Fast ForWord

FFW can be dramatically helpful for children who have specific kinds of auditory processing problem which interfere with learning to read. However, the program is often incorrectly marketed as a solution for *all* children who have difficulty learning to read. If a school is willing to pre-screen children for auditory processing problems (rather than just reading problems), then FFW can be an excellent investment. If, instead, all children who have reading problems are put through FFW, it will be a bad investment — because children who don’t have an auditory processing problem will not be helped by FFW.

Personally, I think every school district should be able to offer FFW. However, it’s a mistake to buy an expensive district-wide license and plan to put all children with reading problems through the program. It would be better to train a number of key personnel (at least one in each school) as providers, and then make sure that children with reading problems are pre-screened (by the school speech pathologist) or have CAPD documentation (from parents), so only those children highly likely to benefit from the program go through it. The program is intense and requires a lot of effort on the part of the child, aside from being expensive. Why waste a child’s time if an auditory processing problem is not the underlying cause of the reading difficulties?

Just my 02 cents worth…..

Nancy

Thanks for your 02 cents worth. Our reading specialist is the one who is excited about this program and is having the representative come and talk to us. I have gotten the impression from my research also that it is for auditory processing more than for anyone with reading disabilities

The program helps with receptive language—hearing sounds correctly. Obviously, if you don’t hear sounds correctly it is difficult to learn to read. My son has auditory processing deficits and tested as having significant deficits in decoding oral language before FFW. Afterwards, he tested normal. Now, 2 1/2 years later he still doesn’t read on grade level so it is no magic bullet. (He has multiple learning disabilities). Still, FFW made a tremendous difference in his life. He now understands the world around him.

Beth

Correcting an auditory processing problem can have a dramatically positive impact on learning to read. That’s why your reading teacher is excited, and rightly so — as long as it is understood that FFW does not teach decoding skills and is not useful for *all* children who are having problems learning to read.

Nancy

And one more thing, do they realize a child must spend 100 minutes a day on the computer??? I still think FFW would be much better done as a summer program.

Janis

My son could never have done FFW in a school setting. We did it starting in May—he came in late to school and finished in the summer. He never could do it in one setting. We divided it up between morning and evening. He used to ride his bike in between “games”.

His school said it was too experimental. Although I had to shoulder the bill, in the end I was grateful to have been able to do it at home.

My son is a child who really benefited from FFW. The kids which it is easy for usually don’t need it as badly.

Beth