Phonics and Reading Integration
How can Phonics and Reading Integration help my neurodivergent child?
Perhaps the most crucial skill any child will learn in primary school is the ability to read. Children who are suspected of having, or diagnosed with, Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) often experience delays in hearing sounds accurately, which can affect normal speech and language development. This can delay a child in reaching expected talking and language milestones, which in turn affects phonics integration the process that leads to decoding and reading.
Raviv Practice London uses Fast ForWord®, an online phonics and reading programme designed to support children with Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) and other neurodivergent conditions.
Fast ForWord® is an evidence-based programme our students increase their reading ability by the equivalent of one year's progress in three months of work.
A quick summary
How does it work?
Fast ForWord® develops the processing efficiency and literacy skills that those with Auditory Processing Disorder need to think, listen, read, and participate successfully in the classroom. The first of the programmes are suited to early readers and is called Foundation I & II, followe by Reading series 1, 2, &3 . Each programme maps your child's progress in real time
To learn more, or book a demo contact us.
Which Programme Stage Is Right for My Child?
Not every child starts in the same place. Raviv Practice London chooses from a clear series of programmes based on the child's assessment and current skills.
Foundations 1 develops attention, working memory, processing speed and sequencing skills alongside elminating confusion with sounds in langauge that are similar. Specialist technology is used to stretch sounds so the child can store it successfully for retrieval in both spoken language and then for decoding and reading. The focus is on building an ability to store and use sounds successful. Try this test to check suitablility
Foundations 2: This builds on the cognitive and language skills addressed in earlier Fast ForWord® programme. It continues to improve the key cognitive skills through exercises focused on sound-letter comprehension, phonological awareness, beginning word recognition and English language conventions.
The Reading Series
Learning to read draws on several skills at once, hearing sounds accurately, holding them in memory, matching them to letters and blending them in order. For a neurodivergent child, or a child with Auditory Processing Disorder (APD), one or more of these steps can be harder to manage, which may lead to slow reading, guessing at words, losing their place, or tiredness and frustration during reading tasks.
The programme helps neurodivergent children with APD who has:
• has difficulty telling similar-sounding words or sounds apart
• knows letter sounds but struggles to blend them together
• finds unfamiliar words hard to decode
• forgets sounds, spellings or instructions, especially when given verbally
• finds it hard to follow spoken instructions in a noisy environment
• finds reading fluency or comprehension difficult
• avoids reading or has lost confidence
The work focuses on auditory processing, phonemic awareness, phonics, reading fluency, vocabulary and reading comprehension. It is designed to strengthen the underlying listening and processing skills that phonics depends on, helping children use sound and letter knowledge more confidently when reading.
Try this reading test to check suitablility
Reading 1
Fast ForWord®- Reading 1. Builds critical early reading skills, with a focus on phonemic awareness, early decoding skills, appreciation of print, and motivation for reading.
Reading 2
Fast ForWord® Reading 2 - Consolidates early reading skills with a focus on applying phonics and decoding strategies.
Reading 3
Fast ForWord® Reading 3: Expands reading skills with a focus on applying knowledge of word origins, word forms, sentence structures, and punctuation rules to improve comprehension. It continues the development of cognitive skills but presented in the context of reading.
This step-by-step approach means the work can begin at the right level and build in a clear order.
How is the programme delivered
Children begin with a free online reading test. It gives a reading age and assesses four keys areas: comprehension, vocabulary, decoding and phonological awareness. Raviv Practice London reviews the results and chooses the most suitable programme stage.
The online training is completed at home. Each answer is monitored and the next tasks adjust to keep the level suitable. This gives the child a responsive programme rather than a fixed set of exercises.
Children usually work five days per week for either 30 or 60 minutes a day, depending on the programme selected. Parents receive a daily summary of the previous day's work and a weekly report showing errors, progress and whether the targets have been met.
Raviv Practice London monitors the work remotely and explains the reports in clear terms. The child receives specialist oversight throughout the programme while completing the exercises at home.
What are the results?
When a module is complete and the targets have been met, the reading test is repeated. This allows the family and practitioner to compare the child's reading age and skills with their starting point.
Results vary from child to child. Parents and teachers may also notice changes in focus, confidence and attitude to learning. The testimonials below share the experiences of individual families.
What should I do next?
If you are interested in our Phonics and Readign Programme, or jsut want to learn more then : Let's arrange to talk
Further Reading and Related Support
If holding sounds, words or instructions in mind is hard, read about our working memory training. For older children and teenagers, the Advanced Reading Programme offers the next level of support.
Parents may also find our guide to helping a child remember tricky spellings useful. Our article on how retained reflexes can make reading and writing harder explains another issue that may affect literacy. These links show the wider experience Raviv Practice London brings to reading support.