Products, Special Education

10 Apps & Tools for Individuals with Dyslexia & Learning Disabilities

Over the last decade, the National Education Association has stated that enrolment to special education programs has increased by as much as 30%. This is a promising figure, and it’s heart-warming to see that classrooms are being developed in such a way that individuals who have learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, can have as many opportunities as others. To further support those with learning disabilities there are a plethora of online tools and apps that can support a students education. Today, we’ll explore a collection of them, giving you everything you need to give a child you know the best learning experience possible.

Reading Tools

Reading is easily one of the biggest struggles an individual with learning disabilities will face. However, gone are the days where this hinders learning. Some students are able to read from a book and will only need extra help when it comes to defining the letters and words. Others are better off learning visually and through mediums of audio in which they’ll then be able to learn to read on their own terms. It’s all about finding which tool works best for you. For example, tools such as ClaroPDF can take normal PDF documents and read them aloud. On the screen, the text will be highlighted, giving the student enough information to connect the audio to its written form. If you’re looking for something more story-based, you could use Learning Ally. This platform contains a huge database of human-spoken books and audiobooks on an annual subscription. You can sync the spoken text to the written text as well as customizing essential aspects such as font size and reading speed.

Writing Apps

Writing can also be considered a huge challenge when it comes to people who suffer from learning disabilities. In some cases, you may be involved with a student who has motor issues or finds it difficult to process information quickly, which again, can increase the challenge of writing. Writing can be made easier using a variety of apps and tools. For example, an app like Co:Writer can be extremely helpful thanks to its spelling assistance software. This gives your students the ability to practice their phonics as the predictor only works after a few letters are typed. Apps like Speller can be used to actually spell out words phonetically before searching an entire database to find which word you meant. This a great way to teach people how to spell as they’ll only need to learn the aspects that they got wrong the first time. As you move forward, online tools, such as Easy Word Count, become beneficial as they can track how many words you write in real-time. This is great motivation for people to get things right and to keep practicing. Start off small by writing one word, then two words, then five words, ten words and so on! Once you really get going, tools and resource databases, such as State of Writing, are ideal for introducing aspects of grammar and punctuation in an easy to learn and easy to understand format.

Mathematics Tools

Learning isn’t all about words and sentences; it’s also about numbers. However, teaching and learning math can bring about a whole new wave of obstacles and challenges that will need to be addressed. Websites such as DO-IT Internet Lessons are designed for people with learning disabilities and can help you teach math in a very proactive way. The website is full of learning materials, resources and online lessons for you to use in your own time. Some students will benefit from a more hands-on experience, rather than being overloaded with numbers. In this situation, you can use apps such as TouchMath to create touch-friendly spreadsheets and worksheets that are so much easier to use than pen and paper, allowing you to truly focus on the math, rather than the writing side of things.

Hearing Systems

If you’re involved with a student that’s hard of hearing or deaf, you’ll already be fully aware of some of the steps that need to be taken to give them the best learning experience possible. According to data released by the NAD, there is a range of hearing assisting systems available that can even enhance the effectiveness of hearing aids and hearing abilities of children who don’t use them. It’s worth spending the time to see which systems are available in your area. To get you started, FM systems are renowned for being the most effective since the signals maintain a certain sound level, without a loss in quality due to background noise.