Reading. I remember leaving the library with my three kids. We climbed into the minivan, each child with a stack of books in their lap. Two of the kids cracked open a book and were happily reading. One kid sat staring at the stack. From the back seat I heard, “I wish I could read.” I don’t remember what I said in response. Honestly at that point we weren’t certain if that kiddo would be able to read fluently in the future. I know my heart felt heavy and I promised we’d read aloud when we got home. Spoiler alert: that kiddo did learn to read, but audio books were and have remained an amazing resource for our family.
Listening to books is an amazing way to bypass the obstacle of eye reading. Don’t stress this one. Listening to literature is so very good. It isn’t cheating. You are not giving up on your child learning to read if you give them access to audio books. On the contrary, you are allowing them to fall in love with reading without forcing every word to be filtered through their disability. You are giving them a reason to want to push through the hard and learn to read. Also, it is ok to have scaffolds. Some people need a wheelchair ramp. Others need glasses. We don’t say they are cheating if they utilize appropriate accommodations to access learning.
There is legitimate research out there demonstrating that listening is equally valuable to your brain as reading with your eyes. This article summarizes a helpful UC Berkeley study that was originally published by the Journal of Neuroscience. It backs up my argument that listening to audio books can be a good thing. Audio books can help counter the “Matthew Effect” (the idea that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer) where kids who struggle with reading then have limited exposure to rich vocabulary, creating a downward spiral. With audio books, dyslexics are able to access rich and sophisticated vocabulary despite any lag in reading skills. I found this blog by speech pathologist Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan that explains a little more about audio books and the Matthew Effect.
Options for Listening
- Libby App. This is amazing! And it is free. All you need is a library card. Sync your library card(s) with the app and you’ll find free access to audio and digital books to check out directly to your device. You can even stack it with additional library cards- sign up for a library card in neighboring counties.
- Learning Ally. This is low cost and there is the ability to apply for a sliding scale rate as well. Some school districts also offer it to free for qualifying students. To access Learning Ally’s audio books with digital print for read-along, you do need to apply and submit proof of diagnosis. The upside: loads of audio books at a low price. They also make available audio versions for books that are not available to the general public. Downside: books are read by volunteers or are a computer voice. The professional narrations do sound better.
- Bookshare. This is similar to Learning Ally, but it is free, so check it out. Like Learning Ally, the audio books are volunteer-read or computer-generated narrations. It also has options to follow along with the text.
- Get Epic. This is good for preschool through elementary. There are not audio books for all of the books, but we found this helpful.
- Audible. This option’s downside is the price. But, the world is your oyster with fabulous, professional audio narrations of so many books. What I do is start with the Libby App, and then get books on audible that we can’t borrow for free through Libby.
- Local Library. Besides digital books through the Libby app or your local library’s website, many libraries have audio books on CD to check out.
- Yoto. Is your family trying to go screen-free or more limited with screen access? Yoto is an option.
- Alexa Devices can synch with your audible account. You can say, “Alexa, read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” and the audio book will resume wherever you previously paused it. Alexa also has child accounts where you curate what they can access through it. Alexa can also work with Bookshare.
- Orcam Scanner Reader. Yes, it costs 6x what all the other scanner pens cost. Here’s the deal. There are so many scanner pens out there that don’t work well. It’s super frustrating and disappointing. We spent $300 on a reputable, well-known scanner pen and it was a bust. Picture my kid sitting with his book and scanning over and over with the unsuccessful pen. It glitches or says the wrong thing, and kiddo keeps trying. Skip all of that and look into Orcam. Here is one on Amazon for $1,900.
- iPhone/iPad accessibility. If you have an Apple device, it has built-in read-aloud accessibility. To activate it, 1. Go to Settings. 2. Go to Accessibility. 3. Go to Spoken Content. 4. Toggle “on” Speak Screen. 5. Now, swipe down with two fingers from the top-center of the screen. Siri will start reading aloud whatever is on the screen. Even take a photo of a menu and Siri will read it. Or, have Siri read a Facebook thread.
- Speechify. A subscription text-to-speech program that allows everything onscreen to be read aloud. The voices utilize A.I., but the creators have put a lot of work into developing a natural sound and pacing. You can speed it up or slow it down. Listen to Gwynneth Paltrow, Snoop Dawg or choose a different voice to read aloud your homework assignment or an article on the computer.
