Auditory Processing Disorder Treatment
Unique brain-based Fast ForWord software at home
Children with APD cannot process at natural language speed. This means listening is effortful and phonemic awareness and phonics for reading are a challenge.
Our home-based auditory processing disorder treatment accelerates the development of these processing skills. We use Fast ForWord software – quick-fire sound, language and reading exercises – that lead children with APD to ever higher functioning, tiny step by tiny step.
Most students find listening, reading and focus significantly easier after just a few months.
Our APD Treatment Goals
Fast ForWord aims to remediate a range of learning difficulties that can be traced back to underlying APD.
Reading Fluency and Comprehension
Reading automaticity requires phonological awareness, which is undermined by auditory processing disorder. By exercising language processing we boost phonological awareness, and make reading easier for all ages. More on how we help reading here.
Focus
For children with APD, listening in class takes constant effort. Similarly reading is labored due to the effort required in sounding out each word. This exhaustion leads to zoning out and/or avoidance behaviors, sometimes leading to an ADHD or ADD diagnosis.
While ADD medicines manage symptoms, our program targets the cause of inattentiveness, the inefficient processing. More on how our programs help selective focus and sustained attention here.
Follow Directions
Children with central auditory system delays do not process fast enough to take in long stretches of spoken language accurately. The teacher is speaking at 50 mph, the child is listening at 30mph. Consequently, words are missed. Background noise can also be troublesome.
Our program aims to improve processing efficiency to effectively slow the world down for your child.
Language Skills
Auditory processing disorder reduces the capacity to learn by listen and therefore learn the language around you. This slows the learning of new words and grammar conventions. Furthermore, slower processing impacts conversation skills as well. Fast ForWord quite significantly improves language delays.
Gemm Learning provides Fast ForWord software at home.
We Stimulate & Build New Brain Pathways
Fast ForWord software was designed specifically to address auditory processing and related skills – the so-called learning MAPS – working Memory, Attention, auditory Processing and Sequencing – to remediate learning difficulties related to APD.
Activating Language Regions
Fast ForWord was developed by 4 world-renowned neuroscientists. It uses neuroscience principles tapping into brain plasticity to accelerate neural development. It looks to activate or “wake up” language regions in the brain, visible on fMRI imaging (Temple, Stanford University).
Fast ForWord exercises target all aspects of auditory development. This includes auditory pattern recognition, temporal discrimination (recognizing sounds in sequence), auditory working memory and sustained attention. The ability to improve these deep-seated skills is central to what makes our auditory processing disorder intervention unique.
Lasting Gains
Once the brain learns a new skill, it will integrate it into daily use and so the gains endure.
In fact, acceleration often continues after program completion according the feedback from our clients. The science predicts this. Stronger core skills frees up accelerated development of higher level skills. The success is documented, including in the International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology (2013), Brain Topography (2015).
Home-Based with Remote Coaching
Gemm Learning was founded to make this intensive APD intervention available at home, with all the coaching and support you’ll ever need. It’s an individualized wrap-around service we have perfected over 15+ years – learn more here.
Disclaimer. Gemm Learning is an educational program, not a medical intervention. While our success and client satisfaction rates are high, each individual is unique and our protocols are not effective in every case. That is the reality we have to accept.
The best way to move forward is to have a consult with a Gemm Learning team member – to have your questions answered and to find out if your child is a candidate for our program.
“First, we noticed that he was participating in family conversations when he used to tune out because it was too hard to follow and he was picking up on subtleties in a way he never did before. But now, after doing your Summer Intensive (for two months), he has made stronger gains than he made in three years of (special ed classes). I am not saying that the special ed class was inferior, it was just not equipped to address an auditory processing disorder and Fast ForWord has done this. Thank you again for being accessible whenever we have questions. This is a dream come true for us.”
FREE ASSESSMENT
Online reading test
“I know that Brian has progressed so far as a result of your wonderful program. His reading and comprehension ability has grown so much. Best of all is his self confidence level, and his ability and want to engage in conversation with anyone who will give him the time of day, has really grown. Your program is fantastic.”