OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 29, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In too many K-12 schools, interventions without a solid research base are routinely implemented. When students fail to make progress, the intervention is simply replaced by another. When evaluating a potential intervention, one of the first questions an educator should ask is, "Is this solution a scientific, research-based intervention?" Scientific Learning Corp. (OTCQB:SCIL) is one of the only educational software companies whose neuroscience research has been and continues to be published in peer reviewed journals. To date, its results are demonstrated in over 270 research studies.
Two new, independent studies released this year illustrate that children can improve their auditory processing skills — and their brain function — by participating in the Fast ForWord® online reading intervention from Scientific Learning.
Students with Language Learning Impairment (LLI)
A study published in Neuropsychologia in April 2013 found that children with LLI showed positive changes on standardized language tests and in their brain activity after they participated in the Fast ForWord program. Sabime Heim and colleagues at the Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, examined whether remediation of brain wave patterns can improve language skills in children with LLI. In the study, 21 elementary school children underwent the Fast ForWord intervention for an average of 32 days. Pre- and post-assessments included standardized language/literacy tests and electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings.
Before the Fast ForWord intervention, brain wave measures illustrated that the children with language-based learning disabilities showed a reduction in brain activity associated with sounds that occur as rapidly as speech sounds do during normal talking. After the Fast ForWord training, the researchers saw improvement in brain efficiency measures and language skills, including core language skills, expressive language skills, and receptive language skills.
Students with Auditory Processing Disorders (APD)
In a study published in the International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology in April 2013, Sridhar Krishnamurti and colleagues at Auburn University reported that children with APD experienced improvement in listening skills after targeted intervention with the Fast ForWord Language program. The researchers evaluated brainstem responses to speech sounds in elementary school children who participated in the Fast ForWord program 50 minutes a day, five days a week for eight weeks.
The researchers found that the Fast ForWord program not only improved auditory processing skills and listening skills, but they found evidence of brain changes in the children with APD. These "neuroplastic" changes in brain function occurred in regions specific to and important for accurate listening and language processing.
About Scientific Learning Corp.
We accelerate learning by applying proven research on how the brain learns. Scientific Learning's results are demonstrated in over 270 research studies and protected by over 55 patents. Learners can realize achievement gains of up to two years in as little as three months and maintain an accelerated rate of learning even after the programs end.
Today, more than 2.2 million learners have used Scientific Learning software products. We provide our offerings directly to parents, K–12 schools and learning centers, and in more than 45 countries around the world. For more information, visit www.scientificlearning.com or call toll-free 888-810-0250.