Fast ForWord in Action

Fast ForWord in Action

Paul* Age: 9 years

From an early age Paul displayed advanced reasoning and spatial visualisation skills. Testing revealed he was a gifted child but at school he failed to achieve. His poor language skills prevented him from realising his potential.

His mother Amanda* said his language problems were affecting all aspects of his life.

“He was miserable at school because he couldn’t follow group discussions and had problems with reading, comprehension and spelling. He would confuse simple words such as ‘dog’ and ‘bob’ and would come home from school exhausted after battling with his language problems all day. He had difficulty with concentration and was often frustrated. He used a range of behaviours to mask his problems including trying to be in charge of group discussions so that he could direct other students to talk one at a time.

“Although testing showed he was an academically gifted child, his language problems affected his ability to learn and his teacher even suggested that he may have attention deficit disorder.

“It was a great relief when last year he was finally diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder. The audiologist found there was a significant delay between his hearing a sound and his mind processing it. He also had problems differentiating between different phonemes,” Amanda said.

Paul completed a six-week FastForWord Language program and made significant improvement in his language skills

“He is a calmer and more confident person,” Amanda said.

“He contributes to conversations, discusses his emotions and is willing to learn. He will now read a book in bed at night, which is a miraculous change. His comprehension skills are greatly improved along with his overall academic performance".

”Paul’s language skills continue to improve and Amanda hopes her son will complete the next stage of Fast ForWord to further improve his reading skills.

Jane* Age: 9 years

Jane told her mum that there was something “wrong in her head”. She struggled at school despite being good at mathematics and interested in learning. She had immense difficulty understanding verbal instructions. Language testing found she was 4 years behind her peers in oral comprehension skills.

Jane did the Fast ForWord Language program early working from her home computer with the aid of her mother Jill*.

Jill said she could see the benefits of the program right away.

“When we started the Fast ForWord program it was very clear that there were simple verbal commands she just couldn’t master. She was not processing the language properly. Fast ForWord taught her how to differentiate between different phonemes and understand speech patterns. Her improvement over six weeks was astronomical. Her reading and ability to understand verbal instructions has greatly improved and her confidence has been boosted.

“Prior to Fast ForWord she avoided socialising because she was anxious about not understanding conversations. Now she is much happier at school and her teachers have commented on her dramatic improvement,” Jill said.

Jane still has some learning difficulties and is taking medication for attention problems but after Fast ForWord she told her mother “I don’t feel dumb anymore”.

Sam* Age: 10 years

At 4 years old Sam was assessed to be a gifted child. He had a very inquisitive mind and used lateral thinking to solve complex problems. His parents expected him to excel at school and were shocked when his teachers reported he wasn’t performing.

His mother Joanne* said his problems were hard to understand and at times they thought he was just being lazy.

“He wouldn’t follow instructions. If you told him a list of things to do he’d get confused and only achieve the first task. At school he was struggling. Comprehension and spelling were particular difficulties. IQ tests indicated he was very bright but his teachers said he was yet to reveal his ability.”

Sam was diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder and completed the six week Fast ForWord Language program in the middle of Grade 4.

His mother said the changes weren’t immediate but six months down the track she can really see how he has improved.

“Sam is now starting to perform to his ability. His spelling has improved to such a huge extent that this year he won the school’s ‘OzSpell’ competition. His comprehension has also improved dramatically and his confidence has received a real boost. He is enjoying school and his teachers can’t believe the progress he has made in such a short time,” Joanne said.

* Names changed for privacy reasons

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