Cameron didn’t like school - sound familiar?
How can you change that – especially if there is an underlying blocker to learning ?
This blog includes Part 1, 2 and 3 of Cameron’s journey from age 10 being diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) and how he has used Fast ForWord to help himself overcome the challenges of this disability, graduate from high school and start his TAFE studies.
Also included is his television interview from the Channel 7 Sunrise Program.
Yes, it is easy to see the short term improvements from using our neuroscience programs to help train the brain, but many people ask “will the improvements last”?
Cam’s journey part 1
10 years old and Cam didn’t like school. He found learning difficult. Keeping up with what the teacher was saying to the class was really hard for him.
His learning difficulty had an impact beyond his classroom.
As each year of primary school passed, Cam became more and more distressed with his inability to make friends – participating in conversations with other children was a challenge. His self-esteem was really low. He felt bad. And to top it all off he was being bullied.
His mother Deb had him assessed by an audiologist who told her that Cam had Auditory Processing Disorder (APD). That started her quest to find help for this common disability.
A neuroscience solution
Two years later she found the solution to Cam’s problems. Deb contacted LearnFast and Cam commenced the Fast ForWord program.
One of the strengths of this neuroscience based program is that it trains the brain to recognise the difference between sounds that are very close together, such as “ba” and “da”, or “va” and “fa”. Then by “re-wiring” the brain’s neural pathways, Fast ForWord makes this skill permanent for the student.
People with APD struggle to hear any difference between these (and other) sounds, and thus misunderstand spoken words. Not only does this make it difficult for people with APD to socialise and follow/participate in conversations but this disability also makes learning to read very challenging.
Removing a block to learning and building learning capacity:
The changes in Cam – his school results, his self confidence – were so dramatic that he and his mum agreed to tell their story on the Channel 7 Sunrise program in 2010. This interview covered Cam’s successes in the 2 years after he had finished 6 months of Fast ForWord exercises.
You can see the video of the Sunrise interview below, in Part 2 of Cam's journey.
Cam’s journey part 2
In Part 1 of Cam’s Journey we learnt how Cam had been finding it more difficult with each year of his primary schooling. It was really hard for him to keep up with what the teacher was saying to the class, and his self-esteem was low.
Cam’s mother, Deb explains how his distress prompted her to seek help.
“After several months of being bullied at school, aged 10, lots of crying, his teacher unable to “get through to him”, dozens of blank pages, lots of blank stares, social isolation and an inability to get to sleep or stay asleep, I finally decided to have my son assessed by an Audiologist”.
Auditory Processing Disorder
Cam was diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder (APD). This was a significant step forward for Cam and his mother, Deb, because it gave them a possible reason why Cam had been struggling at school. And it gave Deb hope of finding a solution for Cam’s learning difficulties.
That solution came in the form of a neuroscience-based set of exercises known as the Fast ForWord program. Cam started the Fast ForWord exercises and did them for six months.
Huge difference in learning ability
After just the first two months Deb noticed a positive change in Cam. She told LearnFast, “After two months on the program I noticed a huge difference in my son’s ability to grasp, retain and recall information, structure a conversation, follow instructions and at last he was able to sleep”.
The benefits of the Fast ForWord exercises continued for Cam after he had completed them.
Deb says, “By the time he was entering high school Cam had almost reached the level of his peers. Wow! Something I thought would never happen”.
Watch Cam and Deb tell their story on the Channel 7 Sunrise Program in 2010
In the part 3 of Cam’s Journey, learn what he is doing now, four years later and find out how re-wiring his brain with the neuroscience based, computer delivered exercises in Fast ForWord has contributed to his success.
Cam’s journey part 3
In Cam's Journey, Part 1 & Part 2, we met Cam when he was 10 years old, in primary school, struggling to learn, finding it hard to make friends and suffering from low self esteem.
We saw how his mum, Deb, learnt that Cam had auditory processing disorder (APD). Cam's APD meant that his brain was not able to process sounds accurately. This caused him to struggle to read which made learning difficult, and also to misunderstand spoken words, making it hard for him to join in conversations and socialise easily.
Deb was determined to find a solution for Cam.
She found the Fast ForWord program, a set of exercises based on neuroscience research. When Cam was aged 12, he did the neuroscience exercises for six months and his school results and self confidence lifted so dramatically he and Deb agreed to tell their story on the Channel 7 Sunrise program.
Cam found that the improvements in his auditory processing were maintained and since the interview on Sunrise, he has completed high school and is now studying at TAFE. He has also been learning first aid with St John Ambulance for the last 5 years and he is now a qualified First Responder.
Cam's mother Deb says, "I highly recommend the Fast ForWord program to anyone who has a child with learning difficulties as it’s the only thing that got my son through primary school and up to a level where he could enter and succeed in high school. It’s a brilliant program and should be available in all schools for students to undertake as part of their curriculum.”
A determined mother, a student committed to hard work, and support from a LearnFast Specialist
Cam’s successful journey from a struggling learner in primary school to high school graduate and TAFE student was certainly based on the changes Fast ForWord made in his brain pathways.
But the incredible software (which has earned over 80 patents for unique and innovative technology and design) could not have achieved the success for Cam without the participation of three remarkable people:
- Cameron – who as his mum says, “gave 110% dedication to the program”.
- Cam’s mum, Deb who persisted until she found the underlying cause of his problems was APD, and then spent the next 2 years finding a solution – the Fast ForWord program
- Heidi, the LearnFast Specialist who supported Cam and Deb while he did the program exercises on his computer at home. Deb said: “ Heidi, thank you very much indeed for what we have achieved together, Cam and I, through such adversity over the years.”
Download Helpful Strategies for Children with Auditory Processing Disorder
