A Computer-Based Method to Improve the Spelling of Children with Dyslexia

In this paper we present a method which aims to improve the spelling of children with dyslexia through playful and targeted exercises. In contrast to previous approaches, our method does not use correct words or positive examples to follow, but presents the child a misspelled word as an exercise to solve. We created these training exercises on the basis of the linguistic knowledge extracted from the errors found in texts written by children with dyslexia. To test the effectiveness of this method in Spanish, we integrated the exercises in a game for iPad, DysEggxia (Piruletras in Spanish), and carried out a within-subject experiment. During eight weeks, 48 children played either DysEggxia or Word Search, which is another word game. We conducted tests and questionnaires at the beginning of the study, after four weeks when the games were switched, and at the end of the study. The children who played DysEggxia for four weeks in a row had significantly less writing errors in the tests that after playing Word Search for the same time. This provides evidence that error-based exercises presented in a tablet help children with dyslexia improve their spelling skills.Comment: 8 pages, ASSETS'14, October 20-22, 2014, Rochester, NY, US

Improving the English literacy skills of Malaysian dyslexic children: the case of culturally responsive mobile multimedia tool

Multimedia tools are becoming convenient and efficient exercise medium for dyslexic children who need to do regular language exercises in order to overcome their neurological learning disability. This study examined a newly developed, culturally responsive mobile multimedia tool for learning English among dyslexic children. The tool is an amalgamation of both cultural and linguistic features in the context of learning English among Malaysian dyslexic children who had different phonological process in utilizing audio capturing tool which hampered the development of their literacy skills. The tool was developed for smartphones and tablets that could run in both Android and IOS platforms. We conducted a test to evaluate the effectiveness of the multimedia tool using quasi experimental method among 20 dyslexic children. The outcomes of the evaluation process revealed that the developed mobile multimedia tool improved both writing and reading capability of the participants compared to traditional training method. This provides evidence that the newly developed culturally responsive multimedia tool could substantially benefit dyslexic Malaysian English learners as well as language instructors who train dyslexic students to acquire literacy skills and attain their better learning capability

Inclusive Education: Mobile Serious Games for People with Cognitive Disabilities

Nowadays, the use of mobile devices is increasingly frequent. In many occasions they are used as a means of entertainment for people through video games. Serious games is a category of video games used as teaching methods in different environments. They use fun as a strategy for the learning process. However, the vast majority do not focus on vulnerable groups such as people with cognitive disabilities, because they do not consider accessibility parameters in their design. Some video games development companies have proposed general guidelines for the implementation of accessible video games, but they have not been formalized as good practices or standards. This article presents a compilation and analysis of different accessibility guidelines for the development of mobile serious games for people with cognitive disabilities. It also proposes a model to evaluate the access of serious games for people with cognitive disabilities and applies it in a case study. Finally, an evaluation tool is proposed for mobile serious games developers focused on people with cognitive disabilities

Inclusive Education: Mobile Serious Games for People with Cognitive Disabilities

Nowadays, the use of mobile devices is increasingly frequent. In many occasions they are used as a means of entertainment for people through video games. Serious games is a category of video games used as teaching methods in different environments. They use fun as a strategy for the learning process. However, the vast majority do not focus on vulnerable groups such as people with cognitive disabilities, because they do not consider accessibility parameters in their design. Some video games development companies have proposed general guidelines for the implementation of accessible video games, but they have not been formalized as good practices or standards. This article presents a compilation and analysis of different accessibility guidelines for the development of mobile serious games for people with cognitive disabilities. It also proposes a model to evaluate the access of serious games for people with cognitive disabilities and applies it in a case study. Finally, an evaluation tool is proposed for mobile serious games developers focused on people with cognitive disabilities

Intelligent Learning Systems for Inclusive Education: A Focus on Dyslexia

Undergraduate thesis submitted to the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems, Ashesi University, in partial fulfillment of Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, May 2022As children grow, they learn how to read and write. Reading involves recognizing, distinguishing, and understanding words and characters to make sense of a text. By the age of 7, a child should read and understand simple texts. For some people, it is not the case. They struggle to read and write. Reading is fundamental as it is applied everywhere; for instance, a person needs to read road signs to know their current location, read the operating manual for a new device they have bought, and many others. Some people struggle to read and write because of a learning disability called Dyslexia. It makes them unable to identify words and make sense of them. Some people can overcome Dyslexia by third grade, but others struggle even in university. Students are struggling to keep up academically because of this learning disability. This Thesis undertakes research to identify what students with Dyslexia go through and what strategies work best to help them study effectively and at a reasonable pace.Ashesi Universit

