Independent Fast ForWord Research

Fast ForWord results are backed by:

• 300+ research and efficacy studies by universities and school districts
• 55 patents in neuroscience and eduction
• 700 white papers and
• extensive media coverage.

When we are asked, is the Fast ForWord research real?  The question here of course is really, does Fast ForWord work as the trials seem to indicate?  We can answer that in our experience, we see success — sometimes dramatic, sometimes incremental — in at least 80% of cases. This success rates pushes even higher when excluding students who do not stick to our 4-5 day a week, 30-minutes-a-day protocol.

Note, because Fast ForWord works at a deep-seated fundamental level, it can also impact social skills and confidence.

Documented Gains

Our clients consistently average gains of 1 to 2 grades in reading and comprehension in 6-8 weeks, 2 to 4 grades of gain in 6-8 months, our average treatment period.

Longer term, the Fast ForWord research results are even more compelling. For instance, this longitudinal IQ chart from a school district in the Southeast which shows how Fast ForWord accelerates learning well after the program completion because it removes the cognitive impediments to progress.

Note, although true IQ is fixed, new research on working memory and IQ suggests that tested IQ can change. This may be because program like Fast ForWord improve the working memory input into IQ or because they lift IQ test taking skills.

Note also, Fast ForWord has been shown to improve writing scores (OWLS is Oral & Writing Language Scale) as shown in this 2010 study of 80 6th graders who worked on Fast ForWord for 9 weeks. Fast ForWord helps writing by improving reading and language familiarity as well as providing several exercise that help with sentence development and applying grammar rules.

Here is a downloadable pdf of Empirical Evidence that summarizes the major Fast ForWord studies. We can also send you a 182 page PDF of the many other Fast ForWord research studies and white papers or we can recent articles on Fast ForWord  by request here.  There have been important studies at Stamford and Harvard investigating Fast ForWord to treat dyslexia, and studies of the efficacy of Fast ForWord for auditory processing disorder as reported in as reported at Science Direct and Springer Link. In all cases, there research on Fast ForWord supports the outcomes predicted by the science.

15+ Years of Scrutiny

Fast ForWord makes bold claims: dramatic and enduring gains in just a few months. Consequently, it has received a lot of scrutiny over the years, the question always being “does Fast ForWord work?” Skeptics worry that Fast ForWord research results are biased since so many are only on the company website. But these schools and universities who did these studies stand behind the findings. They have no motivation to report inaccurate results.

Respected school superintendent, Paul Vallas, considers Fast ForWord one of his secret weapons. He credits Fast ForWord for playing a big role in his turnaround of the Philadelphia school district. When considering Fast ForWord keep these factors in mind:

• Fast ForWord is more popular than ever. After 15 years, there has been ample opportunity for a reputation to be made or broken. Its current popularity can mean only one thing — it works.
• fMRI’s don’t lie. So far, every post fMRI scan done involving Fast ForWord has shown new neural activity, new learning capability.
• Sophisticated design. Fast ForWord’s success is no fluke. It was painstakingly designed and tested over a period of thirty years by four of the world’s leading neuroscientists.
• Our results. Our 96% client satisfaction rate is partly due to our service, but speaks mainly to the power of this amazing software.

While people often ask if Fast ForWord really works, a better question is, will Fast ForWord work for my child? Every case is a little different and the presence of limiting factors, beyond the cognitive glitches worked on by Fast ForWord always present a risk. It is the presence of these limiting factors that makes our overall Fast ForWord outcomes all the more amazing.

Response to Detractors

Of course, with a program like Fast ForWord, which is so different to everything else out there and which makes such bold claims – such as creating new neural pathways with every student, in every session – there are detractors. Here are the most famous two:

1. Study #1. A Princeton Economics professor ran a Fast ForWord research trial that included students who did not meet compliance requirements. This is akin to concluding gyms are ineffective using a sample of members that never go. Her goal from the outset was not to answer the question, does Fast ForWord work, but rather to try to show Fast ForWord does not work and to use that as a cornerstone for her theory that more educational software in schools is not improving outcomes.
More info on negative Fast ForWord reviews

2. Study #2. For Ron Gillam, a University of Texas professor, Fast ForWord is an obstacle to his theories that auditory processing does not undermine learning. His study, also with suspect compliance, grudgingly concludes that Fast ForWord does work as well as one-on-one therapy.

Gifted and Talented

All children have the opportunity to benefit from mental exercise. It creates efficiencies that free up brain capacity for higher level thinking and understanding.

This gifted 6th grade class made material gains primarily in subjects that require higher level thinking, such as science.

Your Next Step

Seeing is believing. If you are wondering, does Fast ForWord really work, request our 182-page compilation of results or call to speak to a specialist to find out if your child is a candidate for Fast ForWord.