The most important goal in practice is to make language as functional as possible. Since technology is part of our student's world, it must be a part of our practice as well.

I always have tried to incorporate technology into my practice in the Irving Independent School District (ISD) in Irving, TX. Technology not only makes therapy easier and more practical and efficient, it can be a lot more fun for students.

For example, you probably would be surprised what the new technology of "touch phones" can do for you. These cell phones have a touch-sensitive screen, allowing you to make selections using your finger. It is like having a computer in your hands.

An application, or "app," is like a software program for a touch phone. Each app is designed to meet a specific function, such as play a game, learn a foreign language, test hearing acuity, take photos, and make videos.

Several applications can be used as a communication device, some can be recommended to parents for improving their child's language skills, and others are designed specifically as therapy materials. The apps discussed here are compatible with iPod touch® and iPhone®.

Some free applications on the iPhone are a video camera and voice memos. Voice memos allow speech-language pathologists to record speech samples that can be e-mailed or transferred to a computer on iTunes. Making videos is especially useful when checking for specific behaviors, such as assessing individuals who stutter or are suspected of having autism.

Another free app for the iPhone is SpeakinMontion, which provides videos organized by functional categories. The videos, developed by Darlene Williamson, MA, CCC-SLP, of the Stroke Comeback Center, in Vienna, VA, primarily help individuals with apraxia and non-fluent aphasia to practice speaking in full sentences.

Low-cost apps include Speak it! ($1.99), by Future Apps Inc., and Percentally ($2.99), by RinnApps. Speak it! is one of the cheapest text-to-speech solutions available for iPhone and the new iPad™. It can serve as an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device for individuals who temporarily lose their verbal abilities but can still understand and express written language. Percentally, developed by Eric Sailers, MA, CCC-SLP, is a neat tool for tracking progress in therapy. Compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, this app is a simple tally counter that automatically converts to percentages.

The Disfluency Index Counter ($9.99), by Smarty Ears LLC, allows speech-language pathologists to count the number total of stuttered or fluent syllables. Fluency Tracker ($10.99), also by Smarty Ears, allows individuals who stutter to track frequency of disfluency, feelings associated with speaking, and avoidance behaviors.

The Sunny Articulation Test ($49.99) is the first articulation test available on a mobile platform. This app allows speech-language pathologists to easily determine patterns in speech errors. It can be used as a screening tool or as a full assessment tool. It provides information regarding the types of errors, articulation manners and voicing features. Clinicians can record a child's voice and save it for later use, while scores can be e-mailed for record keeping purposes.

Look2Learn ($24.99), developed by MDR, is an AAC application for the iPod touch, iPhone and iPad. The user-friendly app allows users to express their wants and needs by selecting pictured images from a pool of 80 images and providing vocal output.

One of the first products released on the iPhone to address the needs of individuals with communication disorders is the Proloquo2go ($189.99) by AssistiveWare. This mobile communication product brings text-to-speech voice, up-to-date symbols, automatic conjugations, and a default vocabulary of more than 7,000 items to the iPhone and iPod touch.

All of these apps became available within the last year, and new apps are released every month. You can download them from the App Store on your iPhone or at the iTunes Store on your computer.

Barbara Fernandes is a trilingual speech-language pathologist at Irving ISD. She can be contacted at (940) 230-0297, geekslp@yahoo.com or www.geekslp.wordpress.com.