Fast Forward Word

Just read a study on it in the Annals of Dyslexia; and there have been some others out, too. The report in the Annals concluded that several years down the pike, kids did as well wiht an intensive reading program when it came to learning to read. However, it didn’t answer the obvious question: what if the intensive reading program isn’t an option? Does FFW train up the ears so a less intensive reading program would work? (I haven’t read it all that closely; I will.)

Over the past years, there have been lots of people who’ve tried it & posted results — some great, some not so great. So, I suspect that picking the students it will be effective for is important; it’s also just plain tough on the kiddo and the person doing it with the kid, wiht lots of incentives being necessary.

I’m a Spec. Ed. teacher whose just finishing up doing this pgm. with my son, who has CAPD, decoding type, which is the profile of the student who most benefits from it. Personally, I and my son’s SLD class teacher, have seen positive benefits-for example, he has started “talking out loud” in play with his action figures at home, and is now insisting on working independently in his SLD class at school & is doing “very well”, according to his teacher, who is not the type to tell anyone what they want to hear if it ain’t true. Apparently, more changes will become evident as we go along, according to our audiologist, who recommended the pgm. However, that said, I would not recommend this pgm. to anyone unless they had a CAPD
evaluation from a qualified audiologist earmarking decoding (there being various types of CAPD, not all of which, apparently, respond equally to FFWD). It is simply too demanding and intensive a pgm. to be worth it for those who might not need it. It also doesn’t directly impact on reading scores, or at least there is no evidence it does at present, but for those with decoding CAPD it will make gains in a direct instruction reading pgm. possible. (The audiologist predicted my son would top out at about grade 4 without FFWD.) For those who need it—and I can think of 2 of my high school LD students whom I’m almost positive would satisfy the criteria—it’s gold. If only the parents of my 2 students could afford it. Ours is a poor district which is unlikely to provide it without heavy parental pressure. So if you’ve got the bucks to spend and some students you know are CAPD—decoding type—go for it.

Hi, I have a son, 14 years old, who is classic dyslexic, manifesting in decoding and encoding problems. he is in the eighth grade, yet reads at third grade level. He has an I.E.P., and has remedial help, since he was in first grade. I am interested in learning about the fast forward program. you mentioned that a child with CAPD is the ideal recipent for fast forward. What is CAPD?

Incidently, his auditory skills a re very good, when he listens to subject matter, he retains it beautifully, so he relies heavily on his listening skills, and when he takes tests, the school administers them orally.

CAPD stands for “Central Auditory Processing Disorder.” Fast ForWord specifically targets the ability to hear the parts of words, since this is at the root of many reading problems (however, FFW by itself doesn’t teach reading).

Is anything being done to remediate your son’s reading skills at present?

If your son has good listening skills, CAPD may not be a factor. If you search on this board you can find a good site (posted by Beth from FL, I think) that lists a checklist for this disorder. (I’m sorry I can’t find it now for you.)

If your son is 14 and reading at a gr. 3 level, I would say the current reading method being used (if any) is not working. He needs an effective reading intervention fast—before high school. I have had good results at the grade 9 level with Phono-Graphix (Reading Reflex) by Carmen and Diane McGuinness, available at amazon.com. (Reading Reflex is the name of the parent book while PG is the classroom or clinic program.) You could do this pgm. with him yourself, if he is receptive, or hire a tutor. It is effective and quick—though it takes longer for severely reading delayed students than the authors claim (closer to 20-25 hours than 12). In cases where this method does not seem to work, LiPs or an Orton-Gillingham method such as Wilson are recommended. I would start with Phono-Graphix because it is quicker and high school is looming. Good luck.

I agree with another posting this is a GREAT program for a child with central auditory processing (CAP). Fast Forward was also recommended by our daughter’s audiologist. Her pre and post testing was fabulous. Our daughter gain 2 standard deviations in an intensive 8 week program done at home. She was 7 at the time.

I am not familiar with the study cited by someone else about their being no difference over time if an intensive reading program is available. But I do know this. The immediate benefits for our daughter were being able to focus in class, increased participation in class discussions, and feeling very good about herself for completing a difficult program.

Our daughter, who is now 9, is now in the first year of a intensive reading program (Wilson). We justed completed her yearly progress report at the University of MN ped neurology unit. There was some pre-testing done in Sept by her school. Emma is reading, she is making tremendous gains on all indicators, and shows no signs of having her progress level off.

We believe that dealing with the CAP issue primed Emma to be extremely successful in the Wilson program. While these gains may have come over time, we believe that getting Emma in the “best possible physical shape” with regard to her sensory inputs has made the whole program much less stressful.

With that said, I believe that any learner with CAP should do FAST Forward in preparation for an intensive reading program.

We have addressed the problem of teaching a dyslexic to read. Please examine www.jwor.com for details.

Can capd coincide with asperger’s syndrome?
I have a focus problem and listening problem but i am a fast reader but i have a hard time when speaking because i have a speech problem,