Many of us have processing or memory
glitches - given the complexity of the learning process it would be
more surprising if we didn't. We overcome these minor deficits by
learning how to work around them. But "working around" a glitch
means the brain is working inefficiently - it is allocating high level,
executive ("conscious") brain function to a basic task. This
reduces the resources available for comprehension, reasoning,
etc. Fast ForWord works on these glitches, making basic tasks
such as reading decoding more automatic (or subconscious), thereby
freeing up executive brain power for learning.
Fast ForWord achieves these gains
efficiently, delivering years of brain exercise in a few short
weeks. It uses proven neuroscience principles, such as inserting
events that trigger the release of neurotransmitters to promote brain
growth. It also employs sophisticated adaptive programming that
keeps the child working "in the zone", enabling them to maintain a
productive work rate each session.
Reading Starts with Accurate Listening
Natural Language is
Lightning Fast. A foundational element in learning is
auditory processing, the ability to discriminate between sounds and
words, and to recall what was heard. Listening to natural
language is one of the fastest things the brain does.
Distinguishing syllables comes down to differentiating sounds in
milliseconds. Count off a second. One, one thousand.
Four syllables, 2-3 sounds in each, all in one second.
Note how similar the sound wave patterns are
for "say" and "stay." If a child cannot process at 120 milliseconds,
i.e., fast enough to pick up the quiet space in the middle of "stay",
then "say" and "stay" sound the same.
Auditory problems carry over
into reading Our ability to read is directly related to
the accuracy of our phonological vocabulary. When we see a word
such as "sleeker" we call on our phonological memory for a match.
If we have always heard that word as "leega" because we did not hear the "s" in the "sl" blend and heard the "k" and a "g", then we have little hope of making an automatic match when reading the word
sleeker.
For children with accurate phonological
vocabularies, reading is simply transposing a known
language to another format. But for the
child who heard "leega" reading amounts to learning a whole new
language. Most children are somewhere in the middle. If our
phonological memory is compromised in any way, perhaps even due to an
ear infection that may have interrupted development for a month or two,
our phonological vocabulary will be compromised.
Because accurate listening is such a
critical skill, parents and teachers work hard to help children hear
these sounds. And, of course, they are pretty much always
successful. However, often this "success" carries a price if that
listening is inefficient, i.e., if it requires an inordinate amount of
conscious brain power. This impacts the available capacity for
higher learning functions.
How Fast ForWord Can Help Your Child
To function properly a brain needs to be
able to perform many different skills (such as processing, sequencing,
working memory, sound discrimination) at natural language speed.
Through repetition the brain is made more adept at handling auditory
information. It is how golfers build muscle memory. Repeat
until automatic. Each day the Fast ForWord student will click
hundreds of times, each click representing a decision made, a brain
process exercised.
Each game starts slowly, using slowed speech
or sound combinations, and only speeds up as the student
succeeds. If the student is functionally sound in the skill being
exercised, he will progress to natural language speed, the end-point,
in a few sessions. If there is a weakness, the program will find
it, and exercise it - reaching natural language speed will take a lot
longer.
New and existing abilities are practiced and
perfected, and then if appropriate, pushed to the subconscious.
