Is Word Prediction Technology Good for People with Dyslexia?
Posted by: ghotit on: August 1, 2010
There are pros and cons when considering Word Prediction technologies for people with dyslexia.
The Pros:
- Using word prediction solutions, dyslexics will enhance their vocabularies by selecting from words that they are unsure of their spelling and otherwise would not have used these words
- Using word prediction software, dyslexics will feel less constricted and be able to select from words that ordinary spell checkers do not offer
The Cons:
- If a person with dyslexia (who is a natively bad speller) starts the word with incorrect spelling, then all the word prediction options are completely incorrect
- It is very difficult for a person with dyslexia to select from the list of predicted words, as being such a bad speller, he cannot directly relate the predicted word to the word of his intention
Experience of a heavy dyslexic (“me”):
As a heavy dyslexic I have always found word prediction technologies quite challenging. My spelling “insecurities” always gave way to complete lack of confidence in choosing a suggested word offered by word predictive solutions. My “spelling” insecurities always led me to hesitate in selecting the correct predictive word. Is the suggested word in par with the spelling of the word I intended to write? Without any other assistance, I either surrendered (and did not select any suggestion) or went to work overtime (by looking up the different suggestions to make sure I selected the correct one)…
There are different views by dyslexics regarding the question “Is Word Prediction Technology Good for People with Dyslexia?” What is your view?
Note: Ghotit offers word suggestions by the context of the sentence and offers also an integrated dictionary and text to speech capabilities to ensure that the word that is being selected is the actual word that was meant to be written.
7 Tips for Living Successfully with Dyslexia
Posted by: ghotit on: July 14, 2010
I have read articles about people who were able to beat dyslexia. I cheer these people…
I, though diagnosed relatively early in my live, and having both my parents and myself invest a lot of time, effort and money in treating my dyslexia, was never able to beat my dyslexia. Rather, I learned to live with my Dyslexia.
Here are my seven tips of how you can live successfully with your dyslexia:
1) Practice, practice & practice reading – till you can enjoy reading a good book, or read up on all required work materials. For some, audio reading solutions can help in improving their reading capabilities.
2) Gain your writing independence – find the right writing assistive solutions. Solutions like Ghotit, enable even heavy dyslexics to independently produce correctly spelled text.
3) Keep up to date of new technologies/inventions – the technological world is leapfrogging. Today having computer access is quite easy, and the internet provides a direct route to knowledge of all new findings and developments for dyslexics. Keep up to date of these changes/developments as you may one day find that these new innovations may dramatically change the quality of your life.
4) Know when is the right time to “divulge” your dyslexia – Dyslexia is not a disease, but there are quite a few misconceptions that people have about dyslexia. Raising an “I Have Dyslexia Flag” it not always in your best interest. Fine-tune your detection capabilities to determine when is the best time to share with others your “dyslexic” condition.
5) Re-gain your social confidence- many times dyslexics attending regular educational institutes lose their social confidence during their school years. Schools usually grade students based on the weaker aspects of a dyslexic – his reading and writing abilities. To succeed in life, you must regain your social confidence…
6) Learn your strengths – People with dyslexia are not the worlds’ most accomplished readers and writers. In a world focused on the written word, dyslexics have a major disadvantage. However, dyslexics usually boast of high intelligence and “big-picture” / strategic thinking. Learn your strengths, as these must be leveraged in your real-life struggles to compete with those common non-dyslexics 
.
7) Never ever ever give up – You must always believe in your abilities and to quote the famous Charlie Brown – simply “Never ever ever give up”. The world is full of people who have lost because they simply gave up. But we the dyslexics, who have been struggling more or less from elementary school, are trained for the struggle. We have been trained for disappointments and the ability to overcome these disappointments. We are the ones who shall teach the others to “Never Ever Ever Give Up”.
How The Brain of a Person with Dyslexia Works Differently
Posted by: ghotit on: June 28, 2010
I recently came across a short video that provides a simple description of how the brain of a person with dyslexia works differently. I was impressed with the simplicity of the explanation. Here is a short recap.
3 Key Areas of the in the left side of the Brain that work simultaneously:
1) Phoneme Recognizer: Area used to sounding words out loud in our brain and breaking down words to similar sounds, known as phonemes (Example: the sound of the letter “T”).
