Font for Dyslexics that makes reading easier

[Chris in VA]

SWB just posted a Facebook link to a place that has a font for sale. It makes it easier for dyslexics to read! Isn't that GREAT?

[Jean in Newcastle]

Very interesting! I wonder if someone learned to read in that font, if it would make it easier for them later to switch to reading material in other fonts?

[Perry]

I'm skeptical. Dyslexia is primarily a language disorder, not a visual problem. Dyslexics have problems with word retrieval, rapid automatic naming, and phonemic awareness. Do they have any evidence that it's helpful?

[Quiver0f10]

I'm skeptical. Dyslexia is primarily a language disorder, not a visual problem. Dyslexics have problems with word retrieval, rapid automatic naming, and phonemic awareness. Do they have any evidence that it's helpful?

 

I agree. I saw this a few months ago and wondered about it too. I do think some children might benefit from this but overall I don't know how helpful it would be to most dyslexics. I think it would simply confuse my son.

[elegantlion]

My son is not diagnosed dyslexic but we believe he has some minor issues, they may fall more into the dysgraphia area. He has trouble deciphering inconsistent handwriting (like I write with a cursive/print mix), cursive, and fancy fonts.

 

I previewed the font and it did give me tips on how to make my handwriting more legible for ds, also it helped me pick some better fonts (ones already on the computer) to use in our printed work.

[ElizabethB]

It's possible...there is an underlying visual component for some of my students. I found that they all were confused and read markedly slower when I made vowels blue and the consonants black. It helped my ESL students but slowed down a majority of my remedial students even after a few times to get used to it--they never could. It initially slowed down my daughter, but caused no problems when she got used to it.

 

Also, my UPP, a heavily marked print, is distracting for a percentage of my students but helpful to others. So, it may be distracting for those with a visual component to their dyslexia and helpful for those with an phonemic component. The UPP is especially helpful for my ESL students and students with speech apraxia or other speech problems.

[nono]

I keep saying my dd doesn't have dyslexia, but something milder and related. I notice she's often tripped up by fonts (I was a graphic designer in a past life), so I'm quite intrigued by the font.

 

SHOOT! I wish my dh wasn't unemployed 'cause I'd pony up the euros without a thought if we had good cash flow right now. I'll have to think this through for awhile. But it could be exactly what she needs.

[kalanamak]

I'm skeptical. Dyslexia is primarily a language disorder, not a visual problem. Dyslexics have problems with word retrieval, rapid automatic naming, and phonemic awareness. Do they have any evidence that it's helpful?

 

:iagree: I remember my husband learning the deaf alphabet, and spelling eagle perfectly and backwards. I also remember telling him (he's hard of hearing) over and over the word "psychologist". He finally said "wait a minute, let me spell it to you," then said back to me, "Do you mean t-s-i-g-o-l-o-h-c-y-s-p?"

 

What an eye opener.

[ondreeuh]

I'm skeptical. Dyslexia is primarily a language disorder, not a visual problem. Dyslexics have problems with word retrieval, rapid automatic naming, and phonemic awareness. Do they have any evidence that it's helpful?

 

:iagree: This exactly describes my son, and I don't see how changing font would help that.

[Lolly]

I am certain it would help my eldest who is dyslexic. Hers seems primarily visual. She reads words backwards. Spells them with the right letters in the wrong order. And, color makes a huge difference in her ability to read. She can read white text on blue background best. Black text on white is the worst for her; especially if it is on shiny paper. She says the black text makes holes in the paper. (Truly a 3D look.)Her vision is sucked into the holes. Different fonts make a difference for her too.

[LibraryLover]

Dyslexia --and its cognitive dissonance cousins-- is so complex, but I can see how this could be of help to some!

Edited November 7, 2011 by LibraryLover

[Melissa in Australia]

Dyslexia --and its congnitive dissonance cousins-- is so complex,

 

:iagree: And that is where the problem lies, it is different for every person. and to different degrees. It can be so frustrating for people to say oh, this will work for your children, I saw it online or on TV and it cures dyslexia.

