Frequently Asked Questions
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 individual’ skill levels and responses, adjusting the learner’s 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.
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.
For more information, please see the results tab.
Who should use Fast ForWord software?
All students can benefit from these unique, specially designed mental aerobics. Participants develop faster and more refined brain activity that allows them to discriminate, process, and retain information more effectively. This leads to improved academic performance, enhanced self esteem and more motivation for learning, and better organisational skills. Fast ForWord programmes have been used by over one million students worldwide and have been shown to instigate significant and lasting learning boosts for:
Underperforming students
For those students who are not achieving their optimal potential at school,or who are struggling to read, Fast ForWord brain training provides a learning boost which has been shown to result in improved school results and in-class behaviour.
Individuals with diagnosed conditions
Fast ForWord is a proven intervention for individuals with a range of diagnosed conditions, including:
- Auditory Processing Disorder
- Dyslexia
- Dyspraxia Receptive & expressive language Disorders
- ADD/ADHD – Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder
- Autism/Asperger’s Syndrome
English as a Second Language (ESL)
With its ability to address and improve core language skills, Fast ForWord is a particularly effective tool for ESL students. ESL students who have completed Fast ForWord have demonstrated improvements in both English and first language skills.
Average to advanced students
All students, even those who are performing well at school, can improve their brain processing speed and effectiveness through the use of the Fast ForWord programmes.
Why does Fast ForWord work?
We combine patented technology with over 30 years of research on how the brain learns, to create the Fast ForWord 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 35,000 repetitions during the course, which provide the frequency, intensity and repetition essential to develop their reading and learning abilities.
What are the benefits for students who use Fast ForWord?
Fast ForWord builds fundamental cognitive skills in the context of key language and reading skills, including listening accuracy, phonological awareness and language structures.
What kind of results have students had with Fast ForWord software?
Studies have shown that Fast ForWord products can help students achieve on average, 1½ to 2 year learning gains in memory, attention, auditory processing, sequencing and reading skills following only 8 to 12 weeks of Fast ForWord training. More than just a tutoring programme, Fast ForWord can improve students’ ability to follow instructions, organise themselves, read, spell, comprehend, concentrate in a noisy classroom, participate in conversations, enjoy school and have confidence in their ability to learn. Fast ForWord is also a proven tool for developing English Language skills for ESL students.
Can you give me a summary of what each Fast ForWord product does?
Fast ForWord Language v is wonderful for building speech-sound discrimination, processing speed, language comprehension and working memory skills. Fast ForWord Language to Reading v2 begins the process of building sound-letter correspondence. The Fast ForWord Reading series builds cognitive skills and continues to build working memory, attention, and processing skills in the context of grade level reading and spelling activities.
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 v2
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 word 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 Literacy
This is similar to Fast ForWord Language v2, but with graphics tailored to older students. The age appropriate contents 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 v2 and Fast ForWord Literacy Advanced. These build on the cognitive and language skills addressed in Fast ForWord Language v2 and Fast ForWord Literacy. They continue 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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.