25 Best Dyslexia Apps & Tools – Reading, Writing, Note Taking, Math
Dyslexia is a disability that makes it difficult for those affected to read and learn in the same way most other people do. However, it doesn’t mean learning cannot be fun and easy. Much research have been done on the topic and there are numerous resources for people with dyslexia, much of it free. Here is a list of 25 Dyslexia apps and tools that will be useful to children and students, but also for their parents and teachers. Enjoy!
Dyslexia Apps – Reading
1. Blio
Blio is a free app for use on devices employing iOS. It displays a wide variety of e-books in full color, with particular attention to the layout and presentation of the text and graphics. It offers full support for those with learning disabilities and an option to have Blio read to you, highlighting each word as it is read.
2. See Read Say
See Read Say is a delightful app course that runs on devices with iOS. It focuses on teaching children of various ages to instantly recognize and read the Dolch sight words. This is a list of 220 words that makes up almost 75% of all reading done by students. The app allows for four different users at different ages or levels.
3. AppWriter
AppWriter for use on an iPad is not free but it has been described as a revolutionary tool for dyslexic students. It employs the Dyslexie font which makes it much easier for those suffering from the disability to read individual letters and words. The app widely recommended by educators.
4. Lectio
Lectio boasts the ability to take a picture of a page of text and to have one or more words read out aloud. Learners can even see a definition of specified words. This app was specifically developed for students suffering from dyslexia. It is widely used by educators focusing on learners with special needs.
5. NaturalReader
NaturalReader is free for Android users. It is a nifty app that features a build-in browser. Users can extract text from a web page (and also from many other information sources) and read it in an easy-to-follow format. The app also boasts full text-to-speech features. It is perfect for students of all ages.
6. Eye Reader
Eye Reader focuses on magnification to make reading easier for those with dyslexia. Reading is made even easier by LED illumination. The levels of magnification and illumination can easily be adjusted by the reader.
7. MeeGenius! Kid’s Books
MeeGenius! Kid’s Books is another very useful app for getting help with reading. Users can use illustrations or a special highlighting option to get help with a word or phrase. You can also opt to have the book read to you. You have to join a Reading Club but once you do you will have access to a very large selection of books suitable for all ages.
8. Learning Ally Audio
Learning Ally Audio is also a text-to-speech app, but it offers a few very useful additional features. The narration is synchronized to the printed text, making it easy for dyslexic students to relate sounds with printed words. Readers can adjust the reading speed at any time.
9. Aldiko Book Reader
Aldiko Book Reader has been described as the very best e-book reader for Android devices. More than 30 million readers use it to help them improve their reading abilities, among them many people with dyslexia. It supports most e-book formats. Readers can adjust the text size, the font, the font and background colors and even the line spacing.
10. Voice Dream Reader
Voice Dream Reader for iOS cost around $15.00 but is nevertheless a firm favorite with Apple users. It is certainly much more than just another text-to-voice reader. You can change multiple audio and visual options to customize this app to perfectly suit your needs and your reading skills level. You will like the fact that it is able to extract just the text from otherwise distracting material on web pages.
11. Learn to Read, Write and Spell
Learn to Read, Write and Spell is suitable for readers from age eight and upward, even for adults. It is particularly popular with educational institutions because it places a very high emphasis on learning how to read, how to comprehend reading material and how to write. This app for dyslexics is structured into lessons and you can navigate between different lessons very easily.
12. Reading Trainer
The Reading Trainer course sells for around $5.00 and focus almost exclusively on helping you to improve your reading speed while at the same time helping you to retain more of what you read. This is achieved by using various different reading techniques. It allows to to keep track of your progress at all times.
13. OCR Instantly Pro
OCR Instantly Pro is an affordable yet highly effective OCR app. You use the camera on your mobile device to take a picture of a page of text. The picture is then instantly converted to text. You can read the text yourself, have it read to you and you can even edit it. Every student with dyslexia should have an OCR app.
