Twelve-year-old Aidan Lane finds reading really hard. Diagnosed as a small child with dyspraxia and facing significant speech and language difficulties; Aidan has had to overcome many challenges in his home and school life. As he continues with secondary school education while balancing his love of coding at home, Aidan dreams of a computer science career one day.
Aidan’s mum, Katharine, noticed that something was different about Aidan’s development when he was very small as he wasn’t meeting language milestones. Over the years, Aidan has worked hard with language and speech therapists to contend with his challenges, yet reading still causes him many problems. He finds reading multiple pages with lots of text difficult, and often must read the same information multiple times to fully understand it.
In school, Aidan receives additional help, but he often still struggles to keep up with the work set due to his reading challenges. This was especially difficult during the global pandemic when schooling was disrupted, and teachers were busier than ever, supporting students both at home and in school.
Aidan’s new life with OrCam Read
Aidan’s mum Katharine heard about the OrCam Read device in mid-2020 and recognised that it could effectively provide Aidan with the help he needed in school and at home. Aidan has previously used assistive technology on his computer and in handheld form and found it to be hard to use and a frustratingly slow process – reading line by line.
Developed with a singular purpose – to empower students with reading challenges – the OrCam Read transforms the reading experience of people with dyslexia, dyspraxia and mild to moderate vision impairment into an activity that’s easily performed.
Not one to accept mediocre assistive technology, Aidan set his heart on the OrCam Read solution and has been blown away by its ability to help him clearly and quickly read full pages of the text he’s struggled with for so long. Aidan is now able to use the OrCam Read to read his beloved Harry Potter books, code at home on his computer, and use it at school to help with his classwork. Operating fully offline, the OrCam Read does not store any information – nor use any screen or app – so the handheld device is completely safe and appropriate for education settings.
Aidan’s mum, Katharine said: “Aidan finds reading very tricky and now that he is at secondary level, his studies are significantly reliant on reading teachers’ instructions and then the research that has been linked to the task. Aidan is immediately at a disadvantage as he struggles to understand what is written, and therefore what is expected of him.
The OrCam Read has helped Aidan to promptly read the teachers’ instructions and the research linked to it – thereby enabling him to understand, undertake and successfully complete the tasks. Since using the OrCam Read, Aidan has had a very glowing school report which strongly suggests that his abilities are further developing.”
Aidan’s teacher’s perspective
Aidan’s tutor and science teacher has remarked that the OrCam Read is perfect for him – enabling Aidan to independently work and complete tasks to a high standard.
Aidan’s English teacher has said that he has been able to access texts and complete tasks with no help. He views this as a highly positive development for Aidan in him being able to move forward and progress in his school career.
Aidan concludes: “I am able to do schoolwork by myself now! And I can read a whole book through and enjoy it, on my own. The OrCam Read is great – and dependable.”
Breakthrough assistive technology for dyslexia
Assistive technology for students with dyslexia has been available for years, but there has not been any solution that enables them to read large amounts of text, quickly and easily. Following OrCam’s engagement with a number of schools in the UK, feedback from students with dyslexia, their parents, and their teachers, revealed that the industry was looking for a better solution. OrCam Technologies has therefore revolutionised the learning experience for dyslexic students with the assistive technological breakthrough OrCam Read. Contact us today to find out more.
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