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  1. How does Fast ForWord improve cognitive skills?
  2. What results has Fast ForWord achieved?
  3. Who should use Fast ForWord Language ® software?
  4. Why does Fast ForWord Language software work?
  5. What are the benefits for students who use Fast ForWord Language software?
  6. What are the Fast ForWord Language © exercises like?
  7. What kind of results have students had with Fast ForWord Language software?
  8. Can you give me a summary of what each Fast ForWord © product does?
  9. What is the Fast ForWord © products series?
  10. What assessment tests do you normally recommend?
  11. Do students maintain their gains over a longer period of time?
  12. What are Learning MAPS?
  13. What is the Fast Power Learning Formula?
  14. What research has been done on Fast ForWord ©?
  15. How can children with dyslexia benefit from Fast ForWord?
  16. Who are Scientific Learning Inc?

  1. How does Fast ForWord improve cognitive skills?

    FAST !

    We incorporate the key areas of Frequency and Intensity, Adaptivity, Simultaneous development, and Timely motivation that are proven learning techniques to effect change based on decades of neuroscience research.


    Frequency And Intensity

    Brain plasticity research demonstrates that completing a set of learning tasks in a frequent, intense timeframe accelerates learning.
    Adaptivity


    Our interactive exercises automatically adapt to an individuals skill levels and responses, adjusting the learners content exposure and targeting correct responses approximately 80% of the time, which maintains challenge and motivates success.
    Simultaneous Development


    Our exercises develop major cognitive and reading skills simultaneously to ensure enduring improvements in learning. Each exercise focuses on a specific set of reading or language tasks and simultaneously develops underlying cognitive processes such as memory, attention and processing.
    Timely Motivation


    For the brain to learn, students must be active, attentive and engaged. Rewards are provided on the first attempt only, a proven neuroscience motivation technique.

  2. What results has Fast ForWord achieved?

    The results of the Fast ForWord products have been documented in one of the largest databases of results in education. A combination of independent, published and peer reviewed studies along with extensive work by the founding neuroscientists on the impact of the work have confirmed remarkable enduring results.

    There is a consistent track record of showing significant improvements in essential reading skills in a wide variety of student groups. Additionally students who use Fast ForWord products showed significant improvements relative to comparison groups.

    Fast ForWord has demonstrated its effectiveness in standardised achievement tests, measures of multiple reading skills, and with students of differing ages and abilities.

    A recent peer-to-peer review authored by scientists in Stanford University provided additional evidence that the Fast ForWord approach is effective in improving reading skills as demonstrated through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and student performance in reading assessments. In addition educators and family members report that students who use Fast ForWord products often show improved academic success, as well as new self-confidence, higher self-esteem, improved attention skills and reduced behaviour problems.

  3. Who should use Fast ForWord Language ® software?

    Fast ForWord Language software is for students who are struggling with reading and need to
    need to develop the pre-reading and language skills for successful learning.

    In clinical terms what children can benefit from Fast ForWord ®

    Generally, children who benefit from Fast ForWord ® products are, six years old or older, one standard deviation behind in language skills and/or speech-sound discrimination skills and/or Reading decoding or comprehension skills and/or exhibit auditory processing disturbances and/or are trying to learn English as a second language. Fast ForWord Language ® is wonderful for building speech-sound discrimination, processing speed, language comprehension and working memory skills.

  4. Why does Fast ForWord Language software work?

    We combine patented technology with over 30 years of research on how the brain learns, to create the Fast ForWord Language ® exercises that develop the brain's ability to learn better and faster. Each exercise efficiently targets and develops the cognitive skills needed for successful reading and learning.
    A student will work on over 50,000 exercises during the course, which provide the frequency, intensity and repetition essential to develop their reading and learning abilities.

  5. What are the benefits for students who use Fast ForWord Language software?

    Fast ForWord Language ® builds fundamental cognitive skillsLearning MAPs
    in the context of key language and reading skills, including listening accuracy, phonological awareness and language structures.

  6. What are the Fast ForWord Language © exercises like?

    Phonic Words: In this word-identification exercise, participants hear a word and identify
    the matching picture to improve sound processing and word recognition skills.

    Language Comprehension Builder: Students build language comprehension skills as they see four pictures depicting action and must match a spoken sentence with the correct picture.

    Circus Sequence: Under the Big Top, students differentiate between short tones to improve
    the sequencing, sound processing and working memory skills crucial for fluent reading.

    Other Fast ForWord Language exercises include: Phonic Match, Phoneme Identification, Block Commander, and Old MacDonald's Flying Farm.

  7. What kind of results have students had with Fast ForWord Language software?

    Studies have shown that Fast ForWord products can quickly move students toward their peer
    level in essential reading skills, helping them achieve gains in as little as 4 - 12 weeks.

  8. Can you give me a summary of what each Fast ForWord © product does?

    Fast ForWord Language® is wonderful for building speech-sound discrimination, processing speed, language comprehension and working memory skills.

    Language to Reading ® begins the process of building sound-letter correspondence.

    The Fast ForWord Reading ® series continues to build working memory, attention, and processing skills in the context of grade level reading and spelling activities.

  9. What is the Fast ForWord © products series?

    Our reading intervention courses are designed to simultaneously develop language skills and a student's cognitive abilities.
    Fast ForWord Language ®


    Our first course provides the essential foundations of reading.