The short term effects of non-action video games on reading abilities in fist grade children of primary school

openIl gioco è un’attività altamente gratificante che offre benefici di tipo fisico, emotivo, sociale e cognitivo. Tra gli aspetti più importanti dello sviluppo cognitivo viene evidenziata l’abilità di lettura, un processo dinamico basato sull’utilizzo dell’attenzione spazio-temporale e di movimenti oculari organizzati che ci permettono di favorire lo shift attentivo. Al giorno d’oggi, i videogiochi sono una delle forme di più gioco più diffuse al mondo, e in parallelo allo sviluppo di quest’industria è emersa l’indagine del loro impatto positivo sullo sviluppo emotivo, sociale e cognitivo. In questo studio sono stati esaminati 70 bambini al primo anno di scuola elementare, comparando la loro prestazione ad un video gioco d’azione (AVG), un video gioco non d’azione (NAVG) con una baseline, per comprendere come potessero impattare le loro abilità motorie, verbali e visuo-spaziali. I risultati ottenuti non evidenziano differenze significative nei profili neuropsicologici in baseline per la condizione NAVG, che non sembrerebbe quindi richiedere abilità cognitive particolari. Focalizzando l’attenzione sull’effetto dei NAVG sull’abilità di lettura, si osserva un aumento della velocità ma anche un aumento degli errori commessi, che rispecchierebbe un cambio di strategia piuttosto che un vero miglioramento della performance (effetto trade-off). In futuro sarebbe importante continuare ad esplorare il potenziale dei NAVG come forma d’intervento nei confronti di soggetti con diverse necessità e caratteristiche cognitive

Estudo da utilização de dispositivos móveis no acompanhamento da dislexia

A dislexia é um transtorno no desenvolvimento da linguagem, associado a pessoas que manifestam dificuldades no processamento da leitura e da escrita. Estas dificuldades afetam significativamente o rendimento escolar e as atividades do quotidiano. São dificuldades inesperadas, tendo em conta as capacidades cognitivas da pessoa e o seu ambiente sociocultural, e para as superar é fundamental efetuar um diagnóstico precoce que, por sua vez, possibilite a definição de estratégias e a planificação de atividades de reeducação/intervenção. Neste processo de superação, os especialistas, a família e a escola têm um papel preponderante. Também as tecnologias de informação e comunicação têm-se revelado instrumentos eficazes no processo de ensino-aprendizagem e diversos estudos comprovam que a sua utilização agiliza a fluência da leitura. No entanto, ainda é escasso o uso destas tecnologias, e em particular dos jogos em dispositivos móveis, no processo de reeducação disléxica para a língua portuguesa. Neste âmbito, propõe-se a criação de uma aplicação móvel (jogo), com o objetivo de reeducar a leitura, monitorizar, avaliar e retirar as devidas conclusões acerca da aprendizagem de palavras por alunos com dislexia, a frequentar o 2.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico e cuja língua materna seja o português. Deste modo, neste trabalho é analisado até que ponto os jogos digitais, nomeadamente os Serious Games, em dispositivos móveis, contribuem para a aprendizagem das crianças com dislexia. O estudo envolveu grupos de alunos de várias escolas, incluindo tanto alunos com dislexia como normoleitores. A maioria dos alunos com dislexia é já acompanhada tanto na escola, como muitas vezes com apoio externo à escola. Os resultados nas atividades propostas no âmbito do jogo móvel mostraram que os alunos com dislexia conseguiram resultados aproximados aos do grupo de controlo, com um desempenho ligeiramente inferior com maior tempo de execução

Irakurketa zailtasunei aurrea hartzeko software didaktiko baten diseinua eta ebaluazioa.

369 p.La presente tesis describe la investigación llevada a cabo en el diseño del software de intervención Berni para la mejora de las manifestaciones tempranas de la dislexia y en la evaluación de su eficacia. Para ello, por una parte, se detalla el proceso seguido en el diseño del software, la estructura, las características y el funcionamiento. Además, se pormenoriza tanto la versión locial como la página web donde se ubica la versión online del programa educativo (berni.dalata.net). En concreto, el programa en euskera Berni interviene en las manifestaciones predisléxica de conciencia fonológica, velocidad de nombrado, principio alfabético, memoria verbal, lenguaje receptivo-expresivo y conciencia de lo impreso