Ever since our first IEP, our number one and continuing goal was to teach Matthew to read.
(Looking back, social skills should have come in first with reading second).
“Why don’t you try Hooked on Phonics?” my mother suggested when Matthew was in Kindergarten.
They had a heavy duty ad campaign going at the time that was hard to ignore, but we were spending so much money on speech therapy, psychotherapy, and auditory training (just to name a few)that we were reluctant to commit to something else, so my parents bought it for us. I can still hear the program in my head.
“A!”chuga-chuga-chuga, “B!” duh, DA, ta-da “C!”…
Matthew’s younger brother, who was three at the time,caught on to the program quickly, while Matthew perseverated on the music and little else. I heard other parents rave about Lindamood Bell but decided on trying a private reading tutor instead. In the end, the Edmark reading program was what worked best for Matthew initially.
As parents of children with children with autism and learning disabilities know, sometimes you have to try several methods before you find one that clicks with your child.
My friend Karen swears by Fast ForWord for her son, Brian, who like Matthew, has autism. Brian is 14 and has been taking the program from Lili Kopas, a Fast Forword provider in Lafayette, for the last two summers, and his reading level has advanced 4 grade levels.
Audiologist Demitra Loomis recommended the program for Brian after an evaluation showed that when reading or listening, he was able to get the first part of the word but not the last. Loomis recommends the Fast ForWord program for students with this specific deficit.
The program was developed by Scientific Learning Company and uses computer based materials that work on the areas of the brain that involve memory, attention, processing and sequencing. The intensive program has been successful for children with dyslexia and various auditory processing issues.
“Brain plasticity research demonstrates that completing learning tasks in a frequent, intense time frame accelerates learning. The Fast ForWord program is based on these neuroscience principles.” Scientific Learning
“Brain plasticity research demonstrates that completing learning tasks in a frequent, intense time frame accelerates learning. The Fast ForWord program is based on these neuroscience principles.”
GO HERE to learn more about the program, or contact Lili Kopas at email@example.com.
For information about Lindamood Bell GO HERE.
Has your child has challenges learning to read? What has worked for you?
BAY AREA LEGENDS, JOHN MADDEN AND STEVE MARIUCCI HOST 12th ANNUAL “BATTLE OF THE BAY” CHARITY BOCCE TOURNAMENT
Next Wednesday June 2.
Easter Seals Bay Area Named as
One of Four 2010 Tournament Beneficiaries