Computer Coaching

In the Philadelphia area, we offer 1:1 coaching in our Jenkintown office for people with aphasia and other language problems. Sessions are conducted by Marcia Linebarger, who created SentenceShaper and has led or participated in numerous grants studying the program’s effects.

The coaching, which focuses upon SentenceShaper and other relevant software,  is not formal speech therapy. Dr. Linebarger is an MIT-trained linguist with an extensive background in aphasia research (click here for more information).

Testimonial

“Working with Dr. Marcia Linebarger has opened up many new avenues for my husband, John, a 9-year post-stroke survivor living with aphasia. Through the use of computer-based software and regular sessions with Marcia over the past year, John’s ability to express himself has exponentially improved. Marcia continues to challenge John in a caring and encouraging manner. After each session, John is anxious to continue to work independently throughout the week and always looks forward to showing Marcia his progress during the next weekly session. Thank you, Marcia, for opening up additional ways for John to communicate with his family, friends and others.” — Colleen Grace Donofrio, Esquire

To arrange for coaching:

We are located in Jenkintown, PA,  just outside of Philadelphia. Our suburban office is fully accessible and offers free indoor/outdoor parking. If you are interested, please call us at 215-525-9905, or click here to contact us by email.

Goals of coaching:

In a free initial consultation, we will determine whether SentenceShaper is likely to be a good fit for  you. If so, then the goals of coaching will include the following, depending upon your needs:

  • Show you how to use  SentenceShaper to produce speech that is better — for some people,  much better — than what you can say on your own
  • Guide you in using the program’s built-in workbooks to practice particular sentence structures or topics
  • Import your personal photos into the program, so you can talk about them in your own voice, and use the program to turn your speech and photos into videos to share with others
  • Help to open or enhance different avenues of communication, such as:
    • Emailing  your SentenceShaper videos to friends, families, or other people with aphasia
    • Participating in online activities such as the SentenceShaper collaborative storytelling project
    • Creating speeches on SentenceShaper for family occasions such as weddings, birthdays, or anniversaries
  • Develop personalized workbooks appropriate to your own interests (fashion, volcanoes, politics, etc.)
  • Show you how to use optional program features such as adding text captions for your speech
  • Assist you in using SentenceShaper in conjunction with other technology such as speech recognition

If you are in speech therapy:

If you are working with a speech therapist, we will be delighted to  confer with her/him about using SentenceShaper for additional practice or to help maintain treatment gains.