The effect of computer-assisted instruction for students with central auditory processing disorder using the Fast ForWord program

Central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) is a deficit in auditory perception that has been thought to be the underlying basis of many learning problems including specific reading and language disabilities. In today\u27s classrooms many of the children with CAPD have been integrated into general education settings. These children need a program that helps them cope with or even overcome their learning difficulty. A computer program, Fast ForWord has been suggested for those students. The Fast ForWord program is a computer-assisted reading program that is linked electronically to Berkeley University via the Internet. The purposes of this study were (a) to examine the effect of the Fast ForWord program in language and reading for students with CAPD; (b) to evaluate students\u27 satisfaction of using the Fast ForWord program; and (c) to evaluate the instructor\u27s satisfaction of the program. Two students with CAPD were selected for the study. Each student was given a set of tests during the baseline. During the intervention both students participated in the Fast ForWord program for 100 minutes a day, 5 days a week, for a total of 5 weeks. Each day they participated in the program. An ongoing test was used to assess their performance and correct responses were recorded at Berkeley University. Each student\u27s program was modified daily to meet his individual needs. The scores were graphed and compared to the baseline data for each student. Upon completion of the program both students and the Fast ForWord instructor were interviewed for their satisfaction with the program. Results showed that both students showed gained scores in reading and language. They enjoyed using the program, as did the instructor

An Examination of the Relationship between Students\u27 Use of the Fast ForWord Reading Program and Their Performance on Standardized Assessments in Elementary Schools.

The purpose of this study was to compare the academic achievement of students through the use of standardized testing to examine the relationship of participation in a computer-based phonics instructional system called Fast ForWord®. The sample included students enrolled in the fifth and sixth grades at four elementary schools in the Grainger County, Tennessee, school system. The comparison group consisted of same-grade peers at the four elementary schools in Grainger County who were not enrolled in the Fast ForWord® program. Students\u27 scores were compared using the 2003 Terra Nova standardized assessment test and using their 2001 and 2002 test scores as a control. Comparisons were made using the reading, language, math, science, and social studies subsections of the Terra Nova. Differences between students who received Fast ForWord® and students who did not receive Fast ForWord® were analyzed. The study examined the variables of gender, school enrollment, socioeconomic status, time of intervention, and ability grouping. These variables were examined with analysis of covariance to determine differences. When differences did exist between groups, posthoc tests were used to determine specific differences between groups. The findings indicated that there were measurable differences in the performance of students who received Fast ForWord® compared to students who did not receive Fast ForWord®. Significant differences were found in reading and language subsections of the Terra Nova test for students who had participated in the Fast ForWord® reading program. The findings from the examination of other variables indicated that gender as well as gender x the intervention (Fast ForWord®) interaction were the same for females and males in their performance on the Terra Nova. The findings from the variable socioeconomic status were determined using system data for free/reduced or paid meals. The study determined that socioeconomic status did not significantly affect scores of students including the socioeconomic status x the intervention interaction. The study did determine differences in students\u27 performance among schools attended. The study found some differences for intervention administration times and among ability groups. Posthoc tests were performed to determine which groups were different

The Impact of Fast ForWord on MCT Scores and Student Achievement

Educators today were concerned with how the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 dealt with the improvement of education throughout the United States. Schools should have put forth a greater effort and reduced the achievement gap between different groups of students based on race, gender, special education status, and if that student was economically disadvantaged. A problem was identified as low student MCT scores in the state of Mississippi. A tutorial method that claimed to help improve students in the areas of reading and language was identified as Fast ForWord. This study set out to find if there was a significant improvement in student Mississippi Curriculum Test (MCT) reading and language scores after students completed the computer based program Fast ForWord. This study also set out to find if the teachers, teacher assistants, parents and administrators had a positive perception by about the Fast ForWord program. In other words did they feel the program improved student MCT reading and language scores? A sample of two hundred fifty one students was utilized in this study. A sample of one hundred four educators and parents was utilized in this study also. The survey measured the perception that educators and parents had about the Fast ForWord program. The instrument measured the academic gain or loss by students in grades six through eight who had successfully completed the Fast ForWord program. The survey data was examined by reviewing all the variables in the descriptive statistics. The study found that administrators had a higher level of confidence than any of the other groups of educators or the parents. A paired samples t-test was used to compare the MCT reading and language scores before and after completing the Fast ForWord program. The finding was not positive so the researcher ran a Pearson Chi-Square test to find out exactly how many students improved, stayed the same, or decreased their MCT reading or language score. The finding was that the majority of students either remained at the same level of proficiency or dropped a level of proficiency after completing the Fast ForWord

Comparison study of the reading achievement of students who have participated in the Fast ForWord program with students who have not participated in the program

The purpose of this study was to determine whether participation in the Fast ForWord Reading Program had an effect on reading achievement. Fast ForWord is a computer-based program that utilizes a CD-ROM as well as the Internet to enable students to learn and practice skills that are critical to language comprehension and reading development. According to Scientific Learning, the developer of the Fast ForWord Program, 40% of students need to improve their reading skills. Therefore, Scientific Learning developed a computer program that can alter speech sounds, enabling students to differentiate between phonemes, increase language skills, increase phonological awareness, expand working memory, increase processing speed, improve grammar, improve syntax, and improve sequencing. This study evaluated the reading progress of two groups. The first group consisted of thirty-three classified students in the first through sixth grades that participated in an eight-week summer Fast ForWord Program. The second group contained twenty-six students in the second through sixth grades who did not attend the program. The students were pre tested and post tested, using the Broad Reading Component of the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery. The data showed that groups were not equivalent at the beginning of the study, and therefore, the influence of the Fast ForWord training as a treatment to correct reading delays could not be unequivocally determined

Developmental dyslexia: specific phonological deficit or general sensorimotor dysfunction?

Dyslexia research is now facing an intriguing paradox: it is becoming increasingly clear that a significant proportion of dyslexics present sensory and motor deficits; however, as this “sensorimotor syndrome” is being studied in greater detail, it is also becoming increasingly clear that sensory and motor deficits will play only a limited role in a general causal explanation of specific reading disability

Intervention for mixed receptive-expressive language impairment : a review

Children with receptive-expressive language impairment (RELI), also referred to as 'receptive language disorder' or 'mixed receptive-expressive disorder',2 form a subset of those with speech, language, and communication needs who commonly have problems understanding both spoken and written language; they have particular difficulties in comprehending vocabulary and grammar and inferring meaning. They will have problems with expressive language and some will also have difficulties in pragmatics, i.e. the use of language in social contexts