Does a small screen make reading easier for people with Dyslexia?

Credit: Gerd Altman 

A Cambridge based astrophysicist thinks the answer is yes. According to the Boston Globe, Dr. Michael Schneps completed a study that examining the use of handheld devices for reading by high school students.

The study showed that reading on a small screen “reduced inefficiencies in the ways students eyes flitted across the page.” Reading on the small screen allowed dyslexics to read faster and without losing any compression of the text. Dr Schneps, who has dyslexia, started this study after he found reading easier on his smart phone.

Dr Schneps is the Director of the Laboratory for Visual Learning at the Harvard-

Ope

Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. In recent years, his research focused on the effects of learning disabilities on the ability to learn science. He is currently studying differences in how people with and without dyslexia read. In this research, he is using visual tracking methods and electrodes to monitor reading in the study participants.

In prior studies, Dr Schneps found that people with dyslexia were better at reading “low spacial frequency scenes.” This research indicates that people with dyslexia may do well in careers that involve processing blurred images such as radiology or astronomy.

The study, Reinventing Reading: E­‐Reader Formats Facilitate Reading in Those Who Struggle,  published in the journal PLOS ONE.

If you like this article, please share using the buttons below.  Thanks for reading!

©Mary M Conneely T/A Advocacy in Action