Autism. Language and Reading

Overview

Introduction

A child with special learning difficulties can often have problems with his or her speech and language processing. Additionally he can have difficulties with his cognitive skills of memory, attention, processing information and sequencing.Thus without the right intervention he can plateau and be unable to go beyond a certain stage to reach his full potential.

Speech and language improvements can transform his world, allowing him to function better, open him up to the joys of learning and improve his everyday interaction. Learning can be moved from an experimental type to observational, an essential skill that is wholly dependent on him being able to respond to what is said, read and what happens around him. Additionally he can improve his concentration, develop a better working memory and also improve the quality and speed of his language skills, oral and written.

Children with special learning difficulties have a unique way of learning, requiring a high level of consistency and intensity. They benefit from a systematic approach and the setting of goals. In addition, they need high levels of reinforcement as well as a method that makes learning fun and interesting. Good educational programmes for children have these characteristics

We use a method based on 30 years of research. We work on the cognitive skills and build language skills using a systematic programme that is designed to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the child, pinpointing exactly their priority areas. Then we adapt the course to each individual, constantly monitoring progress and motivating and mentoring the students to make rapid and lasting gains.

The essential skills for a student to have in place before beginning are general

computer literacy, the ability to wear headphones, and to be able to stay on-task for up to 20 minutes at a time without interruption (which is required for the 50 minute protocol).

It is important to remember that the Fast ForWord Language programme won’t teach new information (eg. the curriculum), but instead it prepares children to learn. By improving his understanding of spoken language, increasing his attention to tasks, and by reducing the difficulty he has filtering competing sounds,

Fast ForWord builds confidence through understanding. Once these deficits are addressed, the love of learning that he displays will result in a more fluent acquisition of new skills, better use and understanding of language, and improved concentration.

Children with autism can do FastForWord, and are often highly successful. They may require additional support during treatment, bespoke mediation exercises and a high level of positive praise and supervision, but the end result is worth the effort.

How Fast ForWord Works

The course is very structured and comprehensive. Students are engaged by the graphical interface and quickly realise that their progress is predictable and reliant on their own efforts. The sofware adapts automatically to the skill level of the student on an overall basis and even will take into account day-day variations.

As students work on the Fast ForWord exercises, they listen through headphones and respond with the mouse. With each click of the mouse, Fast ForWord Language software adapts to individual skill levels and responses, adjusting the learner's content exposure and targeting correct responses approximately 80% of the time, which maintains challenge and motivates success.

The teacher can take advantage of the highly diagnostic approach with extensive reports available that allow precise evaluation of the student's priority areas and the interventions required to ensure efficient and effective progress

Some External Evaluations

"Students show measurable improvements in Reading Results and Brain Activation after using Scientific Learning Research-based software."

From the study done by Temple, et al. at Stanford University, and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS 2003 100(5): 2860-2865). Click here for a PDF of the report.

"A number of the kids that I put on Fast ForWord Language 10 years ago have had the opportunity to repeat Fast ForWord and use products that were developed later. I have found great improvements each time. Like I tell people about putting children with other significant communication disorders on Fast ForWord-this is NOT a cure....for apraxia, autism, dyslexia, etc.
HOWEVER, it is the most powerful tool/intervention technique I have discovered in over 30 years as a speech-language pathologist."

Ann, Speech and Language Therapist USA

"His oral and written expressive language has come on so much. Now he is much more concise and clear when he talks."

Betty, Parent of a boy, 11, with Asperger's, Dublin

Please email us for further information

Further Resources

Case studies provided by Innovative Therapies on their autistic students in the U.K. Click here.
Dr Mike Merzenich, one of the team that developed Fast ForWord, is one of the most respected researchers on autism and brain plasticity. A search on Google using 'mike merzenich autism" will yield a wealth of information on the latest developments and research on autism. Click here for Google
Research on children with Pervasive Developmental Disorder and Fast ForWord in the USA click here