Excellent readers have two things in common.  

1. Their brains can maintain attention to, discriminate between, and categorize sounds in real time.

2. They can comprehend various sentence forms in real time.

In order to become a successful reader, one’s brain must be programmed to recognize meaningful sounds (phonemes), understand word meanings, and sentences (semantics). The brain begins this process of sound exposure, sound categorization, and language comprehension during infant development. It is at that time, that the organization of sound, words, and comprehension occur.

In order to promote literacy, the brain needs and relies on the foundation of attention, sound processing, and the comprehension of verbal information. When these foundations are secure, the brain is ready to read successfully and comprehend the language of the text.

What happens when the foundation is not secure? Intervention is needed and should take on two areas of focus:

Reading is a language skill,” says Dr. Virginia Mann, professor at the University of California, Irvine, and a leading authority and researcher on reading skills. “To be proficient, a child has to master the different components of language.”

1. Foundation Building- targeting attention, processing, and the discrimination of sounds; and

2. Targeting language elements that include social language, written language, and organization.

With these two areas of focus, several things will happen.

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The brain will hear better

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The brain will have a focus for academic information

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The sensemaking for the client happens because all modes of language have been linked.

The brain can always learn something new, it just needs Frequency and intensity, Adaptivity, Simultaneous development, and Timely motivation, or what is referred to as FAST!