What Is the Aphasia Software Finder from the Tavistock Trust for Aphasia?

Updated

The Aphasia Software Finder (ASF) is a free online directory launched in 2011 by the Tavistock Trust for Aphasia. It gathers English-language aphasia therapy apps, software, and related resources onto a single website so that people with aphasia and speech and language professionals can find suitable tools without searching across many separate sources. According to the Trust, the ASF has been visited by people from 132 countries.

What the ASF actually does

The Finder is a discovery tool, not a therapy programme. Its purpose is to solve a practical problem: therapy apps and software are scattered across app stores, developer sites, and professional recommendations, which makes it hard to know what exists and what might suit a particular need. The ASF consolidates that landscape in one place.

It is aimed at two main audiences:

  • People with aphasia and their families or carers — to identify tools that may support language practice and communication.
  • Speech and language professionals — to review what is available before recommending or using software with clients.

Who provides it

The Tavistock Trust for Aphasia is described on its own site as the only grant-making trust in the United Kingdom focused solely on aphasia. It was founded in 1992 by Robin Tavistock, the late 14th Duke of Bedford, who developed aphasia after a brain haemorrhage in 1988 at age 48. The Trust's stated aim is to improve quality of life for people with aphasia, their families, and carers by funding research and projects, connecting charities in the field, and raising public and professional awareness of the condition.

The ASF sits alongside the Trust's other activities, which include Small Grants (introduced in 2005 and allocated monthly), the Robin Tavistock Award, Distinguished Scholar recognition, student prizes, and involvement in the Aphasia Alliance and PPA-related work.

How to use it

  1. Go to the Aphasia Software Finder section of the Trust's website (aphasiatavistocktrust.org).
  2. Browse or search the listed English-language aphasia therapy apps and software.
  3. Use the entries to compare options and identify tools worth trying or recommending.
  4. Check each tool's own listing for its specific features, platform, and cost — the Finder is a directory, so those details sit with the individual product.

What to keep in mind

  • English-language focus. The Trust describes the ASF as bringing together English-speaking aphasia therapy apps and software, so it is not a multilingual catalogue.
  • Directory, not endorsement of outcomes. The Finder helps you locate tools; it does not replace assessment by a speech and language professional when choosing therapy approaches.
  • Costs vary by product. The Trust's site shows a "subscribe" signal, but the Finder itself is presented as a resource rather than a paid product. Pricing for individual apps and software is set by their own developers, so check each one directly.

If you are looking for aphasia therapy software and want a single starting point rather than a scattered search, the ASF is the resource the Trust built for exactly that purpose.