My Aphasia Coach: Integrated Adaptive Therapy

Overview

My Aphasia Coach is a newer entrant to the aphasia app market compared to established platforms like Tactus Therapy or Constant Therapy. Created by Dr. Lori Bartels, a speech-language pathologist (SLP) and founder of The Aphasia Center intensive program in St. Petersburg, FL, this subscription-based platform focuses on integrating different language modalities within exercises and providing automated difficulty adjustments.

The app aims to provide cognitive and aphasia speech therapy exercises designed for home practice, helping to retrain the brain after stroke or brain injury by combining reading, writing, speaking, and understanding within its exercise framework.

For Individuals with Aphasia & Caregivers

Key Features

• Integrated Modalities: Exercises combine reading, writing, speaking, and understanding, rather than treating them as separate skills.

• Automatic Difficulty Adjustment: The app automatically makes exercises more or less challenging based on user performance, aiming to maintain the “perfect level of challenge” to optimize learning without excessive frustration.

• Video Exercises: Includes 1700+ videos for practicing words and sentences with a speaking focus. Users can save videos for repeated practice.

• Reading/Writing/Understanding Exercises: The Premium tier offers 50,000+ exercises across these areas.

• Placement Quiz/Recommendations: The app offers multiple ways to start, including a quiz to assess current abilities or recommendations based on aphasia type.

• Progress Tracking: Users can track their progress over time to see improvements.

Usability & Accessibility

• Marketed as user-friendly across different aphasia levels
• Designed for use on phones, tablets, or computers
• Automatic difficulty adjustment aims to prevent excessive frustration
• Exercises designed for different aphasia types and severity levels

Cost & Access

• Tiered Subscription Model:

  • Video Only/Basic: $9.99/month (access to 1700+ videos, messaging, SLP connection)
  • Premium Monthly: $19.99/month (adds 50,000+ exercises, level promotion)
  • Premium Yearly: $199/year (equivalent to $16.58/month, includes all Premium features plus 2 months free)

• Free Trial: 14-day free trial gives access to the entire platform without requiring a credit card

• Platforms: iOS (iPhone/iPad, requires iOS 13.4+), Android (smartphones/tablets, requires Android 4.2+), and Web browser

• Internet Requirement: Requires internet connection

User Experiences

App Store rating is 4.6 stars from 55 ratings, while Google Play rating is 4.3 stars from 88 reviews. User feedback highlights:

Positive:

• Finding the “perfect level” of challenge
• Motivation to practice regularly
• Noticeable improvements in communication

Negative:

• Some mention aggressive sales tactics
• Difficulty unsubscribing
• Past technical issues (though many appear to have been addressed in updates)

For Speech-Language Pathologists

Therapeutic Approach

My Aphasia Coach emphasizes an “expert treatment approach” that:

• Integrates multiple language modalities (reading, writing, speaking, understanding) within exercises
• Uses automatic leveling based on performance to keep users appropriately challenged
• Was developed and refined based on daily use with intensive therapy clients at The Aphasia Center
• Aims to provide expert therapy principles for home use

Evidence Base

The app was created by Dr. Bartels, described as a published aphasia researcher. Dr. Bartels states that “numerous studies and my professional experience have shown that frequent use of aphasia software helps you make progress faster.”

However, specific peer-reviewed studies validating the effectiveness of the My Aphasia Coach platform itself were not found in the research. The evidence claim appears to be based on:

• The founder’s expertise and clinical experience
• General research on aphasia software benefits
• Experience using the software with patients at The Aphasia Center

SLP reviews are positive but anecdotal rather than based on formal research studies.

Clinical Features

A key differentiator is that My Aphasia Coach is free for SLPs to use with their clients. The clinician portal allows SLPs to:

• Assign homework to clients
• Assess skills
• Monitor progress
• Request custom plans/exercises

This makes it an attractive option for professionals looking to supplement in-person therapy with home practice.

Professional Reception

Testimonials from SLPs featured on the website highlight:

• User-friendliness across various aphasia levels
• Suitability for functional tasks
• Motivating nature of the exercises
• Appreciation for the free professional access
• Value of the homework assignment and monitoring features

Detailed Feature Analysis

Content Library

• Video Exercises: 1700+ videos for speaking practice (words/sentences)
• Premium Exercises: 50,000+ exercises for reading, writing, and understanding (Premium tier)
• Aphasia Type Coverage: Content designed for various aphasia types (Broca’s, Wernicke’s, Anomic, Global, Conduction) and severity levels

Customization Options

Customization is primarily through:

• The automatic difficulty adjustments based on performance
• User choice of starting points (quiz, aphasia type)
• SLP ability to assign specific homework and potentially request custom plans

Compared to Tactus Therapy, there appears to be less emphasis on user-added content like personal photos or words.

Support & Resources

• Contact available via email (info@myaphasiacoach.com)
• Phone support (+1 813 421 5538)
• Website provides information on aphasia types and exercise recommendations
• Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy available online

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

• Integration of multiple language modalities in exercises
• Automatic difficulty adjustment
• Free access for SLPs to manage clients
• Availability across iOS, Android, and web platforms
• Development by an experienced aphasia clinician
• Tiered pricing options to fit different needs and budgets

Limitations

• Subscription model requires ongoing investment
• Less established research validation compared to some competitors
• Some users report issues with subscription management
• Requires internet connection
• Newer to the market than some established competitors

Conclusion

My Aphasia Coach offers a subscription-based therapy platform with a focus on integrated practice across language modalities and automatic difficulty adaptation. Its development by an experienced aphasia clinician and connection to The Aphasia Center intensive program lend it clinical credibility.

The app is particularly well-suited for:

• Users who benefit from exercises that integrate multiple language skills
• Those who prefer a system that automatically adjusts to their performance level
• Individuals working with SLPs who can take advantage of the free professional access
• People looking for a more affordable subscription option compared to some competitors

The 14-day free trial provides an opportunity to assess the app’s value before committing to a subscription. While the evidence base currently relies heavily on the founder’s expertise rather than published studies specific to the platform, the clinical foundation and positive user feedback suggest it may be a valuable tool for many individuals with aphasia.