New technologies may provide help to those with reading difficulties

From The Canadian Press:

MONTREAL — Technology -- some of it no further than your local electronics store -- is being used more widely to help people with reading difficulties.

But many experts caution it should be considered a support and not a cure-all.

"It shouldn't be used in place of remediation but in conjunction with it," said Michelle Halsey, executive director of the Canadian branch of the International Dyslexia Association.

"Especially with young children, there's a huge chance that you could make a difference, more of an impact, if you can reach them with remediation when they're younger."

In 2009, Microsoft Canada praised New Brunswick teacher Genevieve Doucet for using its OneNote program to help students with dyslexia in her class to organize their notes.

Halsey's organization has also said Amazon's Kindle is useful in encouraging students to read.

Halsey, who has worked with other computer-based language systems, said the new iPad could have some benefits, given the video capability that comes with a number of books.

"If you're doing a history lesson and you can see a re-enactment of something in history as well as reading it, it gives you a better context for what you're looking at," she said.

Rhonda McEwan, a University of Toronto professor, is studying communication by children with reading difficulties in the junior kindergarten to Grade 8 levels. She expects an explosion of technology.

"I think it's happening," she said, noting the number of applications to aid in reading books has increased since she started her study in February.

"The No. 1 set of applications that are being developed for the iPod and the iPad are actually reading applications, above entertainment and all the others," she said.

While McEwan is focusing on children with autism, she said some also have dyslexia. Her research examines their use of the iPod Touch more than devices such as the Kindle.

"What we're finding, in particular with the older children, is that there's a greater motivation to stay with the material, even when it is more difficult for them," she said in a telephone interview.

She said the integration of visual and audio information is key because dyslexia has to do with the way text is understood by the brain as it is imported by the eyes.

"What we're finding is that if you can simultaneously complement that with the actual word being read out phonetically it is quite useful to dyslexics who begin to better (their) pattern recognition."

McEwan agreed technology is fundamentally a support aspect but noted teachers have found the iPod Touch useful because of its small size, making it more transportable, and popular because of its coolness factor.

"I've interviewed six of the teachers who have been using it in the classroom and they have found that technology has had a profound change to the way they are teaching as well."

Ingrid Poupart, head of Montreal's Stepping Up Resource Centre, says she is getting good results using a technology-based approach to helping dyslexics.

Poupart, who is dyslexic, is a licensee of the Cellfield Intervention, a program devised in Australia to stimulate attention and memory through language exercises and moving graphics that look in some instances like a video game.

"What the children have said is they have clarity," she said. "All of a sudden, they're just understanding and that's what's working."

Poupart said it probably helps that the students are used to computers in today's wired society.

"They don't even realize that a whole new world is opening up because it's quick. They enjoyed it. It wasn't painful."

Jo-Ann Wolff said her 11-year-old daughter is enjoying reading and writing since working with Poupart.

"It's almost like a key and it unlocks whatever it is inside of her that's blocked," Wolff said.

"She sees results. She's working hard. Being told that one day she'll be able to read, she'll be able to write is one thing but to actually, physically see it. . . ."

Sue Hall, founder of Vancouver's Whole Dyslexia Society, sees the advantages in technology but is concerned that younger people would be drawn to systems that will write out phrases for them when they talk into the device.

She sees resorting to technology more when the student is overwhelmed.

"I have no problem with that if it's dealing with overwhelm but I have a problem with it if it's the only way they can do something," she said.

"I'm not a huge fan of technology. I think it's a wonderful thing but I think we overdo it."