Auditory processing

For starters, you can check out their Web sites. FastForWord is at www.scilearn.com. Earobics is at www.earobics.com.

Best of luck!

LJ

Thanks very much for the information. I’m new at this and am amazed how fast I received assistance after looking for so long on my own.

Earobics is pretty mild, and may not be of a lot of benefit to a 12yo who is not reading. It comes on CD-ROM’s and is “played” on a computer. Cost is about $60.

FastForWord is an auditory training program that does a lot to help children with a subtype of auditory processing disorder called “auditory decoding deficit”. Although it can be of help to other children, it’s not exactly clear which children will benefit. The minimum it can be done for is about $750 (you become a certified provider yourself, do it at home, and buy the software towards the end of the year when it is discounted). Doing it over the summer through an outside provider (with the child training at home, not in the provider’s office) usually costs around $1800. The time commitment is large too. The child has to train 100 minutes a day 5 days a week for 6 to 8 weeks.

If you post more specific information about your 12yo’s problems, what kinds of testing he has had, and who is making the recommendations, you may get some additional suggestions of approaches to check out.

Neither Earobics nor FastForWord teaches reading. If the primary problem is reading, you would also want to supplement with a good decoding program, such as Phono-Graphix (http://www.readamerica.net). You can hire a PG tutor or use the book written for parents, “Reading Reflex.”

Mary

Mary, It sounds like you know quiete a bit about FFW, have you had hands on experience with the program? I have just become a provider for my son through the cross train program. We are in the middle of training and so far so good . Every day is a new experience, I am learning a lot. I quess the hardest part is keeping up the modivational stratagies and keeping him on task (5-20min.sessions is a lot to ask a 8 year old boy).
I will post our results when we have completed the program. Wish us luck!
Barb

We did the same thing. My dd’s problems were primarily visual, however, so FFW didn’t do much for her. It was an interesting experience, though. Dd did get above 90% in all the games — finally!

One of the good things about being the provider is that you can do it as long as needed.

Will be interested to hear your results.

Mary

Mary, Who recommended FFW for your daughter? Does she have any auditory processign issues? I was told FFW was for CAPD. How long did it actually take her to finish?
thanx for the input.
Barbara

Our highly respected speech pathologist, who had just returned from a training workshop in FFW, recommended it to us. She had already determined that dd did not have auditory processing problems. I think she was just completely unaware that not all children with problems learning to read will benefit from FFW.

Instead of going through the pathologist, I found out I could get trained myself and do everything at home, so that’s what I did. By the time I got certified I realized FFW was unlikely to help dd. However, we had already paid for the software, I was certified, and my husband (feeling guilty because for years he had pooh-poohed my concerns, saying dd was just lazy and needed to try harder) wanted to be sure we didn’t leave any stone unturned. So we did FFW “just to be sure”. It really was a waste of time in our case, except that it reassured dh. I figured I would chalk up the cost up to education (mine), plus I didn’t want to be the one to not do FFW and be wrong — for some currently unseeable reason.

What really turned the tide for dd were vision therapy, PACE, and Phono-Graphix. Her main problem was vision, and her secondary problem was “severely disordered phonological awareness” (according to the speech pathologist who recommended FFW).

Mary

Pace is our next step. Mario was assessed by a Pace provider and it was found that he would benefit from it. Do you know how I could be his provider? I was told by the company, that I could train but that I would have to go to Colorodo for a training seminar. They would give me a rebate BUT being Canadian, with the dollar so low, it is not worth it. It would cost me less or similar if I have the Pace provider come to my home for 3 day/week. I’ll try anything to minimize my cost.
My son have visual spacial issues as well. We’re waiting to see an Ocupational Therapist for this.(provided by the school-MIRACLE!). My understanding is that Pace will deal with his VS problem.
Thanx for your input.
Barbara