Not everyone has improvement with coloured lenses,

not everyone finds help with different font

Dragon naturally speaking doesn't work for every dyslexic.

 

My brother has dyslexia and can only write in Capital letters. He can read and comprehend what he reads only if he skips all the small words, otherwise he looses the picture in his mind of what is happening in each sentence.

I have dyslexia I have no trouble with reading but, am very confused when reading written instructions, I have to ask many questions for clarification, I cannot spell to save myself and spell check is my best friend.

My ds17 has dyslexia, he has no problems with reading or maths,Except he is increadably s.l.o.w at it. He really struggles expressing any thoughts on paper, if he dictates to me, then copies what I have jotted down, than he has no problems.

Ds14 has dyslexia and really struggles with reading, and complained that the font of some books make the text impossible to read, for some strange reason he loves dictation. I really can not read what he has written down though.

Edited November 1, 2011 by melissaL

[EKS]

I can see that this particular font has some advantages. However, there is more to dyslexia than just what's seen on the page.

[Farrar]

Does it mean I'm some sort of anti-dyslexic if I find it harder to read? I genuinely recoiled when I saw it on the page. But the video was interesting, so if I had a kid who was dyslexic, I think I'd absolutely give it a try.

 

But for me... Give me the beauty of Helvetica any day. Oh, Helvetica, you're so purdy.

[Perry]

I'm skeptical. Dyslexia is primarily a language disorder, not a visual problem. Dyslexics have problems with word retrieval, rapid automatic naming, and phonemic awareness. Do they have any evidence that it's helpful?

I don't know where the results have been published, but I found this:

 

Dt. T. van Leeuwen, a researcher from the University of Twente, contacted Boer in 2009, asking to conduct a study on the font. Van Leeuwen's study, published in December, recruited 43 students, 21 of whom had dyslexia, and asked them to perform two reading tests.

The tests involved reading as many words as possible out loud and then recording how many errors were made. Some of the words were written in the standard sans serif font Arial (font size 14), while others were written in Dyslexie.

The researchers had expected that the dyslectics would read faster using the Dyslexie font; in fact, they didn't. But they did make slightly fewer errors in their reading compared to when they were reading using the Arial font.

The dyslectics were also more likely than the normal reader to say they liked the "Dyslexie" in a questionnaire following the study. But they didn't say they would necessarily be more likely to use the font.

 

Wonder what "slightly fewer" errors means... Is it statistically significant? Is it reproducible?

 

I'm sure that some fonts are easier to read than others, and that everyone has their own preferences. But unless they can demonstrate that this font allows dyslexics to read faster, with fewer errors and greater comprehension, I remain skeptical.

[Perry]

I found the article.

Abstract: Reading errors like switching letters is a persistent characteristic of errors for dyslectics (Braams, 2001). This type of error can be explained by the magnocellular theory (Stein, 2001; Stein, Talcott, & Walsh, 2000). The font “Dyslexie” is developed to increase the reading accuracy and readability of texts for dyslectics, so that the errors by switching letters are reduced.

Aim: To examine difference in reading speed and accuracy between dyslectics and normal readers, while reading printed words and non-words in the fonts “Dyslexie” and Arial.

Sample: Twenty-one dyslectic and twenty-two normal reading students participated voluntarily or received European Credits or money

Method: Students read the reading tests EMT and Klepel twice. Once printed in the font Arial and once in the font “Dyslexie”. The order was randomly assigned. In-between the reading tests an auditory task was fulfilled.

Results: No significant difference in speed was measured, but there were some positive and negative effects found for the interaction font and dyslexia on the accuracy for reading words and non-words.

Conclusion: Reading with the font “Dyslexie” does not improve the reading speed for reading words. However some specific type of reading errors are decreased, but others are increased. Overall the dyslectics read fewer errors while reading the words printed in the font “Dyslexie”. Further research in needed to examine the hypotheses that the reading speed and accuracy increases while reading texts that are printed in the font “Dyslexie”.

Keywords: Dyslexia, visual noise, special font, reading ability.

