Fast ForWordHow Does it Change the Brain?

Anna E. Krueger, Certified Speech-Language Pathologist

Director of Neuroplan Treatment Services

www.neuroplan.ca

®

Fast ForWord is software that changes the brain.

It strengthens the brain skills needed for listening, speaking,

reading and writing.

Who needs Fast ForWord?

Fast ForWord can help people who…• Misunderstand what they hear• Request that information be repeated• Give slow or delayed responses• Use only a few descriptive words when

speaking• Seem reluctant to engage in conversations• Have difficulty reconstructing events in the

appropriate order

Who needs Fast ForWord?

Fast ForWord can help people who…• Have difficulty remembering/following oral

instructions• Have difficulty with ambiguous language or

idioms• Have difficulty with spelling and writing in

English• Have difficulty passing SAT exams• Have difficulty finding employment because

of limited English-language skills

We inherit a wiring diagram for our brain. Some brains are less efficient at learning.

Events that Damage the Brain can also make the Brain Less Efficient at Learning

• During Pregnancy– Drugs, smoking,

toxemia, diseases– Exposure to

radiation, toxins– Prematurity– Complicated

delivery

• After Birth– Brain injury– Toxins from the

environment or the intestinal process

– Ear infections– Poor nutrition– Allergies– Stroke, Neurological

Disease

We know that

people who can process speech sounds quickly can learn quickly and easily.

Some People Can’t Process Sounds Quickly

• Can’t process the sounds of language well• Confusion between similar sounds: “shoe,

chew, Sue, zoo, two, do”• Poor ability to understand directions and

sustain attention• Poor ability to link sounds to letters,

resulting in reading impairments

Categorization of Speech Sounds Starts During Infancy and Results in a Brain Map

Acquired and Inherited Problems Interfere with Auditory Mapping in the Brain

• Genetics: Inherited “wiring diagram” is disorganized.

• Transient hearing loss because of allergies and congestion makes it hard to analyze and remember sounds.

• Neuro-immune disorders result in reduced blood flow to the temporal lobe.

• Toxins, injuries, diseases and aging impair brain function.

The Result

The brain map for the

sounds of the language is

disorganized and inefficient.

Research has shown us that the brain can repair and improve.

.

Fast ForWord starts with English-language listening games that are similar to the listening that a healthy

infant does in learning a first language.

Children using Fast ForWord may need an adult facilitator to

help them get started.

Children Quickly Become Independent

in Using Fast ForWord

How does Fast ForWord Change the Brain?

By repairing brain-based perceptual deficits,

Fast ForWord treatment results in an organized, efficient brain map for the speech sounds of language.

In research studies, children with poor auditory processing couldn’t hear the

difference between BA and DA.

Consonants

4000

3000

2000

1000

0

4000

3000

2000

1000

00 40 250

Fre

qu

en

cy

(H

z)/ba/ /da/

Time (msec)

0 40 250

Normal speech is too fast for some people. The consonants are only 40 msec.

Consonants

4000

3000

2000

1000

0

4000

3000

2000

1000

00 40 250

Fre

qu

en

cy

(H

z)/ba/ /da/

Time (msec)

0 40 250

Researchers discovered that stretching the consonants to 80 msec...

Time (msec)

Consonants

4000

3000

2000

1000

0

4000

3000

2000

1000

00 80 250

Fre

qu

en

cy

(H

z)

/ba/ /da/

0 80 250

...Resulted in Success!

• Children with poor auditory processing could discriminate speech sounds successfully when computer technology was used to slow down the consonants.

• We can’t do this with the human voice.

• Fast ForWord is the only software that offers this powerful intervention.

Fast ForWord uses Slow Sounds that are Easier to Detect

Natural soundscan be confused

Computer technology was used to create distinct sounds that can’t be confused.

ba da

ba da

ba da

Learners succeed with Slow Sounds and then succeed with Faster Sounds

and progress toward more natural language.

Fast ForWord clients begin with stretched

out sounds

ba da

ba da

ba da

Processing Rate ImprovesThe games all move from a slow rate to a

natural speech rate

Memory ImprovesWhich acorn said BA? Which one said DA?

Discrimination of Words Improvesthey – day shack - tack

Sequencing of Sounds ImprovesWhat did you hear first? Next?

The ability to hear syllable stress improves.

Did you notice that the meaning changes when you change the intonation?

Social Skills Improve

After treatment with Fast ForWord, it is easier to understand jokes, sarcasm and double meanings.

These improvements often result in better peer relationships.

Attention ImprovesSwing the paddle when you hear the word.

Fast ForWord Creates Improvements in Memory, Attention, Processing Rate and

Sequencing

Proven “Brain Fitness” tool• Effective – This software has positively impacted the

lives of over 2 million learners worldwide.

• Efficient - Using Fast ForWord, participants from K to post-secondary levels have realized achievement gains of one to two years in as little as 4-12 weeks.

• Enduring - Evidence of improved and sustained learning outcomes following the application of neuroscience theories may be found in the 200+ studies that have evaluated the effectiveness of Fast ForWord programs.

Fit Brains and the OptimalLearning Equation

Intensive treatment can take various forms. Most participants can finish one program in 30 hours.

• 12 weeks, five times a week for 30 min

• 12 weeks, three times a week for 50 min

Thank you for watching! Please contact me if you have any questions.

Use my website to book a phone call or free consult.

www.neuroplan.ca

Anna KruegerDirector of Neuroplan Treatment ServicesCertified Speech-Language Pathologist