Autism
How Fast ForWord targets autism
The scientists at Fast ForWord are learning that their program is able to impact children with PDD, including Asperger's, because the errors they make in their language and reading are similar to higher functioning children, except that children on the spectrum make more of them.
Since Fast ForWord, in many cases, is able to completely resolve these errors for higher functioning children, there is hope that it should also make a real impact on children on the spectrum, if the errors are the same. Indeed, new trial results and a growing body of anecdotal evidence (including our own experience) are showing relatively consistent gains in language and some progress in reading.
Recent Trial Results
Autism Report
Done in multiple sit es, children diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) made significant gains in their oral language skills after using the Fast ForWord Language product.
One-third of the children were diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder- autism, two-thirds were diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder- not otherwise specified.
The improvements seen for the two diagnoses were similar.
"Accessing" Fast ForWord
Fast ForWord software requires a certain level of processing speed and bandwidth to be able to start exercising. Clinicians and scientists are finding that more children than expected on the spectrum have been able to start at the lowest level. This allows them to "access" the on-ramp of the program and to benefit from the "shaping" -- the tiny, incremental steps that the the brain requires to be able to change itself. If a child is able to get started, to access, Fast ForWord, the gains outlined in the chart above are indeed possible.
If you have tried Fast ForWord before and your autistic child has not been able to get started, you may want to try again. First the break can help, as brain rewiring continues after work on the program stops, but secondly, the new version, Fast ForWord Language v2 has a lower on-ramp and smaller increments of progress making it more accessible to children at all starting skill levels.
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