E-Readers may Help Dyslexic Students Disect Words

A recent study shows that devices which only display a few words of a sentence at a time can help dyslexic individuals with their reading, according to a press release from the Smithsonian.

Dyslexia is a learning disorder that is often characterized by difficulty reading. It can also affect learning in children when unrecognized at an early age. The Mayo Clinic notes that this lifelong condition caused by inherited traits can affect how your brain works, and in most children suffering from the problem, it can create a struggle in school. Thus, emotional support plays a critical role in educational development.

The study notes that many suffering from dyslexia, also known as visual attention deficit, are classified with the "inability to concentrate on letters within words or words within lines of text."

Both of the problems can be alleviated by eliminating pages that are "cluttered" with text allow the reader's eyes more space and time to concentrate on the words available.

"At least a third of those with dyslexia we tested have these issues with visual attention and are helped by reading on the e-reader," lead researchers Matthew H. Schneps, director of the Laboratory for Visual Learning at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, said. "For those who don't have these issues, the study showed that the traditional ways of displaying text are better."

The research team tested reading comprehension skills of 103 dyslexic high-school students when they read from a traditional book and an e-reader programmed to only display a few words at a time. As most students were able to read faster with the device, the dyslexic participants had an easier time digesting the material, showing the most dramatic improvement overall when reading with the product.

The study authors hope that these findings could lead to new devices that could help aid educational development for dyslexic students in schools.

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