2 vs 1 syllable (Spondees)
4. 2 vs 1 syllable (Non-spondees)
5. Same number of syllables, Different Vowels, Diphthongs
6. Vowel length
7. First formant information (Vowels)
8. Second formant information (Vowels)
9. 3 Features: Manner, Place & Voice – Initial Position (Consonants)
10. 3 Features: Manner, Place & Voice – Final Position (Consonants)
11. 2 Features - Initial Position (Consonants)
12. 2 Features - Final Position (Consonants)
13. 1 Feature: Manner – Initial Position (Consonants)
14. 1 Feature: Manner – Final Position (Consonants)
15. 1 Feature: Voice – Final Position (Consonants)
16. 1 Feature: Voice – Initial Position (Consonants)
17. 1 Feature: Place – Initial Position (Consonants)
18. 1 Feature: Place – Final Position (Consonants)