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Is Fast ForWord Program Worth the Expense?
Q: My nine-year-old was diagnosed with mild auditory processing problems and ADHD, inattentive type. It was recommended that she do Fast ForWord. This is very expensive -- $3,500 in the office and $1,100 at home. Does this program work and is there a benefit to doing it in the office? I would hate to spend $3,500 for nothing. I realize it's not predictable how well she will do.
A: I think you've answered your own question. It is not predictable how well she will do. Fast ForWord has been helpful for some children and not for others. There has also been some question lately about whether results last.
There are certainly less expensive interventions that you might want to consider, for example the Lindamood-Bell program Visualizing and Verbalizing.
Go to Family Education or to LD Online to look for more information about auditory processing disorders and other options for addressing your child's needs.
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For more than 20 years, Eileen Marzola has worked with children and adults with learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders, and with their parents and teachers. She has been a regular education classroom teacher, a consultant teacher/resource teacher, an educational evaluator/diagnostician, and has also taught graduate students at the university level. Marzola is an adjunct assistant professor of education at Teachers College, Columbia University, and Hunter College of the City University of New York. She also maintains a private practice in the evaluation and teaching of children with learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders.
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