No significant differences. Some errors were made worse.

 

 

Snake oil.

[LizzyBee]

I'm skeptical. Dyslexia is primarily a language disorder, not a visual problem. Dyslexics have problems with word retrieval, rapid automatic naming, and phonemic awareness. Do they have any evidence that it's helpful?

 

:iagree: Thanks for finding information about the study.

[nono]

But for me... Give me the beauty of Helvetica any day. Oh, Helvetica, you're so purdy.

 

Have you seen its movie? It's available via Netflix.

[merry gardens]

I can see that this particular font has some advantages. However, there is more to dyslexia than just what's seen on the page.

:iagree:

Agreed. The link says that dyslexics make fewer errors with this font; it doesn't claim to fix all their reading problems. The font seems like it would be very helpful for the many dyslexic who struggle with reversal issues. The letters look "bottom heavy", so it provides a quick and easy way to recognize "b" vs "p". There's much more to dyslexia beyond flipping letters, but that contributes to some reading errors.

[merry gardens]

I found the article. No significant differences. Some errors were made worse.

 

 

Snake oil.

That article is totally fascinating! Thanks for the link. However, I don't think the study at all proves your "snake oil" theory. That study uses Arial as the comparison font. I've read at least one book on dyslexia that suggested Ariel is a preferred font of many people with dyslexia. Ariel is my (likely dyslexic) husband's favorite font for reading because he finds it easier than most other fonts. The study compares one font favored by many dyslexics to this other developed for dyslexics. The results might have been different and may have shown significant differences if they had compared "Dyslexie" font to another font disfavored by dyslexics instead of Arial.

[Spy Car]

That article is totally fascinating! Thanks for the link. However, I don't think the study at all proves your "snake oil" theory. That study uses Arial as the comparison font. I've read at least one book on dyslexia that suggested Ariel is a preferred font of many people with dyslexia. Ariel is my (likely dyslexic) husband's favorite font for reading because he finds it easier than most other fonts. The study compares one font favored by many dyslexics to this other developed for dyslexics. The results might have been different and may have shown significant differences if they had compared "Dyslexie" font to another font disfavored by dyslexics instead of Arial.

 

I find it interesting that Arial would be a favorite font of dyslexic people as it is one of the fonts particularly prone to looking "the same" when flipped or transposed (as demonstrated in the video linked in the OP).

 

Bill

[Perry]

That article is totally fascinating! Thanks for the link. However, I don't think the study at all proves your "snake oil" theory. That study uses Arial as the comparison font. I've read at least one book on dyslexia that suggested Ariel is a preferred font of many people with dyslexia. Ariel is my (likely dyslexic) husband's favorite font for reading because he finds it easier than most other fonts. The study compares one font favored by many dyslexics to this other developed for dyslexics. The results might have been different and may have shown significant differences if they had compared "Dyslexie" font to another font disfavored by dyslexics instead of Arial.

I agree that comparisons with other fonts would be useful. And no, it doesn't prove that it's snake oil. That was an exaggeration. But it is being marketed to dyslexics and IMO, there is no evidence that it is useful at all.

 

As an aside, I don't know why they used the F statistic, since they are comparing 2 groups. I'm not a statistician but that doesn't seem like the right test. Also, the number of errors is so low in both groups that I don't think the results are meaningful.

[merry gardens]

I find it interesting that Arial would be a favorite font of dyslexic people as it is one of the fonts particularly prone to looking "the same" when flipped or transposed (as demonstrated in the video linked in the OP).

 

Bill

Yes, but it's not as "busy" as some common fonts. Notice all the extra little "tick" marks on Times New Roman's letters. It looks like the person who designed this Dyslexie font wanted to keep the letters simple while make them less "flippable" than Arial.

 

I find things like computer fonts and the various letter shapes in handwriting fascinating. It's hard for me to pick handwriting programs and design formal documents (including simple things like our family Christmas cards and birth announcement) because I over-evaluate the various letter strokes and shapes. Just what I needed-- yet one more font to choose from! :lol: