Dyslexia Apps: Dyslexia, a common learning difficulty whereby sufferers encounter problems with reading, writing, and spelling, has been transformed by an upsurge in assistive technologies.
Innovation and rapid advances across the ‘dyslexi-tech’ sector have meant that people are learning new ways of working with a disability. Shockingly, according to dyslexia.com, at least 780 million people globally could have dyslexia without knowing it. Luckily, technological developments have meant those who have it or may be at risk can be more easily identified.
We looked at three apps on a mission to help people with dyslexia uncover what the future may hold in a technologically enabled post-dyslexic world.
Lexico
Billing itself as a ‘distraction-free reading aid,’ AI-powered Lexico caters to kids and adults with dyslexia, learning challenges, and visual processing disorders. The app boasts a number of insightful features, such as easy selection, which enables users to highlight text online and have it read back to them. It also has a focus mode, which cleverly removes all distractions from the page, enabling readers to hone in on single words, sentences, and paragraphs simultaneously. In one singular swipe, users can tap words to hear them repeated back and view them in an easier-to-read typeface.
Interestingly the app also allows readers to digest anything, anywhere, through a special PDF extension capability, which means you can also create PDFs of documents that can be copied into the app and read aloud. Another tech-savvy feature is a side-by-side mode, where you can drag different text selections into a split screen so users can compare the original to the version containing the text they selected.
Lexico also features read-along mode, which offers PDFs in open dyslexic typeface and audiobook mode where you can adjust the speed and text style to read it aloud. Lexico is available. Other cool features include spelling practice sessions and crossing and tracking practice which empowers people to read across and down lines. Lexico is free to use, with an optional subscription for unlimited spelling and tracking exercises. What’s more, the newer version also has a brand new scanning feature which enables you to scan text and read it without any outside noise. Lexico is currently only available to download via iOS; however, it’s only a matter of time before it’s available on Android with its glare-free, high-contrast display mode.
Speechify
This innovative speech-to-text platform is not just for those with difficulty reading, writing, or spelling but for people of all ages who simply want to listen to text from their smart devices. It enables users to work through articles, documents, emails, PDFs, and more by automatically applying audio to words.
Dyslexia Apps: Slightly more accessible than its alternatives, it’s not just an app and works through the Google Chrome extension, iOS, Android, and API, meaning you can use it to add speech to websites. It’s reported Speechify uses 12 pieces of technology, including IPv6, Google Apps for Business, HTML5, and Google Analytics, among others. Speechify is free to download with a premium version available. The complementary version enables unlimited reading with playback. In contrast, the paid-for edition enables users to send synced audiobooks to their phone, choose from an array of voices and capture texts from photos.
Dyslexia Quest – Dyslexia Apps
Primarily designed with just kids in mind, Dyslexia Quest deserves mention for combining colourful gamification with language learning, writing, and even memory difficulties. The app is renowned for helping assess kids’ memory and listening skills and has been proven to assist in identifying those experiencing symptoms of dyslexia.
Dyslexia Quest is available on Android and iOS. Designed for ages seven years and up, its colourful, character-filled interface features a host of games over six different areas, each of which takes between eight and ten minutes to play. What’s uniquely interesting about Dyslexia Quest is that each game assesses individuals’ phonological awareness, memory, processing speed, and visual sequential memory. Once each round is completed, users are provided with an overview of their strengths and weaknesses. The app also aims to help improve any issues identified by assisting kids in progressing with each level.
