Phonological Disorders / Auditory Processing Difficulties
Phonological disorders are a result of auditory processing difficulties and involve a difficulty in learning and organising all the sounds needed for clear speech, reading and spelling.
The development of a properly organised speech sound system is called phonological development.
Phonological development involves three aspects:
the way the sound is stored in the child’s mind; the way the sound is actually said by the child; and, the rules or processes that map between the two above.
Children with phonological disability do not necessarily go on to experience literacy problems, but children who still have phonological disability in the form of speech errors (especially those at the severe end of the scale) when they start school, are very much at risk for difficulties learning to read and spell. This is one reason for wanting to treat them early, at three or four years of age.
The other main reasons for treating children with phonological disability early are that it can be frustrating, socially isolating, detrimental to self-esteem and confidence, and unpleasant generally, to have speech that is difficult to understand compared with the majority of children of similar age.
In addition to offering traditional Speech and Language Therapy for auditory processing difficulties and phonological disorders we are certified providers of The Listening Program and of Fast ForWord.
The Fast ForWord family of products, developed by Scientific Learning, helps learners of all ages rapidly improve language and reading skills in just weeks instead of years.
The computer-based products combine research on how the brain learns with the latest technology to develop phonological skills. They are based on more than 30 years of brain research by world-renowned scientists Dr. Michael Merzenich of the University of California at San Francisco and member of the National Academy of Sciences, and Dr. Paula Tallal of Rutgers University. The products and the science behind them have been the subject of numerous national news articles including features in Time and Newsweek magazines, and The Wall Street Journal.
Following an intense, engaging, and individualized protocol, students using Fast ForWord make gains of 1-2 years in phonological skills in just 8-12 weeks! Students work on Fast ForWord products 30 to 100 minutes a day, five days a week for eight to twelve weeks. Each day's results are transmitted via the Internet to Scientific Learning which produces reports that LOGOS therapists use to guide a student’s progress.
"If students cannot follow directions or clearly understand what is being said to them in the classroom – an oral based learning environment – then they may find learning and the classroom experience challenging. They also may become bored, distracted and display disruptive classroom behaviour," said Dr. Steve Miller, Senior Vice President for Research at Scientific Learning. "Fast ForWord products address those language issues and establishes firmly the language-link that has been found to be fundamental to becoming a good reader and learner."
In addition to gains in language and reading skills, parents and teachers report positive changes in the classroom behavior of their students using Fast ForWord, including participating in class discussions more actively, a higher sense of self-esteem, increased enthusiasm for learning and better social interaction with their peers. To date, more than 450,000 individuals in worldwide have worked on the products with measurable results, including many in London.