Using Technology To Help With Dyslexia.

Digital technology can help people with dyslexia with reading, writing, spelling, organising and many other activities that are sometimes difficult. Furthermore, they can help build more independence which in turn can lead to improved self-esteem.

Literacy skills are the biggest challenge for people with dyslexia and it is these difficulties that are usually the first indicators of dyslexia. For children just starting to read the first obstacle is usually learning phonics. An app that can help with this is The Phoneme Reader which is free and can be found here Phoneme Reader (clarospeakweb.com). The idea is that the child can practice listening to the sounds of the letters as often as they like independently. The child can hear and see each letter sound and hear them blended to form the word. Repeating the sound aloud is useful to add a more multisensory approach to learning. At first, the teacher or parent may have to type in the words but as children get used to the app, they will gradually become more independent. There are many other phonic apps available to download such as Jolly Phonics, Nessy and the Hairy Phonics and Pocket Phonics.

To help with reading, text-to-speech technology is invaluable. This has been around for several years, but the improvements made in that time have been enormous. Text-to-speech is now available for free with many applications. It is available with Mac and iPad, Microsoft Office and Google Chrome. This allows people with dyslexia to access all types of information that otherwise they might struggle with. Some may argue that using text-to-speech may discourage people from learning to read as the computer will do it for them. However, research has shown that using text-to-speech leads to improved reading levels, more independence and raises self-esteem. Many dyslexics are unable to proofread their own writing as they do not see the errors. However, I have used text-to-speech with learners. When they hear their writing read back, they can often hear the errors for themselves and are able to correct them.

Text to speech is useful for reading while speech to text is useful for writing. Again Apple, Microsoft and Google have this technology built in. However, it takes some getting used to this software and often someone who is dyslexic may not see the errors. A lot of practice with someone to oversee what the program writes will be necessary.

Using word processing software can aid writing by increasing speed and accuracy. However, learning to touch type is essential for maximum success. There are many touch-typing programmes on the market to help learn the letter positions and build speed. Some touch typing programs include Doorway Online, Rapid Typing and Nessy Fingers. However, a word of warning about keyboards. As standard keyboards display uppercase letters this can be confusing for younger children. It may be worth investing in a keyboard with lowercase letters.

A further advantage of using computers is the ability to change the font style and size and the background colour. This can make both reading and writing more comfortable. There is also software that puts a covered overlay over the text which is useful for those who suffer from visual stress. A free software is available called MyStudyBar which includes software that gives you coloured rulers, coloured layouts and screen tints. Additionally, the software also includes text-to-speech, speech to text and typing software. For helping to organise information there is a mind mapping software.

There are many other applications to help people of all ages with dyslexia such as mind mapping software for organisation, spell checkers, note taking and diary organisers. There is a huge selection of these, some are free while others must be purchased, and it is worthwhile shopping around. You can download a poster with useful software for iPad here and for Android. However, to get the most out of any application most people with dyslexia will need guidance to use them appropriately. A specialist dyslexia tutor can help with this and will also have recommendations for the most appropriate apps to meet the individual’s needs.