[senco-forum] any advice please

Hi Ruth and All

In recent weeks I have been engaged on some other forums more related to
Auditory Processing Disorder, and the discussion have been revolving around
naturally developed coping strategies and how and when to utilise remedial
programs in relation to children and adults who have APD and how to best
help the individual with there specific needs etc.

An offshoot of this discussion was an introduction to a new organisation set
up to provide the FastForWord Program (FFW)in the UK. FFW was the result of
research by Paula Tallall and the team at Scientific Learning, the science
is very new and progressive, neural pathways etc. When I first started
researching APD back in 1998 mainly via USA internet CAPD support forums FFW
was being mentioned as the cure for APD, and the best thing since sliced
bread. It has been established for some time now that at this point in time
and for the immediate future there is no cure for APD. FFW has been provider
based computer program and is an intensive 6 to 8 week course for about an
hour a day. In recent years it has cost some £1500 plus, in the UK, and
couple of years a go some moves were being made toward having it available
under licence on the NHS. But this seems to have permanently shelved

The new company is Neuron-Learning http://www.neuron-reading.org and they
are not highlighting FFW as a remedial program for APD, but as more as an
educational program to assist in the remediation of poor reading skills, and
they list a whole range of issues that FFW could assist.

As you may have gathered I not one of their most ardent fans, but the
program is based on some very good science, my concerns are more about their
claimed success rates, and the lack of explanation about why I does not help
all, which is more about marketing??? The new company does a more attractive
pricing structure and during my recent exchanges there was also a hint of
possible refunds if the program did not work out. So may be this company has
been set up to accommodate the USA/UK cultural differences. 

Best wishes

dolfrog

-----Original Message-----
From: senco-forum-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk
[mailto:senco-forum-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk] On Behalf Of Ruth Newbury
Sent: 02 February 2007 13:38
To: 1BECTA Senco
Subject: [senco-forum] any advice please

I now have a final diagnosis regarding my grandson's performance in school.
(This has been a very expensive proceeding!  I can only advise those of you
who think teaching is underpaid to retrain as EPs.  You can all then charge
£425 for a full assessment.  I might add that this is from the best EP that
I have ever met - and who writes an extremely readable report, that can be
understood by the uninitiated as well.)

The main areas of concern are his short-term memory, speed of written
processing, spelling, reading and maths.  Not a lot to work on is there?

He is a year six student, due for SATs in May.  I am now getting all geared
up for the software I need to buy and equipment I need to get in order to
get him sorted out.  He is quite a hard-working soul and wants to do well.
He ought to be at the top set sort of level if you look at his non-verbal
scores for example but he has a lovely zigzag profile and I am looking for
ways to work at home to improve on the low level scores which are certainly
demonstrating areas and hold him back in class when he needs to be able to
perform independently.

Looking at memory I am about to use Mastering Memory and Time to Revise from
CALSC - both brilliant pieces of software.  If you have never met either of
these pieces of software have a look at the site.  Jane Mitchell also
produces a very nice student diary guide as to how to plan your time too.

I'm about to buy an Alphasmart Neo - which comes with a Kaz keyboarding
tutor pre-installed.  I'm wondering just what typing programme most of you
would choose for a boy of this age.  He enjoys computer games involving
blood and gore or football.  Kewala springs to mind but is there anything
new out that I haven't met?  As a firm believer in bribery and corruption
I'm about to offer a cash payment for either grandson who has finished the
course and can key in without looking at the keyboard by the end of the
summer term.  He currently has a writing speed of eight words per minute,
half the expected speed for his age group so keyboarding is probably the
most essential skill he needs in order to be able to perform and a level
with his peers.

Wordshark and Numbershark are both on my list as well.  Saw the updated
versions at BETT and they both look even better than I expected.

Once I can move him onto a computer I shall produce Wordbar (from Crick)
plus a planning tool.  We've already looked at these and he finds Mind
Manager the best suited to his style of planning.

Please don't imagine that I'm going to have him working flat out on all
these every night.  I'm just looking to get ourselves geared up to work in
stages to make up the deficits as we match up what goes with home work
(twice a week-one English one maths) and what we can do for fun and what is
the additional graft!  Keyboarding is going to be the additional graft
initially - 10 minutes every night.  

What I am hoping for is advice from you.  Have I picked the software you
would choose?  What else might you be doing?

And the diagnosis of dyslexia has proved to be just what he needed.  Until
the diagnosis he just regarded himself as an inadequate student.  He now
knows that with help he can do it, and that soon he should be out to do it
by himself in he works at the right things.

And I can also say that you end up feeling very inadequate as a grandparent
that you haven't seen that your grandson is dyslexic!  The EP was kind
enough to say that all the things we have done with him since he was born
have masked his dyslexia.  Looking at his maths performance I had debated
about dyscalculia, but because I don't see him work that much I wasn't aware
of some of his problems.  As a granny I spend more time cooking with him, or
doing the fun things, than I do with the serious issues of home work!

So any advice will be gratefully received.  I'm an old dog always ready to
learn new tricks!

Regards

Ruth