Almost a Year Later for Fast ForWord

I have to still say that Fast ForWord is the best thing that has happened to my family!  And its rewards have been doing their 'thang for almost a year :)  My DD is still going strong and she hasn't lost any of her gains made from the program.

When issues of reading concerns come up in conversations, I always ask if they have considered this program. Unfortunately, not many people are familiar with it so I refer them to the BrainPro website and tell them to search for my blog about the process if they are interested.  Sometimes I'm curious if anyone uses the program after our conversation so if this blog has been helpful to you in your choice of programming, I would love a comment below! :)

Overall, I'd say that the biggest improvement is in her ability to learn something new in a timely manner.  I no longer need to purchase 5-7 different text and work textbooks that cover the same material 5-7 different ways for the sheer repetition of it. She has only 1 math textbook, which is now at grade level!, and she can comprehend the new information as it is introduced and reviewed in just one program.  She has only 1 cursive workbook, 1 phonics workbook, and only 1 spelling workbook!  More importantly, she is able to handle her workload without the added emotional stress of "I can'ts."  We can progress through her curriculum at a good pace, without needing to take calming breaks, relearning episodes, or intense scaffolding.  This all leads to her ability to feel competent in her work and, interestingly enough, responsible for her education.

This may seem like small stuff and you may think I'm over crediting the program, but if you were to really know where we were for YEARS before the tremendous gains from Fast ForWord, the program's impact speaks for itself.  Reread my last paragraph without the improvements and you may get a glimpse of how difficult things were for her, for me as a parent and teacher.  We are truly thankful :)

(March 24, 2014)

Fast ForWord® for Us!

My daughter is dyslexic and also struggles with hearing sounds.  The combination of the two issues have created much heartache and learning complications for both my daughter and myself.   For the past two and a half years, I have been using various reading intervention programs, auditory programs, spelling programs, and implementing researched strategies.

At this point, she is at a pivotal point in her education: we can continue with these strategies and fall slowly behind or we can jump forward using a proven brain training program that goes behind the scenes where I cannot go easily.  I have chosen to dish out the cash now (it is not cheap) instead of a slow and steady stream throughout her education in remediation curriculum.

I have not come to this decision lightly as it costs more than one month of my mortgage!  However, four months of intense training will have huge payoffs immediately.  Part of the responsibility of homeschooling is in making decisions like these.  In conversation some have said to me that if she were in public school, there would be no cost.  On the contrary, there would be no progress.

Last year I took her in to the public school to be tested for various learning issues.  The results from three days of testing clearly show all of the "symptoms" of dyslexia and poor working memory, however, the Board's decision was that she is within normal learning levels.  I'm sure it would be different once she was enrolled in the school since school funding is greatly increased per labeled child.  She is seven and can not read, can not hear the sounds of short e, short i, b, d, and only hears parts of conversations while relying on context and visual cues.  Lessons in reading, spelling, and math take excessive repetition to acquire a skill base.  When talking with parents with children on the Spectrum, they instinctively recognize traits of their own children's struggles in her.

After much research, I had narrowed down my options to two programs: Earobics and FastForward.  Due to financial constraints, I chose Earobics and have witnessed slow but steady results for my daughter.  Sadly, she is still falling behind because during this time period, a "normal" child develops quite rapidly and she just cannot keep up.  Since that time, I have used Earobics with two other children and seen great results with the oldest one and slight improvement with the middle aged one.  All three are receiving intensive reading and phonics tutoring, which verifies the impact that developmental stages can have on mastery learning.

I have come across documented case studies and statistics on the program Fast ForWord® in multiple research texts and online over the past three years.  While online reviews indicated a lack of success, these reviewers also admitted an a la carte approach to the program where individuals were not fully following the program due to time demands.  These reviews were all done on school usage.   Despite this, a small posted comment by a mother of three restored my hope.  She very simply stated that if the reviewer had actually completed the program correctly, it would match her son's results.  She said that she would pay even more money for this program it was that beneficial.  

The Customer Service department is very personable and provide plenty of support.  I found it weird to be talking to someone who understood Auditory Processing Disorders and the like and had a personal testimony about a child like mine. She was not pushy, just knowledgeable.  The FastForward online program we are using is called BrainPro and before you start, you must choose an available Consultant who will work with you throughout the program.  They even match your time zones for phone calls!  All of the Consultants bios were extremely impressive and thorough.

Even before I paid my dues upfront, the BrainPro Representative walked me through all of the screens I would be using online, gave me details on the starting games for my daughter, and logged me in.  

First Use:

My daughter eagerly sat with her headphones on and intently watched the screen.  I later read that I should have a dual headphone jack so I could listen in also; This is needed!  I kept distracting my daughter by yelling loudly so she could hear me ask "DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE DIRECTIONS?" She would nod.  I would ask again because it looked like she was doing nothing.  Finally, she said, without glancing away, "Mom, this is hard! I'm trying to listen!"  She gets it ;)

Several times during the three games, which took 30 minutes, she asked if she could stop.  I'd encourage her and she would resume.  After it was all done, she then asked if she could do it all over again!  (I knew my daughter would ask me this and so I had previously asked the Representative if that was possible.  She said she'd have to ask the Consultant I chose!)

Day One: Success!