Listen to a Story – Non-Fiction Stories for Auditory Reasoning

The fourth exercise in the Comprehension category is called Listen to a Story. If you’ve already used Questions Based on Text, this task might feel familiar.  Here the focus shifts from identifying small details to grasping the broader theme of a longer passage. It’s your go-to option when you want more substantial content while still keeping the listening task simple and well-structured.

In Listen to a Story -task, you’ll see a short non-fiction text along with three possible answer choices. You read the text aloud to your patient and then present the options. Here’s an example:

“Wristwatches tell time and can show hands or digital numbers. They replaced pocket watches in the 1800s and were first made for women. Today, everyone uses them. Watches can also show status or style. Most run on quartz movements, which are more accurate than mechanical ones. About 90% of modern watches use quartz.”

After reading the passage, you ask your patient: What was the story about? And prompt them to select an answer from the options shown:
– Pocket watches
– The work of a watchmaker
– Wristwatches

Only one option corresponds directly to the content of the story (wristwatches), but the others are plausible enough to require careful listening. This encourages your patient to focus, retain details, and evaluate the information logically.

On Level 1, each story is under 100 words. On Level 2, texts range from 100 to 300 words. With the latest update, both levels now include more than 20 unique texts. All nonfiction, all structured to support auditory reasoning.

Just text and options? Yes and No.

At the surface level it is very simple. You read a text, give option on what the story was about and the patient tells you what they think is the correct answer. They are either right or wrong. End of story? Not at all!

This listening task is an excellent tool for targeting auditory memory, sustained attention, and verbal recall. After your patient selects their answer, you can invite them to explain their choice: How did you know the text was about wristwatches and not pocket watches? Reflection supports skills like verbal memory, organizing information, and planning and expressing a persuasive response. Always a good idea to take the opportunity to include elements that encourage reciprocal interaction!

You can turn this into a stronger memory challenge by sharing the answer options before reading the text. For example, say:

“I’ll read a short passage. It’s either about pocket watches, the work of a watchmaker, or wristwatches. When I’m done, tell me which one it was about.”

Working through several tasks in a row can also provide valuable insight into what the patient struggles with when comprehension breaks down — both in therapy and in real-life situations. Learning when and how confusion arises can reveal important patterns, whether it’s fatigue, difficulty retaining earlier information, trouble shifting between topics, or challenges keeping information separate across tasks. Can they recall the gist of the watch story later, after hearing two or three other stories? What answer did they give the first time they heard it? Can they remember any specific details?

Exploring these questions can guide the use of helpful strategies, such as recognizing when details start to feel fuzzy, finding ways to ask for clarification or repetition, taking notes, or pausing to summarize key points. Learning about these insights together can support shaping personalized support strategies that carry over into everyday communication.

As Always, You’re in Control

As with all SanapsisPro tasks, you are free to adapt the task to meet your patient’s individual needs. The app does not impose rigid right–wrong feedback, and allows you to guide the session naturally and flexibly. You can adjusting your approach in real time based on your patient’s current goals and abilities as well as your professional style.

Questions Based on Text - two levels, two ways to use the exercise

Questions Based on Text is a listening exercise designed to support extracting information and deductive reasoning. The exercise has two modes to choose from: Questions and Yes-No statements. The latest update includes 50 unique texts, equally divided between the two modes.

When you open the task, you start with the Questions mode. Here, you’ll see either a single sentence or a short paragraph, such as:
“My new winter shoes are comfortable and warm. However, they are not waterproof, so they can only be used in dry weather.”

After reading the passage aloud to your patient, you tap the screen to reveal a multiple-choice question related to the text. For example:
“Which of the following is true?
– My shoes are not waterproof
– My toes got wet on the way home
– I need to buy new shoes”

This task targets several key skills: auditory comprehension, delayed recall, critical judgment, and reasoning.

The exercise can be especially useful in supporting rehabilitation goals related to attention, memory, and executive functioning. While offering an to opportunity to work on identifying the correct answer based on what the patient heard, they are also evaluating and rejecting the incorrect alternatives. This requires active listening, holding information in working memory, and comparing multiple options. Since the incorrect options are plausible, patients must rely on a precise understanding of the wording in the information they heard, infer meaning, and apply logic.

When you select the Yes–No option in settings, you will again see a short text on screen, such as:
“They found the vegetables and cheese at the grocery store but got the bread from the bakery.”

Instead of a question, tapping the screen now reveals three YES–NO statements based on the text, such as:
– “They found everything in the same place. YES – NO”
– “They wanted fresh bread. YES – NO”
– “They couldn’t find any cheese. YES – NO”

In this version of the task, you read each statement aloud, and the patient decides whether it is true or false based on the text. It seems like a subtle change, but this can be a game changer for some patients. Yes-No format allows patients with limited verbal output to complete the task using simple verbal responses, gestures, or tangible yes–no aids. By presenting one statement at a time, the auditory load is reduced, making the task more manageable and less overwhelming than selecting from multiple options all at once.

This format also introduces a new kind of challenge—one that reaches beyond successful completion of a comprehension task and resonates well beyond the therapy session. As each statement is presented as a truth claim, the patient is invited not only to recall information but also to take a stance: do they agree or disagree? This built-in opportunity to agree or disagree with the conversation partner, and to express one’s own opinion, makes the task socially and cognitively engaging. Particularly for patients with limited verbal output who might struggle with expressing their differing opinions in discussion settings.

When appropriate, I like to lean into this dynamic. Sometimes I deliver the statements in a very convincing tone or even playfully disagree with the patient’s stance, then invite them to explain their reasoning and try to change my mind. It’s a powerful way to encourage critical thinking and support expressive language in a natural, conversational context.

