The Assistive Technologies that are Leveling the Playing Field: Part 1 of 3
For the parent of a dyslexic child, sifting through the myriad of apps and other assistive technology can be an incredibly daunting task. But don’t fret! I’ve spent quite a bit of time (and money), figuring out which are most helpful, and which aren’t, so you don’t have to! I’ll take you through a 3-part blog series providing you with my reviews, as well as my 4th Grade daughter’s. She is the “expert” in our household, as she is the one walking in a dyslexic’s shoes.
To begin my search, I knew what would be most helpful for my daughter was something that could help her read more efficiently, so that she could keep the pace with her peers. I wanted her to have something that would read printed text to her, whether it was something from the computer, or an article or paper that her teachers needed her to comprehend.
In judging the TEXT to SPEECH assistive technology, I looked at several things:
1). Ease of Use: Could an elementary aged child use this independently without an adult’s help?
2). Efficiency: Was it worth the time and energy, or would it just be easier to “eye read?”
3). Voice: Does the “reader’s” voice sound natural enough so that a person wouldn’t be annoyed listening to synthesized speech?
In the first part of this series, we’re looking at computer-based Text to Speech options.
Chrome: Google Chrome’s web-browser has a couple of options that can help read content on webpages. You can get an “extension” by opening Chrome, clicking on the 3 vertical dots for Chrome’s menu, click on More Tools, extensions, “Get more extensions.” Type in “Text to Speech” in the search bar. Choose any of the free options to add. I tried two.
ClaroRead Chrome: This extension allows you to choose a voice (we actually prefer the Chrome UK English Female), a reading speed, how you want to have the text read to you (we used “Click and Play), and it allows for text highlighting with a choice of highlighter color. The highlighting occurs directly on the website being viewed. I did purchase the premium version to see what the differences were and to get more voices, but it wasn’t worth it. Save your money and use the free version.
TTSReader X: This extension creates a pop-up box where the website text will appear and be read aloud. It allows for voice choice, reading speed, and it highlights the text read in yellow. It also has a “Toggle Readability-Mode” which will open the website to be in plain text, without the pictures or other distractions that can be on a webpage. This does make it easier for printing, if that is needed.
Google Drive: Google Docs has an option to “add-on” a text reader. To be honest, in watching the promotional video for it, I was excited… However, in practice, it is highly inefficient and only works intermittently. It is supposed to bold the text being read, but the voice and the boldness do not align or match up. The reading also tends to stop in the middle of a passage and you can’t get it to continue reading. Other times, it just won’t read. If you find a way to get this “add-on” to work better, please share with us…
What I did find helpful, was that the Google Extension “ClaroRead Chrome,” from above, still works within Google Docs to read the text. It even keeps its highlighting ability.
A great option I did find in Google Docs, was the SPEECH to TEXT option. My daughter was able to “speak” her assignment and the computer picked it up. She does need to practice verbalizing her punctuation so that it’s not one giant paragraph, but it saves her from typing or writing, so that her ideas get put down right away. There are commands that can be practiced so that there is no need for typing at all, but again, those are more advanced skills that we’ll have to work on. To find this option, enter a Google Doc, click on Tools, and then “Voice Typing.”
Unfortunately, I do not own a Mac, and therefore cannot speak to those computers, but Steve Jobs was dyslexic, and actually has some built in assistive technology directly on the Mac and iPad. There should be a Text to Speech and Speech to Text option available. (We do own iPads and have been playing with the Text to Speech options).
These computer-based options are a good place to start practicing with assistive technology, as kids are now constantly being exposed to computers, and this is often the “go-to” place to conduct research. Having the option to allow a website to be read aloud for that exact purpose, makes it all worth-while.
In the second part of this series, we’ll be looking at apps that can help with text-to-speech. I have to be honest… I was looking for something very specific here, and went on a wild-goose chase trying to find what actually worked. I’ve narrowed it down to the best I’ve found, so that you don’t have to waste your time and money. Check back soon for these reviews!