It could be that the reading interventions you’ve tried aren’t addressing some of the real underlying issues of auditory processing, memory, attention, processing speed, and sequencing. What we’ve found is that auditory processing is often at the root of the problem. This means that the brain has difficulty understanding the sounds and the words coming in and knowing what to do with them.

Does any of this sound familiar?

• Your child has significant challenges with spelling.
• Your child seems lost in many everyday conversations.
• Environments that have too much background sound make problems much worse.
• Rhyming words has always been difficult.
• Distinguishing one sound from another is almost impossible for your child.
• Your child is having trouble with listening comprehension, as well as reading comprehension.
• You think your child’s problem is dyslexia, but none of the other interventions you’ve done have resolved it.
• Your child has trouble following multi-step instructions.
• It feels like nothing you’re doing is helping your child catch up.

The problems you’re seeing with your child could be more resistant to intervention because there are multiple components of cognitive functions and processing that are affected. The problems with reading are just a symptom, and so we need to address all those interlocking layers.

Fast ForWord is a longer-term intensive intervention that gets at the root cause of the difficulty. This is an in-depth program that we recommend for students who have a significant delay in reading as well as issues with at least three of the following problems: auditory processing, memory, attention, processing speed, and sequencing. It’s a research-based tool found to be very effective with auditory processing as well as a dyslexia intervention tool.

The way that Fast ForWord works is that it’s comprised of five to six game-based learning activities, and the program is going to target two to four of those activities each day, five days a week. This program smartly constantly adjusts to the student’s level, and so the brain is being challenged at the level it’s ready for at any given time. Students are neither bored or over-challenged, leading to frustration.  

This program is typically part of a more in-depth intervention involving a few different programs, and is usually recommended after families have already tried another intensive reading program, with perhaps not-so-great results.  

After we review your child’s and family’s needs, we put together a custom Path to Success™ Learning Plan to help your child thrive. If we recommend Fast ForWord, it will usually be in conjunction with other reading and spelling interventions. In addition to the programs, you also get monthly private coaching for both the parents and the students to help them make sure they’re using the program most effectively for their needs. The coaching provides the support so that you can create a successful learning environment and structure for your child to thrive.  

Here are the results we see with our families:

• A 1 ½ - 3-year reading level gain over the course of a school year in this program
• Greater independence
• Learning in other content areas starts to come easier
• Special needs students are able to move into more mainstreamed classes and aren’t held back by their challenges
• Improved brain processing efficiency
• Long-term gains as the brains is being rewired

You can get started with just a four-month intervention, but most likely you’ll want a school year to a full year to see significant results.

We understand that this is a more substantial investment for your family. If you think Fast ForWord may be the solution you’ve been looking for, your next step is to schedule a complimentary, no-obligation Path to Success™ Consultation with Beth Ellen Nash, our Intervention Specialist. During this consultation, Beth Ellen will review the results of your child’s Just-Right Level™ Assessments, as well as discuss your concerns in-depth, and make recommendations to fully address your child’s learning needs, whether or not they include Fast ForWord.