Development and feasibility analysis of an assistance system for high school students with dyslexia

Abstract Background Students with dyslexia may be at a disadvantage on timed assessments that require reading skills compared to their non-dyslexic peers, even though they are not necessarily less intelligent or less prepared than these students. Aims The study aims to analyze the possible benefits in reading comprehension and reading fluency of students with Dyslexia when using an assistance tool in an evaluation that requires reading skills. Methods and procedures Each participant with dyslexia did a reading comprehension assessment in two different reading interfaces: on a white paper and in our previously developed tool, in order to assess and compare their reading comprehension and reading fluency. Outcomes and results The results obtained show that students with dyslexia could benefit from the point of view of fluency and reading comprehension by using compensation software that helps them read in situations of anxiety. Conclusions and implications Properly designed assistive tools can enhance the reading skills of young people with dyslexia. The developed tool should be improved considering the improvements proposed in the present studies, in the same way it is suggested to carry out a study with a larger number of participants and evaluate them individually.