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Learning Difficulties in Adults
Real change is possible at any age.
Resolve Skill Gaps Not Addressed At School
If you have struggled with reading or listening your entire life, it’s hard to imagine that anything can change. However, the brain can be exercised at any age. Gains are possible.
Schools did their best to help you, but their role is to teach knowledge, not to resolve learning issues. And so the skill gaps that make reading and learning difficult remain.
Our learning and reading programs for adults target and aim to resolve the skill gaps that have been holding you back, enabling you to read and learn efficiently and effortlessly.
What Effective Intervention Looks Like for Adults
Because school-based accommodations may have compensated but not remediated, many adult learners can benefit from a renewed effort to remove the obstacles to learning.
- Assessment. Do you suspect APD? (screening here) Or dyslexia? (screening here) Or something else? (general screening here). The screenings take 5-10 minutes to complete. We will send our findings and recommendations.
- Targeted cognitive skills training. In many cases, an intervention represents a real opportunity to make a difference:
- Our Fast ForWord cognitive program trains auditory processing (e.g., to make it easier to tune out background noise).
- Fast ForWord Reading makes reading more automatic and boosts comprehension.
- Real-world accommodations. Even with an intervention, be aware of your strengths and areas of challenge, and adjust your environment accordingly. More dyslexia hacks here.
- Set goals and measure progress. If you choose Gemm Learning, track improvements, such as in reading speed and writing accuracy. Gradually reduce accommodations as skills strengthen.
Your goals from an intervention should be tied to adult life, such as work reports, professional reading, presentations, and meetings.
A Gemm Learning specialist can help you map out a way forward, starting with what kinds of help are appropriate. Often, adjusting your environment is all that is needed.
Impact for Adults When Issues
Aren’t Fully Addressed
“I have always struggled with reading all my life. When I see a sentence, it displays itself to me in short pieces which sometimes move backwards instead of forwards! I could never see an entire line of words. It’s been very frustrating and speed reading courses were of no help. At the age of 58, … I can, for the very first time, read entire sentences and lines on a page. This has changed my reading speed as well as my comprehension. The difference is absolutely amazing. Now I will always wonder how my life would be different today if I could have solved my reading problem in third or fourth grade instead of at age 58.”
Common Learning Difficulties in Adults
Many seemingly different learning difficulties in adults stem from a single source: unresolved language-based processing inefficiency. You can address those inefficiencies at any stage of life.
Of course, the most recognized issues involve listening and reading, but language’s impact goes far deeper than that. We think using language, and if language processing is inefficient, thinking is inefficient.
Learning skills develop sequentially. The toughest step in the sequence is processing at natural language speed. If you have a learning disability as an adult, chances are it relates to not developing 100% efficient language processing as a child. You can now practice and improve this skill.
Here are the kinds of difficulties clients report to us.
Reading Issues
Reading is a language skill. Text is spoken language in a visual format. Common reading difficulties for adults include:
- Need to reread to understand what is being read
- Read slowly
- Tire easily when reading
- Do not read for pleasure
What’s Going On:
These reading frustrations result from inefficient language processing. This means you must concentrate when reading and connect the text to recognizable words. This extra effort can lead to the issues outlined above or adult dyslexia symptoms.
Good readers learn to process language automatically, making reading feel effortless.
Issues At Work
Inefficient language processing also impacts other aspects of life for adults, most notably employment. Here are some of the issues we hear about from clients who come to us for help:
- Following and retaining verbal instructions can be difficult
- Background noise makes listening challenging
- Learning issues undermine confidence and anxiety at work
- Exams or certification tests can be a challenge – difficulty studying and slow reading make it hard to finish a test
- It’s hard to be a critical thinker
Beyond these trouble spots at work, there is a general feeling that everything is a bit harder and takes more effort.
What’s Going On:
All of these issues stem from a lack of comfort with language, which in turn stems from difficulties with language processing. If you cannot process at natural language speed, which is lightning-fast,
It’s challenging to follow complicated verbal instructions. Listening is, at best, effortful and, at worst, difficult, to the point where things are misheard or missed. You are aware of these shortcomings, which undermine confidence and create anxiety.
How We Help
Language-based learning disabilities for adults can be treated to reduce and sometimes remove symptoms of difficulty.
