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Technology and assistive tools for dyslexia

Assistive technology can reduce the barriers associated with reading, writing, recording ideas, studying and organisation. It does not remove dyslexia, and it is not a substitute for good teaching, structured intervention or the right adjustments. Used well, it gives people a more direct route to what they already know.

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Choosing technology based on the barrier

The useful question is not which app is best. It is what is actually getting in the way. A tool that reduces a real barrier for one person may add effort for another, so start with the task rather than the software.

Work from the task backwards

Describe the moment that is hard: reading a dense page of text, getting a first sentence down, remembering what was said in a lesson or meeting, finding the right file again.

Then look for the function that addresses it. Functions travel across devices and change less often than product names do.

Introduce tools gradually

One tool at a time, trialled in meaningful tasks, usually works better than a suite of software installed at once. Most tools need practice before they feel easier than the old way of working.

Technology should sit alongside teaching and support, not replace it. Improved performance while using a tool does not prove or disprove dyslexia.

By function

What technology can help with

Support for reading

Text-to-speech reads written material aloud, which can reduce the effort of decoding and free up attention for meaning. Adjustable fonts, spacing, colour and screen rulers help some readers track text more comfortably.

Reading tools also make longer documents more manageable, particularly where the reading load has grown faster than reading fluency.

Support for writing and spelling

Word prediction, dyslexia-aware spellcheckers, dictionaries and homophone checkers can support accuracy and written fluency. Grammar and readability tools can help with editing.

These are aids, not authors. They work best where the person still shapes the ideas and uses the tool to get them down more accurately.

Speech-to-text and text-to-speech

Speech-to-text (dictation) can reduce the transcription demands of writing, so ideas are not lost while attention goes to spelling and handwriting. It needs practice, a quiet enough space and a habit of checking the output.

Text-to-speech is also a proofreading tool: hearing your own writing read back often catches errors the eye skips over.

Planning, organisation and mind mapping

Mind-mapping and outlining tools help with planning, sequencing and holding a structure in view. Calendars, reminders, task lists and shared checklists support day-to-day organisation.

For many people this is where technology makes the most visible difference, because it reduces the memory load rather than the literacy load.

Note-taking and study support

Recording, live captions, transcription, and note tools that link audio to typed notes can take pressure off writing at speed. Flashcards, revision timers and reference managers help with study routines.

Recording in lessons, lectures or meetings needs permission and should follow the setting's own policy.

Built-in accessibility features

Most phones, tablets, laptops and Chromebooks already include text-to-speech, dictation, reading views, font and spacing controls, colour filters and focus modes at no extra cost.

Trying these first is often quicker, cheaper and easier to sustain than buying additional software.

Named products are deliberately kept to a minimum here. Software changes, licences change, and no single tool is suitable for every person or every setting.

In education

Technology in schools and examinations

Where technology is used in exams, it usually has to reflect the learner's normal way of working and be approved by the school, college or exam centre under the applicable rules. A dyslexia diagnosis does not by itself entitle anyone to a computer reader, a scribe, word processing or extra time.

Everyday classroom use comes first

A tool introduced shortly before an exam season is unlikely to help, and may not be permitted. Where a laptop, reader or dictation is genuinely useful, it should be part of ordinary lessons and assessments well beforehand.

Beyond school

Technology at university and in the workplace

University and college

Reading volume, note-taking and long written assignments are the usual pressure points. Universities also provide their own accessibility software, library reading tools and study skills support, which are worth exploring before buying anything.

Some students may be able to access suitable software and training through Disabled Students' Allowance, following a needs assessment. Preparing for university with dyslexia explains how that process works.

Work

At work, the useful tools are often the ones already licensed by the employer: dictation, read-aloud, captions, templates, shared task lists and calendar reminders. Adjustments are agreed with the employer, and Access to Work may be able to help in some circumstances.

Dyslexia at work includes a free thinking tool for preparing that conversation.

How to trial and review a tool

Assess, plan, do and review

The graduated approach used in schools works just as well for an adult trialling something at home or at work. Choose deliberately, use it properly for long enough, then judge it honestly.

01
Assess
Identify the learner's strengths, barriers and current level of independence. Be specific about the task that is difficult rather than the label attached to it.
02
Plan
Choose a tool for a clearly defined purpose and agree what improvement will be monitored, over what period and by whom.
03
Do
Teach the learner how to use the tool. Provide enough practice, in real tasks, for its use to become familiar rather than an occasional novelty.
04
Review
Consider whether the tool has improved access, accuracy, confidence, independence or efficiency. Adapt or discontinue it when it is not helping.

Questions worth asking before you commit

What specific barrier is the tool intended to reduce?
Does the person find it easy and comfortable to use?
Does it improve accuracy, independence, confidence or efficiency?
Can the person use it consistently in their usual setting?
Is training or practice required?
Does it comply with school, university or workplace policies?
Does it reflect the learner's normal way of working when this is relevant to access arrangements?

Schools and organisations should complete their own safeguarding, privacy, licensing and data-protection checks before introducing a digital service, particularly where accounts are created for children or where work is stored outside the setting.

Trusted external guidance

Explore trusted technology guidance

CALL Scotland provides free guidance about technology that can support people with dyslexia and literacy difficulties. Its resources include app wheels, practical posters and guidance covering reading, writing and organisation. The resources also highlight useful accessibility features already built into many devices.

CALL Scotland is an independent organisation based at the University of Edinburgh. It is not connected to Defining Dyslexia and does not endorse this service. The links below open the original CALL Scotland pages in a new tab, so the resources are always the current versions.

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