Additionally, working through several statements based on the same text supports delayed auditory recall. Patients often need to refer back to earlier information, and asking for a repetition of the original passage becomes part of the process. Learning to recognize when they need clarification and feeling confident enough to ask for it is not only a valuable skill in therapy, but one of the most important communication tools in everyday life.

Follow Instructions – Updated and Ready to Use

The second exercise in the refreshed Comprehension category is Follow Instructions.

With more image variety and expanded content, this task now includes 30 unique prompts on Level 1 and 35 refreshed prompts on Level 2.

When you open the exercise you see images and a short instruction, but the text is upside down. Interesting… but why is it upside down?

Imagine a typical in-person therapy session. Where is your patient seated? Most likely across the table from you. When you place the iPad on the table, your patient gets a clear view of the images, while you can easily read the prompt from your side. When you read a prompt that says: “Move the pencil sharpener above the scissors,” the patient can focus on listening and simply drag the images to follow your instruction. It’s simple and surprisingly rich for working on focused listening, spatial terms, and attention.

On level 1 you see two images and the instruction:

Level 1

Level 2 builds on this by showing three images and offering more complex instructions. For instance, you might get a scene with a stuffed animal, a slice of pie, and a child eating berries. Now you ask your patient: “Place the stuffed animal to the left, the pie to its right, and the child below it.” The added complexity challenges auditory memory and sequencing, especially since the visual layout doesn’t offer any clues about where things should go.

Level 2

Designed for therapist-guided interaction

If you are familiar with SanapsisPro, you know one of its key strengths is flexibility. There’s no automated feedback restricting the answers or limiting how the exercises are used. The open-ended structure gives you full control of the tasks and materials.

In Follow Instructions, this means you, the clinician, can adapt the task and materials to support your patient’s needs. You might repeat the instruction for someone who struggles to retain it after one hearing. You can also choose to break the instruction down step by step, then repeat the full phrase at the end to verify the result. You can even ask the patient to take notes or sketch the task plan before carrying it out. It’s all about using your clinical judgment to meet your patient’s needs in the moment.

Sometimes I like to flip the roles and ask the patient to read the instructions to me. This can be a great way to target reading comprehension. And they get to check whether you followed the instructions correctly. You might be surprised how hard you have to focus on listening to get it right!

Settings

As with most exercises in Sanapsis, Follow Instructions can be modified through the settings. In settings, you’ll find a toggle between Comprehension and Reading mode. This allows you to switch from upside-down text to standard orientation at the bottom of the screen. Now the task can be used for independent reading. Or better yet, you can take a seat side by side and follow the text together to get started. When you're ready to focus on auditory input again, just switch back to Comprehension mode. It’s a small feature, but it opens up a lot of flexibility.

Follow Instructions is a great task for supporting listening and comprehension skills while also challenging auditory memory and executive function. It adapts easily to your clinical style and to your patient’s individual strengths and goals.

The First (of many!) Update for SanapsisPro

We’re in the process of updating all the materials in SanapsisPro, and I’m happy to share that the first big update is now out. The Comprehension category has been refreshed, with all-new content for each of its four core exercises:

• YES-NO

• Follow Instructions

• Questions Based on Text

• Listen to a Story.

To walk you through the updates, I’ll be sharing short posts about each exercise, starting with a favorite: YES-NO questions — the simple, versatile staple in every SLP’s toolkit.

185 Questions

On the surface, this task is very simple. You see a question and two checkboxes (green and red). You read the question to your patient and ask them to respond yes or no. Then you tick the corresponding box.

The questions cover a mix of types:

• Related to the patient or the current situation (“Are you wearing shoes?”)

• Silly and engaging (“Is a banana green on the inside ?”

• Slightly more demanding (“Are there rocks in the forest?“ or “If Ida is older than Tina, was Tina born first?”)

This update brings the total to 185 questions, with an even split between yes and no answers.

Note. Currently, these updates apply to Finnish and English. Swedish to follow!

Why I Use This So Often

This task may look basic, but it’s incredibly versatile with adult patients.

First, it’s great for establishing a consistent YES-NO response. Many patients experiencing apraxia or perseveration can struggle to express yes or no clearly, even when they have a clear idea of the response they want to give. This task offers a structured and low-pressure way to practice, using any response method, be it spoken, gestured, or utilizing AAC.

Second, this task is great to work on focused listening. Many patients who struggle with language comprehension tend to anticipate or guess rather than make an effort to focus on listening. Varied question types, including questions with unexpected information (“Is a hammer something to eat?”), help encourage more active processing. For patients who tend to respond impulsively or who have reduced self-monitoring, this task gives you a way to gently challenge those habits.

Third, working with varied YES-NO questions works well for self-monitoring when fatigue starts to affect performance. If accuracy drops as you progress in the task, you can point this out and open up a conversation about cognitive fatigue, attention, and the need for breaks and pacing. These moments often lead to some of the most valuable discussions in therapy.

Lighthearted YES-NO questions are also a great task when you’re figuring out what’s going on. If a patient struggles across tasks and you’re not quite sure where the breakdown is, running through a set of YES-NO questions can quickly give you insight into auditory comprehension, judgment, impulsivity, or fatigue awareness.

This is also a task I like to return to often—sometimes at the start or end of multiple sessions in a row. It’s familiar, simple, and opens space for useful clinical observations while providing a familiar anchor for the patient.

So that’s what’s new in the YES-NO exercise. It’s updated, expanded, and ready to use in the latest version of SanapsisPro.

Would love to hear how you use it with your patients—drop me a note and let me know!