Using Earobics

by Rosanna Buehl, Ed.S., LCPC

Phonological awareness is a foundational skill for learning how to read. Before a child can learn phonics, that is, how letters are used in reading to stand for the sounds that we hear when we listen to language, the child has to be aware that words are made up of little bits of sound that are called "phonemes." Phonological awareness is that awareness of the sounds heard in spoken language.

Many children have trouble with phonological awareness. Some computer-based treatment programs might be good ways to teach phonological awareness. In schools in Montana, Earobics is a program that is in wide use and is designed for this purpose.

I have a good deal of experience using another computer-based program, Fast ForWord. For the purpose of developing phonological awareness, I have found Fast ForWord to be very powerful. It is expensive to license, though, so its use in schools in Montana has been limited. Also, because Fast ForWord does not link sounds to letters, it is hard to call it a reading program. There is some evidence that it helps to improve reading, but the evidence needs to be stronger to justify the price if improved reading is the goal.

Earobics is much more widely used in Montana and there is some linking of sounds to letters. There is some evidence that it helps to improve reading.

Earobics is not likely to be self-working, though, any more than Fast ForWord. Both are computer-based programs, but I believe that effectiveness is going to depend on the skill of the teacher who uses it. The key is keeping the student engaged in working with the program for long enough to have the desired effect.

Working privately, I get students whom the schools could not reach using less intensive, conventional methods. My students are all significantly disabled in terms of their ability to notice sounds in words. What I have to do may be more than most children need, but it is clear to me that many children will need this level of support.

I believe that the principles that I have used to make Fast ForWord effective will also apply to using Earobics. The way that Fast ForWord is used is based on considerable research, beginning with basic research on how the brain learns anything. The conditions for learning, the methods that really must be used, are not unique to Fast ForWord. Actually, the same principles for use apply to any program.

A schedule of two 45-minute sessions per day, five days per week, for about eight weeks, is likely to be necessary to drive the kinds of changes needed in the student to support reading. Earobics has six “games” and two 45-minute sessions gives time to use each game for about 15 minutes per day. It may be possible to drop games once it is clear that a particular game has been mastered (evidenced by consistent, fluent performance for a week at near 100 percent accuracy in the most difficult exercises offered by that game). Also, it is important to use the program through high-quality, over-the-ear headphones because it is necessary to deliver high-quality sound directly to the student’s ears.

Keeping a student engaged in using the Earobics games with enough intensity for a long enough period of time is typically challenging. It is very important to have a powerful reinforcement system to keep the student working hard. A way should be found to accumulate “points” for performance and the student should be able to exchange points for some sort of reinforcer.

Four variables control whether or not reinforcement is effective: rate, quality, immediacy, and the effort the student has to make in his response.

• All things being equal, a student will choose to do things that bring frequent reinforcement.
• All things being equal, a student will choose to do things that earn things that the student desires the most (as opposed to the things that the student desires just a little bit).
• All things being equal, a student will choose to do things that bring reinforcement without delay.
• All things being equal, a student will choose to do the things that are the easiest to do to get the reinforcements they want.

There is a four-way calculus of choice that will determine actual behavior. For example, a student might want a new bicycle “more than anything in the world,” but if he has to work for a long time before they can get it, he becomes likely to settle for something less desirable that he can get right away.

It is very important that the motivational system be powerful enough to keep the student engaged. Using Earobics (or any other program) will not work if the student is going through the motions, “just pushing the buttons.” If the student is not paying adequate attention to the games, then learning will not take place and nothing will change.

Keeping him engaged will be a particular problem for the student's teachers if he has ADHD, and experiences major difficulties with inattention due to medical reasons.

If he has problems with keeping focused, he will need a system to keep him engaged that offers very frequent reinforcements for working attentively and diligently. Usually it is possible to look at a student’s performance after he has completed the entire schedule of games, but sometimes it is necessary to sit with the student and reinforce on a much tighter schedule.

It might be possible, for instance, to reinforce the student for getting eight out of ten responses correct. It might even be necessary to reinforce every single correct response with some tiny reinforcer that can be traded later for something more significant.

Physical tokens, like poker chips, or even the physical items themselves, are likely to be necessary for some children. It is possible, for example, to break up a small “Legos” kit that has a couple of dozen pieces and require the student to earn each piece individually.

Actual pennies make good tokens if the reinforcement schedule can be stretched out (not reinforcing every response). It might be useful to set up a “store” where the student can cash in the tokens at the end of every session, if he wants to.

Stock the store with items in a wide price range: some things that he is likely to be able to afford every day if he pays adequate attention, other things that he might have to save for a few days in order to buy. Everyday prizes in this system do not have to be expensive or even new. A store can be stocked with donated items. Prices are set based on the desirability of the items to the individual child and the child’s ability to earn enough items to stay engaged.

Once good phonological awareness is established, then it will be necessary to follow-up with a good program of phonics. Teaching of phonics should be highly explicit, intense, and delivered with enough support to keep The student engaged.

As I mentioned, my direct experience in this matter is largely with Fast ForWord. In my private practice I will continue to offer Fast ForWord rather than Earobics because I have been able to produce dramatically good results with Fast ForWord. However, I believe that Earobics is likely to be all that most children need, so I recommend it for use in schools. If Earobics does not work and you still believe that phonological awareness is a key issue, there is still Fast ForWord.