A randomized, controlled study of computer-based intervention in middle school struggling readers.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Language and reading disorders significantly impact academic achievement.
• Computer-based interventions show promise for remediation.
• Auditory temporal processing is a key area targeted by some interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of Fast ForWord (FFW) in remediating language and reading skills in middle school students.
• To compare FFW's effectiveness against an active control (SuccessMaker) and a no-intervention group.

Main Methods:

• Sixty-five struggling middle school readers were randomized into five groups.
• Interventions included FFW, SuccessMaker (SM), combined FFW/SM, and a control group over 12 weeks.
• Reading, phonemic awareness, spelling, and language skills were assessed using repeated measures.

Main Results:

• All participants showed significant improvement over time (within-subjects effects).
• No significant differences in skill improvement were found between the FFW group and other intervention or control groups (between-subjects effects).
• Fast ForWord did not demonstrate superior gains compared to SuccessMaker or the control condition.

Conclusions:

• The study failed to provide evidence that Fast ForWord offers additional benefits beyond general practice or other computer-based interventions for this population.
• Further research is needed to understand the specific conditions under which auditory temporal processing interventions may be effective.