4. Tech as Freedom
In late childhood, students have a biological drive for independence. They don't want an adult reading to them or scribing for them; they want to do it themselves. However, the sheer effort of decoding often blocks their access to the high-level content they crave.
The Research: Protecting Self-Worth We often worry that using technology will stop a child from learning to read. Research suggests the opposite: it keeps them engaged in learning. A 2022 study involving 10-year-olds found that while assistive tools (like mobile text-to-speech apps) didn't immediately boost test scores, they significantly improved the students' self-perception of their writing and their motivation to read (Tan et al., 2022) .
The Shift: "Cognitive Offloading" Reframe tools like Text-to-Speech (listening) and Speech-to-Text (dictating). This isn't "cheating"; it is "Cognitive Offloading."
Why it works: Because the dyslexic brain works harder to decode text, students burn out quickly. Tech offloads the lower-level task (decoding/spelling), freeing up their limited brain energy for higher-level thinking (comprehension and creativity).
The Goal: Preserving their dignity and allowing them to access the same intellectual content as their peers, regardless of their decoding speed.
