Fluent Auditory Discrimination

Fluent Auditory Discrimination is a phonics awareness and fluency program that leads to accurate decoding. It is a remedial program for the person who is not able to discriminate the individual sounds in a word, and is therefore not able to make sense of words or to read. It makes use of the materials and exercises of the Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing Program (LiPS), developed by Charles and Phyllis Lindamood. Through this approach, students systematically learn each sound/letter combination and identify the mouth movement that produces the sound. Students study their mouth movement in the mirror, and name the mouth movement. Naming the "sound production movement" along with saying/hearing the sound and seeing the letter makes it possible for the student to discriminate the sound/symbol combination.

Fluency (rapid recognition/uttering the sounds) is provided through repeated, systematic practice of the sounds, using each 'learning channel' (sight, hearing, feeling, saying, writing), aiming for speed and accuracy. Most of the practice sessions are of one minute duration, during which the observer counts correct responses and learning opportunities (errors.) This practice system and the chart used to track progress are derived from Precision Teaching. The fluency component was developed by Elizabeth Haughton at the Haughton Learning Center in Napa CA. It is currently only taught there, the Sage Learning Center in Bozeman MT, and at The Learning Incentive/Ben Bronz Academy. Flex sheets, levels, and computer assistance have been added to our program..
Not every learner needs to learn FAD. Two tests determine this need; the Rosner Test of Auditory Analysis Skills (TAAS), and the Lindamood Auditory Conceptualization Test (LAC). These can be administered by any Educational tester or Psychologist, or Speech and Language Specialist.
FAD is not a stand-alone reading program. It will enable the non-reader to begin decoding and spelling with confidence, but progress will still be less than a grade level per year. To accelerate reading progress the students should be enrolled in a comprehensive reading program like the Ben Bronz Reading System.

The key ingredients in FAD are fluency and incremental success. In this context, 'incremental success' is defined as laying the tasks of reading out in a series of logical steps, practicing each step, and watching your progress, so that you know you are improving. Most phonics programs are so complex that the student (and often the teacher) have only a vague recognition that skills are improving. In FAD, the steps are clear, and a Computer menu/ presentation/ recording system makes it possible for the student and teacher to check the chart of progress after each activity.

The FAD Computer Screen

The setting for FAD must include a large, well-positioned and well-lit mirror in front of a workspace, with a computer next to it, easily accessible by the coach. There are four main parts in a FAD session. They are sound automation, tracking, decoding (reading), and encoding (spelling.)

Sound Automation: The learner is systematically introduced to the individual sounds that make up words, beginning with the consonants.

Each sound is produced by the learner looking at himself in a mirror and, if necessary, feeling the part of the throat or mouth that creates the sound. The sound is then paired with a label that describes how the sound is produced. For example the 'p' sound is produced by popping one's lips, so it is called a 'popper. It's 'brother' 'b' is produced by popping the lips and turning on the 'motor' (vocal chords.) Only a few paired sounds are introduced at first, and the learner practices one minute exercises in combinations of hear/say, see/say, think/say, hear/do/say, etc. to make the association automatic. Then the next pair of sounds is introduced. Once 7 consonant pairs are learned along with a few vowels, the rest of the vowels are also iintroduced and mastered one at a time. Progress is carefully noted on Standard Celeration charts so that the coach knows which exercises to repeat or adjust.

The Consonant Array showing the signs with mouth pictures.

Tracking: Using colored blocks to represent the sounds, the learner listens to a word, then lays out the blocks in the order of the sounds. When a new sound is given which demands the change of one block, the learner repeats the old and new sounds, then changes the blocks accordingly. This seemingly simple exercise employs all the senses and all of the actions needed to decode any word. Based on Elizabeth Haughton's pioneering work in this area, we have developed thirty levels of Sound Combinations, beginning with the few sounds at the first levels of FAD, and ending with complex 'words' of five sounds, with demands to insert and drop sounds from any part of the word. Students first practice tracking for up to five minutes or twenty items. They then 'Fast Track' for one minute, saying the sounds and moving the blocks quickly to see if they can pass to the next level. Passing criterion is 12 moves in a minute after the learning opportunities are subtracted.

Tracking Levels 1 and 29.

Decoding - Reading: The learner reads words, phrases, and sentences in one minute timings in which corrects, learning opportunities (errors) and skips are noted and counted. The learner repeats reading the same sets each day until a criterion level is reached. Hard words are recorded in a special list, which the learner practices using all of his senses.

Encoding - Spelling: The learner writes the letters for sound combinations which increase in complexity parallel to the tracking exercises.

Time Requirement: Learners who require FAD to learn to read are deficit in working memory and likely deficit in short-term memory for sounds as well. To overcome this deficit, the learner must practice some of these exercises at least three times daily on school days, and at least once per day on weekends and holidays, not missing a day during the year or more that FAD is required.
Minimum School Schedule: One 45 minute session or more than one short session - adding up to 45 minutes daily, by a trained Coach or Coaches. Trips, assemblies, exams, etc. may not interfere with holding the session. Minimum Home Schedule: One 20 minute session daily, including weekend days and holidays.

Where is this Service Available? Coaching in FAD can be provided at The Learning Incentive, Inc., parent company of Ben Bronz Academy, after school by appointment. If a School District wishes to train a coach and parents, a training program is available.

Training of Coaches: In most cases, training of Coaches will require 15 hours, broken into five 2 hour training sessions and several observations of sessions. Some teachers may require a longer time because they may have learned to read using memory rather than sound discrimination - and may be unaware of the sounds. Coaches can be Speech and Language Specialists, Teachers, or Teaching Assistants. If the School and home time committments cannot be met, we will not enter into a contract with the School District, parent, or learner.

Training of Parents: A parent or designated person must learn the sound-production name combinations so that she/he can do the sound automation exercises with the learner every day at home. This will take two or more hours. The parent/person is encouraged to participate in as much of the training as possible.

Monitoring of Progress: To ensure optimum progress, the results of each timed exercise must be monitored frequently by the trainer. To make this possible and inexpensive, we have automated the presentation and data collection systems in a computer program. The school and parents are required to install a computer in the work area at school and at home, which are connected via the internet to Ben Bronz Academy. The data is continuously analyzed by the trainer and exercises are modified, discontinued, and added as the learner progresses.