Saturday, February 25, 2012

Helpful Apps for Dyslexia and Related Reading Issues

Updated March 26, 2015
As always, we focus on addressing the current reading needs of our clients, parents, teachers and others who communicate with us on a daily basis. This week, our emails and phone calls have been about assistance with dyslexia. Parents of new, young readers and grad students have recently described to us their children’s or their own issues with various kinds of reading challenges such as convergence insufficiency, visual stress (sometimes caused by black text on white page backgrounds) and/or an actual diagnoses of dyslexia.

With the popularity of last week’s blog article and app list for autism (it received the most visitors of all our other blog articles combined!), we thought it would be very appropriate this week to provide a list of apps dedicated to those with dyslexia-related symptoms. Here is our current list of BEST apps for this need:

1. Textkraft English: Top Smart Text Processor for iPad---Textkraft English is the perfect iPad writing tool for you, your tweens or teens to write essays, letters or email.
http://www.funeducationalapps.com/2011/11/textkraft-english-top-smart-text-processor-for-ipad.html


2. American Wordespeller – A Phonetic Dictionary App to Help Dyslexic Kids with Spelling---American Wordspeller© & Phonetic Dictionary app is great phonetic dictionary that can help and support kids with spelling difficulties and dyslexia.
http://www.funeducationalapps.com/2011/02/american-wordespeller-a-phonetic-dictionary-app-to-help-dyslexic-kids-with-spelling-.html

3. Collections of Top Spelling Apps for Kids (Some include promo codes for free or lower prices---Issued 2/21/12 and may be time sensitive)
http://www.funeducationalapps.com/spelling-apps/

4. Top Apps for Dyslexia by Richele, parent of a child with dyslexia & author of Under the Golden Apple Tree (blog)---These are the author's top picks that have helped her daughter. The apps will not only benefit a child with dyslexia but any child learning or struggling to read.
http://www.underthegoldenappletree.com/2012/11/top-apps-for-dyslexia.html

5. Apps for Dyslexia and Learning Disabilities---This long list of tools can help level the playing field for you, a student or others to reading, spelling, writing, and organizational/study skills. Use of these tools can also lead to increased self-confidence in the classroom and workplace. This is an excellent list provided by DyslexiaHelp at the University of Michigan.
http://dyslexiahelp.umich.edu/tools/apps

6. Best 5 iPad Apps for Dyslexia---by Drs.Fernette and Brock Eide
http://dyslexicadvantage.com/profiles/blogs/ipad-apps-dyslexia

7. openWeb---Dyslexia-friendly web browser by Abbie Gonzalez
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/openweb/id519348697?ls=1&mt=8

8. Reading Focus Cards Desktop App (Patent 8,360,779)
(for Macs & Windows PCs---Price: $5.99)
from Brennan Innovators, LLC
This DESKTOP app is the digital version of the physical Reading Focus Cards (Patent 7,565,759), solutions for struggling readers. This app provides practical READING SUPPORT for children and adults with ADHD, dyslexia, autism and other conditions that can affect reading success. It promotes more focus, better tracking, improved fluency and greater visual comfort for reading digital media (webpages, PDF files, Word docs, Excel spreadsheets & more.) In addition, the Reading Focus Card app is compatible with and supports touch-screen technology. The application floats on top and stays on top of any underlying application, able to be moved over text on the screen by the fingers, mouse/touchpad or arrow keys, as needed. Downloadable files are available for purchase via the following direct links:

a. For Macs (desktops & notebooks):
Visit the Mac App Store and search for Reading Focus Cards or go directly to
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/read-and-focus/id920617853?mt=12

b. For Windows PCs (desktops & laptops):
Visit Gumroad at https://gumroad.com/l/ReadingFocusCards OR visit the Microsoft Windows Store and search for the app called Reading Focus Cards. (No URLs are provided for apps in the Windows Store.)

9. Ghotit This software program corrects the spelling of people with dyslexia and dysgraphia. http://www.ghotit.com

Special Note: The physical Reading Focus Cards work well to provide even more focus and concentration with iPads, Kindles, Nooks, and other related tech devices. Just remember to use a non-scratch film to protect the tech screens with this application.

Happy Reading, EVERYONE!

For more information:
www.FocusandRead.com For ADHD focusing tools that work!
www.BrennanInnovators.com For ADHD info and support
314-892-3897

Image courtesy of www.freedigitalphotos.net & Brennan Innovators, LLC

12 comments:

  1. Ghotit dyslexia spell and grammar checker www.ghotit.com works for me

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  2. Dear Unknown,

    Appreciate your posting about the www.Ghotit.com dyslexia spellchecker. Did not know about this program. I just visited the site, viewed the video there, and saw how it works well for dylsexia and dysgraphia. Because of your comment, I thought it was certainly worth adding to our list above here even though we understand it to be a software program rather than an app.