    It builds fundamental cognitive skills of memory, attention, processing and sequencing (Learning MAPs ©) in the context of key language and reading skills, including listening accuracy.

    It develops phonemic awareness by improving auditory discrimination and letter and word recognition skills. It helps students identify specific phonemes.

    It improves phonological awareness and language structures.

    It enhances vocabulary by helping students differentiate between similar sounding words. It improves skills in work meaning, oral language, listening comprehension, and the ability to follow directions. It also develops syntax and morphology skills.

    It fosters fluency and comprehension by developing listening comprehension and the ability to follow directions, while developing memory to store background information.
    Fast ForWord Middle & High ®


    This is similar to Fast ForWord Language ®, but with graphics tailored to older students. The age appropriate contexts build fundamental cognitive skills of memory, attention, processing and sequencing (Learning MAPs ®) in the context of key reading skills such as phonological fluency and language structures.
    Fast ForWord Language to Reading ®


    This builds on the cognitive and language skills addressed in Fast ForWord Language ® and Fast ForWord Middle & High®.

    It continues to improve the key cognitive skills (Learning MAPs ®) through exercises focused on auditory recognition, sound-letter comprehension, phoneme awareness phonological awareness, beginning word recognition and English language conventions including left to right tracking skills. It develops associations between words and their written representations.
    Fast ForWord to Reading Series ®


    These provide a sequenced learning environment that advances the key cognitive skills (Learning MAPs) in the context of sequentially appropriate reading skills.

    It targets phonics by developing basic spelling patterns, automatic word recognition, letter-sound correspondences and decoding.

    A student will increase their phonemic awareness by developing sensitivity to letter-sound correspondences.

    It continues to expand vocabulary through decoding, synonyms, antonyms, homophones and automatic word recognition, paragraph comprehension, cause and effect reasoning and flexible reading. It focuses on syntax and working memory.

    It enhances fluency with sentence comprehension, developing syntax, working memory, logical reasoning and vocabulary

    It develops comprehension by practicing syntax and working memory skills with both simple and complex sentences. As well as developing skills such as reading for meaning, remembering facts, making connections and drawing inferences.

    Currently we offer Fast ForWord to Reading 1 - 4 ® with another two modules in development.


    What are the typical course schedules?

    Students using Fast ForWord Language software follow one of three intensive schedules:

    1. 50 minutes each day, five days a week, for 8 - 12 weeks OR
    2. 75 minutes each day, five days a week, for 6 - 10 weeks OR
    3. 100 minutes each day, five days a week, for 4 - 8 weeks

    By following either the 50-Minute Protocol, or the 75-Minute Protocol, or the 100-Minute Protocol, students can achieve maximum success.

  10. What assessment tests do you normally recommend?

    We usually use the CELF or TOLD for language testing, the GFW for speech-sound discrimination testing, the SCAN or similar instrument to screen for auditory processing disorders, and the Woodcock-Johnson for Reading.

  11. Do students maintain their gains over a longer period of time?

    Yes students do retain the gains and indeed continue to improve after using Fast ForWord.

    As an example in one research study, a group of students made significant gains in their vocabulary skills and overall language skills and maintained these improvements for up to one year after using the Fast ForWord Language product.

  12. What are Learning MAPS?

    Learning Maps are: Memory, Attention, Processing and Sequencing. These are essential cognitive processes that a student needs for reading and learning.


    Examples in Fast ForWord ® products include:

    MEMORY Improves the ability to retain information both short and long term. This is essential for word recognition, comprehension of complex sentences, and remembering instruction.

    ATTENTION Enhances the ability to focus on multiple tasks and ignore distractions

    PROCESSING Allows you to see, analyze and discriminate images and sounds quickly
    enough to discriminate their differences; a prerequisite for phonemic awareness and reading

    SEQUENCING This is a cognitive skill that relies on memory, attention and processing and is essential for phonics, word fluency, reading and oral comprehension. Sequencing places information in a logical order which in turn allows for improved memory attention and processing

  13. What is the Fast Power Learning Formula?

    We incorporate the key areas of Frequency and Intensity, Adaptivity, Simultaneous development, and Timely motivation that are proven learning techniques based on decades of neuroscience research.

    Frequency And Intensity
    Brain plasticity research demonstrates that completing a set of learning tasks in a frequent, intense timeframe accelerates learning.

    Adaptivity
    Interactive exercises automatically adapt to individual skill levels and responses.

    Simultaneous Development
    The exercises develop major cognitive and reading skills simultaneously to ensure enduring improvements in learning.

    Timely Motivation
    We use a tiered rewards systems that are designed to maximize motivation.

  14. What research has been done on Fast ForWord ©?

    Fast ForWord has been subject to extensive research on a multitude of aspects including,
    Language processing skills, Cognitive skills and Special Education Needs.

    For a comprehensive list of research see our results section

  15. How can children with dyslexia benefit from Fast ForWord?

    Fluency is a critical factor in reading comprehension. In a study on average, students with dyslexia made greater improvements on measures of fluency compared to a control group after using the Fast ForWord Language product.

  16. Who are Scientific Learning Inc?

    Scientific Learning Inc is the developer of Fast Forward ®

    The mission of Scientific Learning is to apply advances in neuroscience and cognitive research to increase human potential. We produce unique products, tools and implementation strategies that enable people to build the fundamental cognitive skills to read and learn.