This is going to be kind of a long post. My daughter was privately tested two years ago. The school would not take the results for writing that said my daughter had spelling and writing disabilities because my daughter passed the school writing test.
At the suggestion of the pediatrician I took my daughter to a speech and language center. She thought my daughter would benefit from Fast forward because after viewing the private testing she said my daughter has auditory issues.
I took her and the director gave my daughter some tests. She said my daughter’s scores were low. I was hoping she would qualify for a study that a local university is doing. Unfortunately, when I read my daughter’s scores to the chairman of the study she told me my daughter’s scores weren’t low enough. She needed to be below the 30th percentile. The director of the speech and language center said my daughter came out at around the 40th percentile overall, but in some areas she was as low as the 25th percentile.
Because of time constraints and the money involved ($3000.00) I’m not going to do Fast Forward. The director of the speech and language center wants to do some more indepth language testing to see if my daughter would benefit from specific language therapy. I’m wondering what type of therapy she would offer. She charges $85.00 an hour.
I’m still considering it, but I was wondering if anyone else has a child who has benefited from private language therapy.
Margo
Re: Auditory Issues
If you do your research and have the time you can do the program for yourself. I sent my daughter to a speech therapist a couple of summers ago. The program she went through was easily transferrd at home during the school season. The speech therapist offered me the material to continue working on our own after the HMO quit paying. Just the training at home has helped. Janis wrote:
>
> Margo,
>
> The answer to the question is, it depends on the therapist
> and the therapy. What we have learned is that to change the
> brain, instruction must be intensive. That’s why some kids
> benefit from Fast ForWord…it is 100 minutes a day for about
> 6 weeks or so. Now I will say, FF costs $850 from Scientific
> Learning. The training kit (Crosstrain) costs $50. Is anyone
> in yoru family a teacher? Is there anyone you could get who
> is a teacher, audiologist or SLP who would agree to do the
> training and then order the FF for yoru child to do at home?
> It needs to be done at home anyway so that there can be
> breaks between the games.
>
> The Lindamood Bell programs are also highly effective given
> intensive instruction. That may be what she needs to improve
> her decoding and spelling skills.
>
> I guess my inclination would be to go ahead and have some
> more testing, and then find out the SPECIFIC things they
> would use to help your child. Then you can come back here and
> ask about it. But I will say now, once a week for an hour
> will do very little unless the therapist gives you exercises
> to do with you child at home daily.
>
> Here is one inexpensive option. Buy the Earobics home
> version…$59 and try it. It is a super program to build
> auditory skills. Just be sure to use it about an hour total a
> day to get rela benefit. teh great thing is that it
> automaticlaly adjusts to the level the child needs to be on.
> It is really a great tool at a great price! I use it at home
> with my child who is diagnosed APD (auditory processing
> disorder) and at school with my hearing impaired students.
>
> http://www.earobics.com/
>
> One more link for resources related to APD:
>
> http://www.ncapd.org/
>
> Janis
Re: Auditory Issues
I”m not sure that with those percentiles she really needs FFW (the best supporting research for it was done on preschoolers with severe problems and obviously they’re still focusing on that population — which is great for those kids). Could be that a language therapist good at the diagnostic end will be able to hone in on those low points and use her strengths to build on them.
Re: Auditory Issues
Earobics is a better option. Its cheaper and you can use it at home. I have seen success quickly with a lot of the kids I see privately for CAPD (no, I don’t work for myself), auditry processing issues. Depending on your insurance it may pay for it. If you want to email me with scores and stuff I can try to help out more. I do cheap private online consulting but I can briefly help you for free. There are also some music therapy ideas that can be quite helpful and range from the really cehap to more expensive. Even the expensive one though is cheaper than Fast Forward and in my mind more effective and long lasting for these issues.
Re: Auditory Issues
How do you get insurance to pay for Earobics? My son needs to use it for the summer and I would love it if they would pay for it?
Thanks
K.
Margo,
The answer to the question is, it depends on the therapist and the therapy. What we have learned is that to change the brain, instruction must be intensive. That’s why some kids benefit from Fast ForWord…it is 100 minutes a day for about 6 weeks or so. Now I will say, FF costs $850 from Scientific Learning. The training kit (Crosstrain) costs $50. Is anyone in yoru family a teacher? Is there anyone you could get who is a teacher, audiologist or SLP who would agree to do the training and then order the FF for yoru child to do at home? It needs to be done at home anyway so that there can be breaks between the games.
The Lindamood Bell programs are also highly effective given intensive instruction. That may be what she needs to improve her decoding and spelling skills.
I guess my inclination would be to go ahead and have some more testing, and then find out the SPECIFIC things they would use to help your child. Then you can come back here and ask about it. But I will say now, once a week for an hour will do very little unless the therapist gives you exercises to do with you child at home daily.
Here is one inexpensive option. Buy the Earobics home version…$59 and try it. It is a super program to build auditory skills. Just be sure to use it about an hour total a day to get rela benefit. teh great thing is that it automaticlaly adjusts to the level the child needs to be on. It is really a great tool at a great price! I use it at home with my child who is diagnosed APD (auditory processing disorder) and at school with my hearing impaired students.
http://www.earobics.com/
One more link for resources related to APD:
http://www.ncapd.org/
Janis