    More information and good resources are always good things! Many thanks for taking the time to give your input and information. I do appreciate it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. These sound fantastic. I will let my parents know! Thanks for the info.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Appreciate your good comments, Paula. Thank you, also, for your willingness to share these resources with parents whose children might benefit! Happy Reading to you!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you for Sharing OpenWeb. It's amazing how many thank you emails that my husband has received for working on OpenWeb and also OpenDyslexic.

    After seeing how much I love to read and loving to read himself, he realized that there are many people with dyslexia that would love to have tools like these at their finger tips. He's done some research, and although he doesn't have dyslexia, the only other font that he knew of at the time cost way more than many people could afford. He decided that he'd create the font, make it free, and allow it to help others.

    If you'd like to check out more about OpenDyslexic, check out Dyslexicfonts.com. Please let us know if it helps you. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dear B.E. Mom,

    Yes, the OpenWeb is excellent, and that is why it was included in the above article's list of resources. However, the OpenDyslexic is one I had not seen and am most grateful for your introduction of it here. Thank you!

    I would like to include the URL here for more information on this resource: http://abbiecod.es/2011/12/22/open-dyslexic-a-free-dyslexia-font/. I hope that our readers will visit the page to learn more and see the fonts that are more easily readable by those with dyslexia (and the fonts are made very pleasant and readable for others as well.)

    The fact that this resource is FREE is laudable, as it can take considerable time and effort to develop such fonts. Thank you to your husband for making this possible! The alternative offerings available are far too expensive and not accessible for many challenged with dyslexia.

    Much appreciation to you both!

    Joan Brennan

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  7. I would like to suggest that you have a look at my android app, mobile112, which is aimed at users with dyslexia, aphasia & literacy issues.

    The website is http://www.mobile112.net

    There is a good video review by the American Literacy Society here:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbOHX8GjuHk

    Kind Regards
    Bill Bostock
    mobile112.net

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dear Mr. Bostock,

    Many thanks for taking the time to tell us here about your mobile112 Android app and website @ http://www.mobile112.net. Will certainly take a look at it.

    We wish you much success with this app to help many with the challenges of dyslexia, aphasia & other literacy issues.

    Thanks again, Bill!

    Joan Brennan

    ReplyDelete
  9. Quillsoft Ltd. (Toronto, ON) announces the availability of iWordQ App for the Apple iPad. iWordQ is an easy-to-use App to assist struggling writers and readers of all ages, including those who have learning difficulties, such as Dyslexia, or who are learning English as a second language.

    iWordQ is based on Quillsoft’s successful WordQ software which is used by over a million users across the US and Canada. A simple text editor is used for writing with embedded word prediction, abbreviation-expansion and text-to-speech. Multiple ways of reading your text with speech are included. Spell-check and dictionary access is included. You can also use speech recognition with an iPad 3.

    A unique reading mode text shows your text in a more visually pleasing manner to improve readability. This is used for proofreading, reading to learn, silent reading, reading aloud, and casual reading/listening. A novel text chunking method (patent-pending) can be selected to enhance comprehension and readability of text to allow you to focus on one text chunk at a time.

    “The advanced proof-reading features make editing so much easier. I have used it for editing my own work and appreciate the pauses that are interjected at the end of each chunk or segment. This allows me to stop and think about what I have written before moving on to the next chunk or segment. This is a great feature for all students, but especially for those who process information slowly or for those who have difficulty with reading comprehension.”
    - Dana Sahian, Speech Language Pathologist, www.sLp4aLL.com

    iWordQ is priced at $24.99 USD at the Apple App Store with educational discounts available.

    For further information please visit the App Store, contact sales@quillsoft.ca, or view www.goQsoftware.com.

    Thank you for taking the time to read this announcement. Please pass on to anyone who you feel may benefit from this software.

    Fraser Shein, PhD, PEng
    President & CEO
    Quillsoft Ltd.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Dr. Shein,

    Many thanks for telling us about your new iWordQ app based on Quillsoft’s WordQ software. This should certainly provide another option to help many struggling readers. We want to wish you and Quillsoft all the best of success with this new app.

    FYI---Our company, Brennan Innovators, has been working on an app as well that will help struggling readers challenged with dyslexia and other reading issues. Please stay tuned for further developments on this.

    Thank you again for this information, Dr. Shein.

    Sincerely,
    Joan Brennan
    http://www.FocusandRead.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great list of apps! Textkraft English is a good writing tool for the iPad. It is easy to use and offers many unique features! You may also find these apps helpful for people with Dyslexia.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Dear Mr. von Lockerwood,

    Appreciate your comment and information about the writing tool for persons with dyslexia.

    Thanks for taking the time to give your input here!

    Happy reading!

    Sincerely,
    Joan Brennan
    www.FocusandRead.com

    ReplyDelete