Dictionaries
Of course, you can “google” a word these days, ask Siri, ask Alexa, etc. But paper dictionaries still have their place. I have a couple options to recommend.
- Large Print Dictionary. This is a regular Webster’s dictionary, but created with a large print that is a little easier to read.
- Dictionary Designed for Dyslexic Learners. I haven’t purchased this one yet, but I’m interested! One thing it does is include phonetic spellings and redirects you to the correct spelling. For instance, “feenix” would send you to “phoenix.” I remember this being a problem for me- trying to look up a word when I was spelling it incorrectly.
Bible Options
This question comes up so much, so I thought I’d answer it here. What are some accessible options for dyslexics to access the Bible? Sometimes parents are looking for a Bible a kid can read independently at home, or to have a Bible to take to a class that doesn’t look too childish.
- The YouVersion Bible App. You can read and/or listen to any version of the Bible. It is easy to listen and follow along. Or, switch between reading with eyes to listening. Also, it is easy to look scriptures up. It also has the dyslexia font as a font option. It also offers devotional/study supplements for learning.
- The audio book platforms previously mentioned: Libby, Learning Ally offer the Bible.
- Audible with Johnny Cash and James Earl Jones. Yes! You can listen to the New Testament in Johnny Cash’s sweet, low drawl. Or, listen to the Bible in James Earl Jones’ booming voice. It is almost like Darth Vader is doing a read-aloud. Of course, Audible has plenty of other narration options, but these are two of my favorites.
- The Action Bible is great! This is not a word-for-word Bible, but a graphic novel depicting many stories of the Bible and staying close to the text. Also, it has a corresponding audio book available on Audible. The audio book has sound effects and is theatrical. It is not a Bible where you can look up specific scripture word-for-word.
- Good versions for dyslexic readers. Consider the NIV, ESV, The Message, and NLT. These stand out to me as good options. The Message translates the Bible into very common and understandable modern English. NIV, ESV and NLT are best for staying really close to other translations.
- Large Print. Something like this could be good and reader-friendly.
- Dyslexia font options. Some readers find the dyslexia-friendly font easier to read. Here is a hardback option and a soft, imitation leather option.
- Additional Bible hacks.
- Put sticky tabs in to make it easier to locate a certain book of the Bible. Sometimes it can take a dyslexic person longer to locate a certain book, or longer to memorize the book order.
- If your child is using the book in school or a Bible class, talk to the teacher. You could get your child the same Bible as the teacher (or purchase a dyslexia-friendly version for both your child and the teacher). If the teacher has everyone look up a particular verse, ask them to not just say, “Colossians 3:12,” but to also say, “Page 1,007.” It is easier to look up by page number.
- Appropriate accommodations. Sometimes a teacher will ask kids to go around in a circle and each have a turn reading. The teacher has no idea that this may be difficult or embarrassing for your child, and has zero intention of causing stress to your kid. Consider letting the teacher know (or child can advocate for themselves.) Let them know that read aloud turns doesn’t work. If the teacher has a problem with this, that might be a sign that this teacher is not a good fit. Plan ahead so your child is not caught off guard. If your child wants to read aloud, perhaps they can get assigned a passage the week before so they can practice reading it ahead of time.
Final thoughts.
I want to offer one last encouragement. If you have one of those kiddos who isn’t reading, yet, I know it is a hard journey. You’re not alone. Jonathan Mooney didn’t learn to read until he was twelve years old, and he graduated with an honors English degree from Brown University. He is a sought-after author, speaker and neurodiversity advocate. I love this quote from his website:
Mr. R my third-grade teacher used to ask everyone of his students what they are really good at and what they wanted to be when they grow up. That was a hard question answer for me big part of special-education where all I heard was what was wrong with me. One day I told him that I’m I want to be a writer because I loved to tell and listen to stories but I didn’t think I could really do that because I couldn’t spell. I was nine years old and Mr. R looked right at me and said screw spelling. As my editors will attest to, I have followed Mr. r advice.
Check him out. His book, Normal Sucks, is very helpful. You’ve got this! PS. You probably already know this, but your kid is amazing.
Happy Reading!!
~Christina
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