A shelf of respected titles on neuroplasticity, learning, and language — each one exploring the research and real-world story behind the Fast ForWord program.
Where Fast ForWord meets the printed page.
Fast ForWord grew out of decades of neuroscience on how the brain rewires itself to process sound, language, and reading.
The books below — by leading scientists and science writers — each discuss that research or the program itself.
They cover popular accounts of brain plasticity to clinical and practitioner references.
First published 2007 · Viking / Penguin
Doidge's landmark book on neuroplasticity profiles Michael Merzenich (the world's leading researcher on brain plasticity") and the research behind Fast ForWord.
He describes how the program trains the brains of children with language and learning difficulties.
Read a free copy of Chapter 3 "Retraining the Brain" here.
Published 2013 · Parnassus
Written by the neuroscientist widely regarded as a father of brain plasticity. this book lays out the principles — intensity, timing, and reward-driven practice — that the Fast ForWord program is built on. It makes it the closest thing to a first-hand account of the science behind the software.
Published 2013 · Progress in Brain Research (Elsevier)
This scholarly volume collects research on translating brain-plasticity science into practical training. Co-edited by Merzenich, it situates programs like Fast ForWord within the broader field of plasticity-based interventions for learning, language, and cognitive recovery.
Published 2007 · Harper
Wolf's celebrated account of how the brain learns to read examines dyslexia and the processing of language sounds — the same territory Fast ForWord targets — and discusses training approaches aimed at strengthening the neural circuits underlying reading.
Published 2009 · Viking / Penguin
All the research on dyslexia bears a significant message of hope. In just a few decades, it has clarified the nature of the core deficit - a phonological impairment - its neuronal mechanisms, and how to compensate for it. Nonetheless, several questions remain unanswered. They concern variations between children: Do all dyslexics share the same impairment? could one diagnose the exact deficit in each child and use the information to fine-tune his treatment? Does current research exclude smaller subgroups of children who might benefit from a wholly different approach?
Published 2007 · Ballantine Books
Begley's survey of neuroplasticity research draws on Merzenich's experiments to show how directed practice reshapes the brain, providing the scientific backdrop that explains why a targeted training program such as Fast ForWord can measurably shift how children process language.
Published 2006 · Hyperion
A practical guide for parents of children with learning differences, this book reviews interventions for auditory processing and language problems and discusses Fast ForWord among the tools clinicians consider for strengthening a child's underlying processing skills.
Published 2010 · Ballantine Books
Written by a speech-language therapist, this parents' guide to auditory processing and language development addresses listening-based therapies — the family of interventions Fast ForWord belongs to — and how they can help children who struggle to make sense of the sounds of speech.
Published 2002 · Atria Books
A mother's memoir of her son's central auditory processing disorder, this book recounts the family's search for help — including the kind of intensive listening and language training Fast ForWord provides — offering a personal window into why such programs matter.
Published 2009 (rev. 2013) · SharpBrains
This consumer guide to the brain-training field evaluates evidence-based programs and includes Fast ForWord in its review of tools shown to improve cognitive and language processing, helping readers judge which approaches are genuinely supported by research.
A masterful guide to the brain training revolution.
From bestselling science writing to clinical references and parents' memoirs, these books trace how the ideas behind Fast ForWord took shape — and why they continue to matter for learners today.
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