Reading Accommodations, Assistive Technology, and Apps

Dyslexia
A specific learning disability that affects reading and related language-based processing skills. The severity can differ in each individual but can affect reading fluency decoding, reading comprehension, recall, writing, spelling, and sometimes speech and can exist along with other related disorders. Dyslexia is sometimes referred to as a Language-Based Learning Disability.

Signs and Symptoms

• Reads slowly and painfully
• Experiences decoding errors, especially with the order of letters
• Shows wide disparity between listening comprehension and reading comprehension of some text
• Has trouble with spelling
• May have difficulty with handwriting
• Exhibits difficulty recalling known words
• Has difficulty with written language
• May experience difficulty with math computations
• Decoding real words is better than nonsense words
• Substitutes one small sight word for another: a, I, he, the, there, was

Quick simulation-active participation
There are many different kinds of learning disabilities and they can range from mild to severe problems.
Activity 1 gives a general idea what it is like to have to struggle against what your brain may be telling you: Dyslexia can cause a person to see letters switched around when they read (seeing “bule” instead of “blue”, for example).
Activity 2 will give you an idea of what this is like.
Write a number of different sentences backwards on a piece of paper. Giving them very little time, ask different students to read them correctly. Keep interrupting the student by urging them to hurry or tell them “This should be easy for you.”
Example:
Discuss:
What were the difficulties faced in deciphering the sentence?
Did being told to hurry help or make it harder?
What would have helped?

Accommodations - Apps
Provide a peer reader for school materials

• TextGrabber + Translator: OCR recognize, translate and save editable text from any printed material https://appsto.re/us/9JPiA.i
• Prizmo - Scanning, OCR, and Speech https://appsto.re/us/yZm3v.i

Use books on tape

• Create a free account at BookShare for students with print disabilities. Pair with: Voice Dream Reader https://appsto.re/us/kiXKD.i

Use books with large print and big spaces between lines

• iBooks

Provide a copy of lecture notes

• Evernote Scannablehttps://appsto.re/us/mVQP0.i
• Evernote https://appsto.re/us/m49Yq.i

Provide spelling reference materials

• Speller - Free https://appsto.re/us/_wsps.i

Allow alternative forms for book reports

• Kids Book Report Can be used with speech to text https://appsto.re/us/_Isix.i

Can be used with speech to text
Allow the use of a laptop or other computer for in-class essays

• Write to the Core Lite - sentence prompts and paragraph starters for beginning students https://appsto.re/us/XtDT4.i

Encourage using an agenda or other organizer for recording assignments, test dates, important school events, field trips, etc. Teachers or peer helpers can check the agenda daily to make sure assignments and other information have been written correctly.

• Notability https://appsto.re/us/6HJFv.i
• Showbie – Paperless Classroom https://appsto.re/us/Lu4TG.i

Provide vocabulary and summaries ahead of time. This gives the student a chance to look over the pre-reading material on her own time — feeling more confident and prepared when the actual reading assignment begins.

• Bitsboard - Education, Games, and Flashcards for Learning Reading, Spelling, and more https://appsto.re/us/IlMZE.i

Provide graphic organizers to help students mark up text. These can include markers, sticky notes, or anything else to help students sort, arrange, and highlight important concepts in the text.

• Liner - Mobile Web Highlighter & Annotator and Bookmarker for Safari https://appsto.re/us/-XI84.i

Provide an audio version of the material, when possible. Reading along to a book on tape can be beneficial for dyslexic students.

• Use accessibility features in the iPad settings to listen to electronic versions of textbooks. Text book makers provide free online textbooks if you register.

Provide an alphabet chart to help remember directionality of letters

• Handwriting Without Tears: Wet-Dry-Try for Capitals, Lowercase and Numbers https://appsto.re/us/0LZjL.i