2) Word Analyzer: Area used for analyzing words even more, analyzing together word syllables and phonemes (Example: the sound of “Ti” and “ger”)
3) Word Detector: Area responsible for detecting word forms, allowing to instantly recognize words without having to sound them out
People with Dyslexia, have problem to get access to both the Word Analyzer and the Word Detector. This may cause them to compensate and rely more heavily on sounding out words. Dyslexics may compensate by using the right side of the brain that takes visual cues from story pictures to decipher words.
For the full blown 1:46 min long video, view the following “Decoding Dyslexia” video:
Here is a link to a previous Ghotit Blog My Dyslexia and Phonological Processing
3 Reasons Reading Horizons Can Help Dyslexics Improve Reading Skills
Posted by: ghotit on: June 20, 2010
Ghotit will host from time to time guest blog posts about dyslexia.
The writers of these posts may be dyslexics, dyslexic family members, dyslexic tutors, teachers, assistive technology specialists or any other writer as long as the post provides quality information about dyslexia.
Here is the first hosted post by Shantell Berrett, a Dyslexia Specialist.
“Dyslexia is not a disease to have and to be cured of, but a way of thinking and learning. Often it’s a gifted mind waiting to be found and taught.”
- Girard Sagmiller, author of Dyslexia My Life
Dyslexia is the most-common learning disability, affecting nearly 10% of the population. While not the result of neurological damage, it is the product of neurological development. Individuals with dyslexia have several valuable abilities but these positive symptoms are often hidden by the difficulty dyslexics have with language skills such as: reading, writing and spelling.
Luckily, research has proven that interactive, step-by-step phonics instruction can help ‘rewire’ the brain and help dyslexic students learn to read. These methods are applied to Reading Horizons reading program for dyslexics and struggling readers:
1. Step-by-Step Approach
According to Dr. Sally Shaywitz, author of Overcoming Dyslexia, programs that teach phonics systematically and explicitly are the most effective in helping dyslexics develop reading skills. Reading Horizons teaches dyslexics how to improve reading in a step-by-step and collective format that helps users understand, retain, and apply its methods. Reading Horizons teaches dyslexics the basic rules and structure that build the English language.
2. Explicit Word Decoding Strategies
Reading Horizons empowers dyslexics with word decoding strategies that help them confidently read unfamiliar text. Upon finishing the program, most students are able to read high school level words. This does not mean that they are able to read at a high school level, which includes vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension; however, those areas will continue to improve as they continue to read additional text.
3. Orton Gillingham Methods
In the 1930s, physician researchers Dr. Samuel T. Orton and Anna Gillingham concluded that dyslexics had the most reading success when taught with explicit, systematic phonics instruction. Reading Horizons method applies the Orton Gillingham approach to reading through:
- Multi-sensory activities that engage kinesthetic, auditory, and visual cues
- Teaching alphabet and phonics principles in a step-by-step format
- Practical, language-based applications
About Reading Horizons
Reading Horizons can help dyslexics improve reading using direct instruction, computer software, or a combination of the two. Reading Horizons gives dyslexics the tools to become effective readers that can decode any word and increase reading fluency and comprehension.
Learn more about Reading Horizons:
Reading Horizons Dyslexia Help Centerà
Reading Horizons Online Training for Teaching Readingà
Sample Reading Horizons Methodà
This article was originally published on ReadingHorizonsAtHome.com. For additional dyslexia articles, free resources, and product information visit www.ReadingHorizonsAtHome.com today!
Dyslexia, Writing Assistive Technology and Grammar Correction
Posted by: ghotit on: June 14, 2010
English grammar is not straightforward. As in many languages, English too has a long list of grammar rules and a long list of exceptions to these rules. Now take a person with dyslexia. A dyslexic has to exert his full concentration on subduing the words from dancing up and down, backwards and forwards, and therefore does not have a very wide concentration span on writing correct grammar too.
Writing is harder for people with dyslexia. This is a well-known fact. As they struggle with their spelling, they often ignore their grammar. I am a dyslexic myself. My verbal English is quite good. Rarely do I make grammatical errors when I speak. However, many times when I review some text of mine, I am surprised by the grammatical errors that I have produced. Sometimes I ask myself “Did I really write this?”
