Improve Memory, Attention, Processing and Sequencing
with Fast ForWord® Software
Our online learning software differs from other tutoring approaches.
Are you concerned about someone who has poor academic skills? We use Fast ForWord software to provide online treatment that changes the brain. It is a highly effective intervention for underlying difficulties with cognitive skills that impact learning.
Four Key Cognitive Skills
We all need four key cognitive skills for effective learning. They are: memory, attention, processing, and sequencing.
Here are some behaviours you might notice in a person who is weak in these skills:
Memory
An adult tells a child, "Colour the apples red, the tulips yellow, and the cats black." A child with poor working memory may only remember the first colour.
You instruct your teenager, “Put your backpack upstairs, bring down your laundry, start the washing machine and don't forget to clean up after your snack.” A teenager with a poor working memory won't be able to remember all those details.
Attention
Imagine that you are a classroom teacher. Instead of paying attention to you, your student might be watching what another student is doing. Perhaps this student noticed a noise coming from the other side of the classroom. You may find that your student is wasting a lot of time focusing on small distractions that the other kids can easily ignore.
Processing
Your teenager may misinterpret visual cues like facial expressions and gestures. This could be a sign of poor visual processing skills.
Your child might be reluctant to answer your questions. This could be due to poor auditory processing skills. It might be hard for your child to accurately notice the difference between sounds. A child with processing difficulties might be busy trying to figure out what you asked. It might be impossible for your child to answer you quickly.
Sequencing
People with weak sequencing skills may not be able to retell a story in a logical sequence.
Why are these cognitive skills important for learning?
Memory: Working memory allows us to remember information, an essential building block of learning. Without good recall, students will struggle in the classroom.
Attention: Learners must be able to listen to and understand information for learning to occur. Without strong attention skills, a learner's school success will be adversely affected.
Processing: Visual and auditory processing allow us to understand and put meaning to information we see or hear. People will struggle with math, handwriting, reading and comprehension if their processing ability is weak.
Sequencing: Our brain has to arrange information in the right order quickly. Learners need this skill to alphabetize, count, and organise information.
You can Train these Cognitive Skills with Fast ForWord® Online
Children and teens will have a difficult time in school if one or more of these cognitive skills is deficient.
Fast ForWord is the only scientifically designed and proven intervention that targets memory, attention, processing, and sequencing, all within every training session.
Fast ForWord® Online Service from Neuroplan
- You get unlimited access to a custom protocol of online exercises in a game format. We give you access to clinical programs that are not sold to the public
- You get weekly progress reports.
- You get unlimited consultation by webcam, phone and email from Anna Krueger, a speech language pathologist and a reading specialist. Talk to a qualified professional, no matter where you live.
- You get free re-testing in 12 months. Don't just take our word for it. See the proof for yourself!
Common Funding Sources
- Extended health insurance from an employee benefits plan. Check if you have coverage for speech language pathology services.
- Tax deductible as a medical expense.
Fast ForWord Programs for Primary Students
Young children enjoy playing games to improve their reading skills:
- Minimum of 30 minutes a day.
- Improve phonemic awareness and language comprehension.
- Programs: Fast ForWord Reading Readiness, Fast ForWord Foundations I, Reading Level 1.
At Neuroplan, we tell kids that Fast ForWord wakes up their ears. It gets their brains ready to work at top speed during listening tasks.
Often these kids have had their hearing tested and the results have been normal. This can be surprising to the teachers and parents who know them. These kids are such poor listeners that the adults are often sure there is a hearing problem.
A hearing test is a low level brain task. It basically asks, “Did you hear a beep?” A basic hearing test does not tell you much about auditory processing. It doesn’t tell you if the person can interpret incoming speech sounds and map meaning onto these sounds.
Some children have auditory processing deficits. They simply can’t interpret speech sounds quickly and they end up guessing and making mistakes when they are trying to figure out the meaning. These kids have auditory processing difficulties rather than a hearing loss.
The good news is that Fast ForWord has been scientifically proven. It is an effective treatment that gets to the root of the problem.
Cognitive Skills are the Foundation
Comprehending language is a high level brain task. Language is the crucial foundation for literacy development.
Students require a strong memory, excellent attention, fast processing and accurate sequencing in order to succeed with academics. They must be able to hear differences between speech sounds because this changes the meaning (e.g. “peas” versus “peace”). They need the ability to match speech sounds to alphabet letters quickly and accurately.
All these cognitive skills help students succeed at listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Fast ForWord Programs for Intermediate Students
Struggling readers work on underlying brain skills before working on literacy skills:
- From 30 to 60 minutes a day.
- Customized help for deficits in memory, attention, processing speed and sequencing.
- Programs: Fast ForWord Foundations I, Fast ForWord Foundations II, Fast ForWord Reading Level 2 and Fast ForWord Reading Level 3.
Fast ForWord Programs for Adolescent Learners
Teens and adults acquire the literacy skills needed to read and comprehend challenging materials:
- From 30 to 90 minutes a day.
- Graphics in the games are age-appropriate.
- Programs: Fast ForWord Elements I, Fast ForWord Elements II, Fast ForWord Reading Level 3.
Often older students get discouraged when they are asked to use intervention methods that look childish. The Fast ForWord ELEMENTS Series has age-appropriate graphics.
Elements was designed to promote key aspects of mastery-based learning. For more information, visit the Scientific Learning site:
There are many causes of reading difficulties in this age group. For some, the problems have been present since childhood because of a learning disability, dyslexia or attention difficulties. Some people don’t get the chance to develop their literacy skills during childhood because of poor access to education.
At Neuroplan Treatment Services, we have used these programs to improve the language and literacy skills of people who have attention deficits, learning disabilities, dyslexia, auditory processing disorders, and autism. We have also been successful in using these programs for rehabilitation of aphasia and other types of acquired brain injuries.