Can Audio and/or Digital Books Make a Difference in Learning Outcomes? Part II - Page 2

Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

UDL is based on how our brains process information through three primary and sensory networks:

• Recognition Networks (how we identify what we see, hear, and read)
• Strategic Networks (how we organize and express ideas)
• Affective Networks (how we become engaged and motivated)

Whether we have a learning disability or not we know that education curriculum (e.g., novels and textbooks) written at high readability levels may not work for every child. The theory of UDL places the responsibility to learn on "us" (i.e., the parent, teacher, or tutor) to adapt information to the needs of an individual — rather than on the individual to adapt to the information.

Will a Multisensory Reading Experience Help My Child?

If this is the question on your mind, it’s time to explore AIM and the reading technologies that can best support your child. Start with an investigation of what works best (i.e., strategies and tools) for your child with a special education or tech-savvy teacher, a teaching professional such as speech and language pathologist (SLP), a reading teacher, or an assistive technology specialist. You can point to the 2004 IDEA law and compliance with AIM, the research behind TTS, and the benefits of digital formats suggested by teachers to engage learners in multisensory reading experiences and best practices of UDL.

Opening the door to new conversations may enable more children to receive access to quality digital and audio formats and technologies that exist today. Inquire about accessible curriculum (e.g., books, literature, and textbooks) to determine if your child needs an IEP or 504 plan that includes resources and tools to improve their academic skills. Maybe you’ll start a digital reading program or parent technology network and tweet about the benefits of digital books in this article. The steps you take today will ensure that your child, or anyone with LD, can improve their learning outcomes and enjoy a meaningful reading experience. 

Additional Resources

• The Center for Implementing Technology in Education (CITEd):Universal Design for Learning
• The National Center on Accessible Instructional Materials: Assistive Technology Research
• The DIAGRAM Center at Benetech

*Research on Text-to-Speech

Lewandowski and Montali (1996) conducted a study that compared the learning of poor readers and skilled readers who were both taught through a text-to-speech application with simultaneous onscreen highlighting of the spoken word. This study showed that experiencing the text bi-modally (visually and aurally) enabled poor readers to perform as well as skilled readers in word recognition and retention.

Research by Alliner, Dunse, Brunken, and Obermiller-Krolikowski (2001) and Meyer and Felton (1999) confirm that highlighting text as it is spoken can help learners pay attention and remember more.

Text-to-speech also relieves the burden of decoding for struggling readers, allowing them to focus on comprehension (Wise, Ring, Olson, 2000) and improve their endurance to complete reading assignments (Hecker, Burns, Elkind, Elkind, Katz, 2002).

Research has also shown that students with learning disabilities identify and correct more errors in their compositions when they use text-to-speech for proofreading (Higgins Raskind, 1995).

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Valerie Chernek is a PR specialist and disability advocate who writes about educational best practices through the use of technology and digital learning to support children with LD and special needs.