Regular spell checkers usually have some grammar checking capabilities. But as with the other features of regular spell checkers, they are not optimized to the needs of a person with dyslexia. The algorithm for spell checkers for people with dyslexia must be much more intelligent as they must deal with much more severe and un-identifiable spelling errors mixed together with some grammar confusion.
As understood from the title itself, Writing Assistive Technology comes to assist people that have special writing disabilities. In order to support a dyslexic in producing legible and high quality written text, a writing assistive technology must also address grammar mistakes. The grammar checker must be integrated together with the spell checker, enabling a maximum secure writing experience for the dyslexic. The grammar checking for dyslexics must be intelligent enough so that even though a written sentence may be completely jumbled it will still be able to offer the correct grammar corrections.
Ghotit leverages its Intelligent Context Correction (ICC) patent-pending technology to correct grammar errors uncorrectable by regular spell checkers. Using this technology, Ghotit is able to find and correct grammar errors also when they are well camouflaged amidst text full of heavily misspelled words.
Albert Einstein Interviewed about Dyslexia
Posted by: ghotit on: June 7, 2010
The following is an interview performed by Ofer Chermesh, the founder of Ghotit, the leading writing assistive technology for dyslexics, and Mr. Albert Einstein, the man synonymous with the word GENIUS, and a world famous dyslexic. All of Mr. Albert Einstein texts are exact quotes.
Ofer: Thank you Mr. Albert Einstein for joining this interview. And thank you also very much for being a dyslexic genius. One of the major misconceptions that people have is that people with dyslexia have a lower intelligence. That is ridiculous of course…
Mr. Albert Einstein: “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe”.
Ofer: Your son Hans Einstein has be quoted as saying that your “ teachers reported that . . . you were mentally slow, unsociable, and adrift forever in his foolish dreams”. How do you describe your experiences at school and with your teachers?
Mr. Albert Einstein: “Most teachers waste their time by asking questions which are intended to discover what a pupil does not know. Whereas the true art of questioning has for its purpose to discover what the pupil knows or is capable of knowing”.
Ofer: Any insights for dyslexics who are struggling with their studies at school?
Mr. Albert Einstein: “Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school”. “The important thing is not to stop questioning.”
Ofer: You know, Ghotit, the company I have founded offers a unique spelling and grammar checker. It offers a solution that I as a heavy dyslexic have been dreaming about my whole life. What guidance can you provide for Ghotit?
Mr. Albert Einstein: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”
Ofer: Developing an intelligent spell checker that offers word suggestions based on the context of the sentence has taken a longer time then expected?
Mr. Albert Einstein: “When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute and it’s longer than any hour. That’s relativity.”!
Ofer: So what do you see in the future of Ghotit?
Mr. Albert Einstein: “I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.”
Ofer: Any business recommendations for Ghotit?
Mr. Albert Einstein: “Try to become not a man of success, but try rather to become a man of value.”
Ofer: Any final words?
Mr. Albert Einstein: “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”.
A Great “Speaker on Dyslexia”
Posted by: ghotit on: May 17, 2010
This is one of my favorite youtube videos about dyslexia.
Listening to Mr. Nelson Lauver’s story of how his life changed by being told that he had dyslexia makes you understand the importance of having kids diagnosed early with dyslexia. Kids who are diagnosed early are taught how to live with dyslexia both from an academic, and from a confidence building standpoint. If you have a child demonstrating hardships in either reading or writing, get your child diagnosed. This early diagnosis can be a critical factor in the well-being of your child.
I Am What I Learn – By A Dyslexic
Posted by: ghotit on: December 2, 2009
The US Department of Education & YouTube are hosting a “I Am What I Learn” video contest. Students across the US are requested to create and submit videos explaining why education is important to their future. The common theme of all the videos is that education is key to their success. Some of these videos are quite entertaining, while others are rather inspiring (To view these videos go to: I am What I Learn).
As a dyslexic, if is very easy for me to identify with the slogan “I am What I Learn”. It is much more difficult for a dyslexic to learn to Read and Write. Reading and Writing are fundamental skills for a proper education. To gain knowledge you must be able to Read, and Writing is a key skill to demonstrate that you have knowledge. If you do not have full control on these basic skills, then your chances of succeeding in the future are much lower.