Reading Improvement Courses
Those interests in online learning might also consider a speed reading course in order to tackle bad reading habits and to improve comprehension. It is recognized that dyslexic people respond well to these this type of reading approach.
Dyslexia Apps – Writing
14. Dragon Dictation
Dragon Dictation is a free app that offers speech-to-text capabilities. As you speak, you see the text being generated. This is a very useful app for learning how to spell and how to use the tone of your voice to indicate punctuation. People with dyslexia often use this app to communicate on social media because it is five times faster than using the keyboard.
15. Ghotit Real Writer
Ghotit Real Writer is a gem of an app specifically designed for those suffering from dyslexia. It corrects faulty spelling, grammar errors, homophones and punctuation. The app will also pronounce each word as it is typed. You can also choose to have the entire text read to you. As it is read, the word being pronounced will be highlighted.
16. The Writing Machine
The Writing Machine, selling for less than $1.00, is a must have for very young dyslexic sufferers. It shows how one picture and one word goes together. It also teaches youngsters how to read from left to write and how to differentiate between words and letters. Highly recommended.
17. iWrite Words
iWrite Words has been described by the New York Times as the very best app for children with learning disabilities such as dyslexia. It uses illustrations and animations to teach children how to shape their letters and form words. You are, at all times, in charge of the nature of the challenge presented by the app. This makes it suitable for children of all ages and at all levels of reading and writing.
18. StoryBuilder
StoryBuilder for iPad won the Huffington Post award as the very best writing app for those with dyslexia. It is the perfect app for children that have already learned how to form words and sentences. This app allows you to create stories, complete with illustrations.
19. Storyrobe
Storyrobe is another app that allows students and teachers to create stories. The app boasts an excellent spell checker and you can even add photographs to your story. One interesting feature of this excellent app is that it offers full integration with e-mail and YouTube. This makes it easy to share your stories.
20. Ginger Page
Ginger Page goes beyond traditional spelling and grammar checkers. This app is contextual and looks at entire sentences at a time. It is even able to suggest better word choices. You can easily export your text to other apps, e-mail or even social media.
21. Sentence Builder
Sentence Builder is a very easy to use app course that teaches elementary school children how to build sentences. Particular attention is paid to connector words which makes up more than 80% of the English language.
Dyslexia Apps – Note Taking & Mind Mapping
22. SoundNote
SoundNote is a truly revolutionary tool for students with dyslexia. This app has an advanced recording capability. Students can record their lessons and, at the same time, make short notes or jot down keywords. The app synchronizes the recording with the notes. The student can then listen to selected portions of the recording again by simply tapping on the relevant keyword or phrase.
23. Explain Everything
Explain Everything is a brilliant mind mapping tool. This app is simply packed with useful features such as the ability to create slides, to insert shapes and diagrams and to draw in any colour. While creating a mind map you can even record what you are doing. This app is even suitable for the preparation of lessons and tutorials.
Dyslexia Apps to Improve Your Math
24. ModMath
ModMath is suitable for students at all levels. It uses an innovative approach to teach maths from the level of very basic arithmetic to advanced algebraic problems. There are numerous practical exercises and the solution is always just a tap away. It is a very user friendly app and it is free.
25. Rainbow Math
Rainbow Math is ideal for young children. It focuses upon the four basic building blocks of maths: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. The app utilizes colorful graphics to motivate learners. You can set the level at which you want to interact and there are numerous practical exercises.
Best Dyslexia Apps 2017 – Conclusion, Summary
Modern research and technology has seen to it that those suffering from dyslexia are not longer excluded from the world of learning, reading and writing. Dyslexia is a disability, but it need not be a debilitating one. Parents and teachers dealing with dyslexic students should take the trouble to identify those apps and tools that can make life easier and level the playing ground.
What are the most popular and best dyslexia apps in your opinion? Please comment below and share your ideas and experiences.
Further reading: Dyslexia Treatment Tips | Dyslexia Games | Dyslexia Books