An app as ‘Reading Glasses’ – a study of the interaction between individual and assistive technology for students with a dyslexic profile

Abstract

For a couple of years a great many programs for tablets and smartphones have been available for assisting students with difficulties in reading and writing. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a multifunction application (Prizmo) for iPhone/iPad had the potential to provide assistance for students with a dyslexic profile. Twelve students and their teachers participated in this intervention study, 7 students from primary school grade 5 and 5 students from the first grade of secondary school. All participants used the Prizmo application during the regular school day for 4-6 weeks. The pupils were measured by decoding tests before and after the interventions. The results show that the word decoding ability increased for several of the students and also that they found the app useful even after the end of the study. The teachers who carried out the interventions involving the app emphasize its ease of access and the positive effects for the students. Multifunctional programs like Prizmo, text scanning and a text-to-speech synthesizer may enhance students' reading ability and motivation for future studies.