Gemm Learning provides unique learning programs that help adults address long-held processing inefficiencies at any age. Our adult clients report improved listening skills in noisy situations, much better reading speed and stamina, and stronger exam performance.
How It Works
Gemm Learning provides online reading programs for adults using Fast ForWord software at home with remote guidance. It is a unique, clinically proven program that you can do at home on your own schedule. It adapts to your pace of learning, so that you will not get stuck (too fast) or bored (too easy).
We begin by taking an assessment and then develop an individualized sequence of programs tailored to your needs. While our program primarily focuses on helping adults with dyslexia, it also builds fundamental cognitive skills that can improve test-taking and help individuals with auditory processing disorder.
Program managers monitor progress daily, tracking every click, success, and roadblock. We call regularly and when needed. We are with you every step of the way.
To achieve the best possible outcomes, we:
- Start with a consultation to make sure you are a candidate for our programs
- We use a short reading test and a self-assessment to create an individualized plan
- Then we monitor daily, touch base regularly, and intervene as needed
All adult students start with Fast ForWord software to address the long-term cognitive skill gaps that have held them back. Some might then progress to Reading Plus to further improve reading speed.
Fee Schedule and Payment Options
Most students spend at least three months with us. You can go month to month or take advantage of our prepaid specials. We also have financing options. We offer a program that fits your needs. Everyone has a risk-free start: a full refund in the first 14 days.
“I am noticing a better memory, such as: Previously I would be at a loss for words whereas now, I find words coming. I also notice that when I speak I can hear myself better. The article stated that even for adults Fast Forward (sic) software slows the world down, making it more manageable. It brought tears to my eyes. I look forward everyday to my brain exercises! Thank you!”
Jessica
Adult learner
“My college age son has seen such gains from this program. He says he finds reading more comfortable and less exhausting. He has a heavy workload this semester and says this has made a huge difference to his college experience. He texted me from a plane on his way back to college yesterday. He said he was too busy reading to talk!”
College Student
21 years old
“He has the maturity now to do better compared to being in school and hating every moment… there’s a drive in him now to do everything better. When I think of his state one year ago and look at him now… it’s a miracle really.”
Susan T
Parent of 25yo brain trauma victim
“He is doing really well and still continues to make gains. I really credit the regaining of his now very strong listening skills to this program. I’m impressed at how the exercises became more difficult so quickly… he liked the challenge. I am seeing a big difference in his memory that really suffered from the accident. And more and more he is working on his own, becoming quite independent.”
Keith J.
Parent of 30yo accident victim
From a Gemm staff member: “My student, Anne-Marie is 28 years old. She’s been doing the program for about 2.5 months and has been working so, so hard. She told me she’s feeling much more confident in her reading and has stopped skipping words just because she doesn’t know them. She even read out loud for her mom who has noticed how much more confident she was, too. Now she doesn’t dread or avoid reading the way she once did. She’s so happy that she found Fast ForWord and wishes it was available when she was in school. Doing Fast ForWord has made her feel like she’s “finally out of the dark” and she’s glad that now when she has her own kids, she’ll be able to help them read. She’s even talking about going to college so she can advocate for special needs students. I think she’d be great!” (adult)
Anne-Marie
Adult learner
“I find I can read for much longer periods than before Fast ForWord. Plus I don’t need to re-read pages. I used to read a page and then realize I did not take in a word. That does not happen anymore. I flew through books this summer, where before I struggled to get through one. Reading for pleasure is a marvelous new aspect to my life. Thank you.”
Lynn
52 year old
“Good news is that after many years Maya picked up and read a whole book. She read Black Beauty. Even if it’s a children’s classical, it was great to see her take the initiative and time to read at her own will. She has picked up a second book, The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han, a book for middle schoolers.”
Joe M.
Parent of teen, dyslexia
“I have struggled with reading all my life.... It’s been very frustrating and speed reading courses were of no help. At the age of 58, … I can, for the very first time, read entire sentences and lines on a page. This has changed my reading speed as well as my comprehension. The difference is absolutely amazing. Now I will always wonder how my life would be different today if I could have solved my reading problem in third or fourth grade instead of at age 58.”
Gail
Adult with dyslexia