Has anyone used audiblox?

You can purchase it online. Just click on “Shop Now” at their website (http://www.audiblox2000.com). Looks like the price is $250 (probably plus shipping).

Depending on your child’s problems and what exactly you want to work on, you might want to consider using BrainSkills instead. Website for that program is http://www.brainskills.com. Cost for that one is $500.

I have looked at both programs (and I am trained in the provider-version of BrainSkills, PACE). Audiblox is more foundational so is most suitable for severely delayed adults and older children and for children as young as 4yo. (It was originally developed as a preschool program, although its exercises do go up through adult levels). BrainSkills, in my opinion, is a better program for children 8yo through adult unless there are sensory integration problems or other fairly severe sensory problems. BrainSkills has a wider variety of exercises, which helps keep the program interesting, and it works on a wider range of skills. Also, it includes exercises on segmenting, blending and phoneme manipulation — subskills that are necessary for reading. (Audiblox does not have these types of exercises.) BrainSkills also incorporates use of a metronome in its exercises, which makes it possible to work incrementally on processing speed as well as processing accuracy.

Both are good programs and, if you feel up to it, you could do Audiblox first and then follow-up later with BrainSkills.

Nancy

I have and it is a decent program. I used it with both of my sons and saw some small improvements. I’m sure we would have seen more but we discontinued after 4 months because it was boring. Lol.

The materials and exercises are, imo, rather basic. I don’t buy into the author’s theory of LD (read the website, I am pretty sure you will find it there) but aside from that, the explanations of the exercises are repetitive and pedantic. Also, the book that you are supposed to have the child read is dreadful. But it has the same words as are used in the reading program (a bunch of cards using, supposedly, the 800 or so most common English words). We didn’t stick with the book but going over the cards DID help my son, among other things that also helped him.

I’m not saying it’s a bad program and it DOES make a difference if you can stick with it. But it’s boring and I don’t feel the materials and exercises are so earth-shaking to warrant the price.

I’ve heard it can be found much cheaper on e-bay. You might try that before plunking down $250. I wish I’d known that (and known more about such programs in general) before buying audiblox, but I got it at a time when there wasn’t such a proliferation of programs.

Good luck!

Donna

I was going to try Audiblox with my son, but I was completely turned off by the customer service person. I was told that every child’s frustration towards reading and written work was due to poor parenting. Years later, with vision therapy and IM under his belt, he does not have the same frustration.

We used Audiblox when my dd was in 1st grade(which was 6 years ago). I don’t know if they have added any more auditory exercises or not over the years. When we did it, it was very much focused on visual cognitive abilities, w/ a math and reading segment. There was only 1 auditory memory exercise and it was a good one, but again only 1.

The reading program tends to focus on more a whole word approach vs. blending/segmenting. We felt this whole word technique ended up making my dd’s habit of ‘look and guess’ much worse. I do believe that if the child can’t read what-so-ever this flash card approach does get them to a beginning level. They feel success vs. feeling dumb.