
July Newsletter: Technology for Dyslexic and Dysgraphic Students
Jul 15, 2024
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July newsletter
Technology is ever-evolving and can provide great support for your child(ren) in school and in daily life. However, keeping up with what is truly useful and what is not helpful is confusing to all of us at times. When considering what your child needs to use for their education, several factors need to be carefully considered.
We all want our children to have every available support available for their use, but not every child needs every piece of technology. The goal for support/accommodations in schools is to allow students to have an equal opportunity to pass, not give an advantage over other students. For example, most dyslexic students need oral administration of tests (questions and answers read aloud to them)- but not all. Twice-exceptional students- who are dyslexic and in the gifted/talented classes in school. Usually, they will quickly progress and not need everything read aloud to them. In fact, it can be a distraction for them.
What should be considered when providing assistive technology to students? First, technology supports should be individualized to meet the child’s needs. As the school year progresses, the effectiveness of the support should be evaluated and changes made when appropriate. Second, will the assistive technology lessen the “cognitive load?” The cognitive load refers to the working memory that the child is using as they complete tasks. Kira Duncan described it as,
SDs (dyslexics) because they use additional mental energy for decoding, thereby experiencing a high cognitive load when completing a reading task (Silverstri et al., 2021). Likewise, an SD will need to spend more energy on accurate orthography and grammar, making it challenging to focus on written content (Hiscox et al., 2014). This means that SDs may face a higher cognitive load than many of their peers when completing tasks. Introducing Ats (assistive technology) that reduce the cognitive load allows learners to improve reading comprehension and writing quality because they can focus more energy on the content.
Some teachers/professors are resistant to assistive technology, because they see the supports as work-avoidance or giving students an unfair advantage. Usually, these teachers need to have further education on why these supports are necessary. If you find a teacher reluctant to use the supports, ask for a meeting (parent conference or ARD/IEP meeting) to discuss the whys of assistive technology. Please approach this topic calmly and listen to their objections so that you can best answer their concerns. If this does not work, approach the campus administrators to discuss your concerns. In rare cases, you may have to move to the district or state level to see results, just go through the proper steps. In most cases, the teacher will change their minds once they see how the student’s work/performance is improved.
Most common Technological Supports
Audio books: Books are read aloud to the child through an app, such as Epic!, Bookshare, or Learning Ally. They can be borrowed from public libraries and your child’s school should have some format for students to have access to audio books. Books can also be purchased through various companies, such as Amazon, Walmart, and book stores.
Text readers, such as Speechify, can be used to help students when audio books are not available. Some apps will allow the student to scan the text and then have it read to them. Reading pens are another option for text readers. The child uses an app that will read highlighted words, phrases, sentences, etc. Reading pens are often costly and not available in schools.
Text-to-Speech: While audio books are great, it is best if the child has a text-to-speech version of the book. This will allow them to see the words as they are being read. Learning Ally and Epic! are text-to-speech. They highlight the text as it is being read to allow the child to follow along. High stakes standardized tests (i.e. STAAR in Texas) usually have a text-to-speech options for students with reading difficulties. Districts and textbooks also have text to speech features available in many cases.
Speech-to-text is necessary for persons who have difficulty with written expression and/or handwriting. In speech-to-text, students speak into the computer (or device) rather than writing or typing the essay. The program types for the person. Google Doc and Microsoft Word both have speech-to-text capabilities. There are other free speech-to-text programs, as well professional grade programs.
Word predictors can help students to complete writing tasks easier. After a few letters are typed in, the program will either insert the word or give a series of choices to use. This helps to prevent spelling and grammatical errors.
Spell-check is available on most word processing apps but can also be purchased through programs such as Grammarly.
In some cases, the font and background color of material can be modified to make text interaction easier.
Programs such as PlanPlus and Microsoft OneNote can provide assistance with planning and organizations of tasks.
Recording devices can be helpful for some students when listening to lectures at a later time. However, permission from the school and individual teachers must be obtained prior to the use of such devices. Many institutions do not allow recording devices but provide a copy of notes instead. Some post-secondary institutions may have professors pre-record lectures which can then be borrowed by students.
As a word of caution, some schools/districts offer dyslexia instruction via apps. While teacher or CALT on-line sessions are appropriate, an app (Lexia for example) or pre-taped video should not be used to provide the instruction. A teacher can provide individualization and corrective feedback immediately. An app cannot provide such tasks. These apps can be used to supplement instruction but never be the only form of instruction.
Resources/Articles
Duncan, Kira, Technology and the Curriculum, https://pressbooks.pub/techcurr20221/chapter/assistive-technologies-for-students-with-dyslexia/ 2022
Great Schools , Assistive Technology in Inclusive Classrooms, https://www.readingrockets.org/helping-all-readers/inclusive-classrooms/assistive-technology-inclusive-classrooms 2024
Jul 15, 2024
4 min read
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