For non-dyslexics being able to Read & Writes does not appear to be the biggest challenge. You go to school, and though you may not turn out a scholar, at the minimum you will be able to Read and Write. But for us dyslexics, we know that Reading and Writing is no trivial task at all. The struggle begins from day one in school. A regular student needs to sit and learn the alphabet letters and then how to construct sounds and words from these letters. A dyslexic student needs to learn the alphabet letters and how to construct words while having these same letters play tricks on him, by visually moving around on the paper…
The struggle of learning to read and write for a dyslexic is hard one. But it is a struggle that must be won. “I Am What I Learn” is a proven fact of life. Young people who are just entering adult life, and adults who have lifelong experiences – all understand the importance of Education and Knowledge on one’s success and quality of life.
You do not get any discounts or benefits on being dyslexic. You must fight your way like any other person. You must find the way to read, write and gain knowledge. It may require more time and effort, it may require different learning techniques or supportive software programs, but at the end of the day you must remember: “I AM WHAT I LEARN”.
A Dyslexic Spell Checker – Holic
Posted by: ghotit on: November 11, 2009
A few days ago I went to sort out some open bureaucracy issue. After an hour of presenting my case to the clerk, the clerk handed me a form and I was asked to write on the spot my request. Suddenly I felt sweat all over me – I had just encountered my worse fear – I must write a letter without any spell checker assistance.
I started writing the letter, and after a few minutes I looked at the paper and saw that my worst nightmare had come true. The paper looked graphically like it had suffered a tsunami… the lines were so crooked … the size of the letters uneven… the paper full of words that I had absolutely no idea if I had spelled correctly, but being familiar with my spelling track record, assumed were spelled completely wrong… The language too was really plain and dull as I tried to express myself in words which I had some confidence that I could spell right…
When I reread what I wrote, I felt that the overall presentation of my case was really poor, and that I would not get very far with such a written request… I quietly approached the clerk, and told him that I had to run and that I would return with the written request soon… Of course I was running off to my computer with my word processor and friendly spell checker…
I am not used to writing any more with a pen and paper. I believe that is true for many of us who perform most of their writing using a computer. As a heavy dyslexic, I have struggled my whole life with very poor spelling. My spelling is so poor, that I even found conventional spell checker not providing the assistance I required. I finally went and developed (with assistance of course) a spell checker optimized for people like me, for people with dyslexia. And today following this paper-writing exercise, I must admit that I have become a true Spell Checker – Holic – I just cannot write anymore without a friendly SpellChecker at my side…
Disabled – maybe… but the disability appears only in very rare occasions, and when I have my friendly spellchecker at my side I can write my case as well as anyone else…
Try the Ghotit SpellChecker at: www.ghotit.com
Teaching Disabilities of a Parent with Dyslexia
Posted by: ghotit on: October 15, 2009
“If you don’t want your teacher to think you are an idiot, you better ask your mother to help you in this homework writing assignment”.
This is what I spurted out to my daughter who recently started 1st grade. My daughter asked for my assistance in one of her first writing homework assignments. Just to clarify I am a heavy dyslexic and a terrible speller. A second after I said this sentence I regretted it. My 6 year old daughter did not really catch the meaning of what I said, except of course to understand that to get homework assistance she better go to my wife.
The homework assignment of my daughter who has just started first grade was simple enough. She had to write a certain letter in a row of squares drawn on a sheet of paper. My daughter asked me to see if she had written the letters properly inside each one of the squares. Sounds simple enough. But my “dyslexic eyes” couldn’t for the life of me figure out if the letter was written inside or outside the square. To my eyes, the letters just floated around on the paper…
When I started to think about it, it occurred to me that helping my daughter in language assignments was very problematic:
- Most of the homework assignments of kids in first grades are technical writing and spelling assignments – directly focusing on my main dyslexic spelling weaknesses
- I realized that since my daughter has no previous “spelling knowledge”, so if I teach her a wrong spelling of a word, she will automatically learn and adopt the misspelling
A few days later, we were driving in the car. My daughter had learned her first 8 alphabet letters, and my wife was saying out words that included only these letters and asking my daughter to spell them. I stayed quiet during this session, and was quite happy when my second daughter who is in kindergarten asked to also participate by asking her simple arithmetic questions. Thank God I don’t have dyscalculia and could participate in this educational family game.
All of these minor incidents made me start thinking: Which role can I play in my daughters’ studies? Do I suffer not only from learning disabilities but also from teaching disabilities?
Ghotit – Assistive Technology That Understands You
