What is the Best Dyslexia Font?

Finding a good dyslexia font that is easy to read may seem like it is difficult but it is not impossible.

If you are reading, there are many books available that print their books with fonts that are easy for people with dyslexia to read.  Many of these books are printed by publishers that publish books solely meant for people with dyslexia.  

These books can range from children’s books to adult books in all sorts of genres.

When it comes to writing that can be a bit more of a challenge but there are fonts available to you!  Some of these fonts are fairly inexpensive to buy or even free for you to download and use.

Fairly recently a team of researchers in Spain published the results of a study of which fonts were the easiest for people with dyslexia to read.  The sampling they used was not a huge one so it is possible that one font they used may be hard for you to read and that’s okay.  There were several different types of fonts that people with dyslexia can read and the odds are one that works well for you is most likely on this list.

The researchers in Spain studied forty eight dyslexic people aging in range from eleven to fifty.  They discovered that by having people read twelve different texts in twelve different fonts people could read the easiest in sans serif and monospaced.

While this is promising it should also be noted that fonts that have italic formats should be avoided.  The researchers discovered that reading was severely impaired when italic fonts were used.

Based on their findings researchers recommend Helvetica, Courier, Arial, Veranda, and Computer Modern as the best for easy reading.

There are also many types of dyslexia fonts that are easy to read that are available online.

Some of these dyslexia fonts involve making bottom heavy letters so that your mind can’t turn the letters.  With some of these fonts the spaces between the letters are bigger as well for easier reading.  Punctuation marks and capitalized letters can be made bolder so that it is easier to read and the paragraph does not appear as one big run on sentence.

There is also a special type of dyslexia font known as “Read Regular” or “Zwijsen Dyslexiefont” that was developed in 2003 by graphic designer Natascha Frensch.  This person developed a font specifically designed for easy reading for people with dyslexia.  This particular font can can be easily be found through an online search.

Though it is rather expensive there is a dyslexia font out there that is often recommended.  This font is called “Easy Read” and can be purchased online.  This font is different as the letter shapes are similar to those that are used in school to teach handwriting.  The letter shapes are exaggerated to emphasize the word shapes.

Another dyslexia font is called “Myriad Pro” which is a modern easy reading font designed by Adobe.  Many sites have begun adopting this font for easy readying for people with dyslexia.  This font has a clean sans serif look that makes reading easy for people with dyslexia.

When looking for the best dyslexia font that is easy to read be sure to do your research.  Many of the websites that provide these fonts will also post reviews and ratings.  Keep in mind what type of dyslexia font that works for you may not work for someone else and vice-versa.  This is perfectly fine and normal!  With a little time and effort you will be able to find which type of dyslexia font that is easy to read works best for you!

Do You Know How Dyslexics Read?

When most people hear the word ‘dyslexia’ they usually think it means that the person sees words written  backwards on the page -- almost like trying to read while holding a book up to a mirror.  While that may be a symptom for some dyslexics,  it’s not true for all.  Dyslexia itself is a complicated learning disability that hinders the ability to read.  Dyslexics can learn to read,  it just takes special strategies and dyslexia toolkits. So the next question is how dyslexics read?

Reading is a very complex process.  No one is born knowing how to read.  We all must learn.  Usually around kindergarten or first grade, you start to learn the sounds of letters and how to put them together in order to form words.  Those words turn into sentences, paragraphs, and comprehending what you are reading when everything is put together.  Your brain does a lot of things all at once. If Instead of just seeing c-a-t and reading it as ‘cat’, your brain also needs to make the connection that c-a-t is a small, four legged animal that meows.  Dyslexics’ brains take longer to make the letters to word to comprehension connections while reading or does it in more steps.  Reading becomes a terrifying, even embarrassing process. Instead of seeing the words in a straight forward, logical order,  dyslexics might see words like this:

No wonder it’s a struggle to read!  There are strategies to show how dyslexics read easier and more fluidly.  Some great ideas to implement if you or someone you know has dyslexia include:

• Use the Phonetic Alphabet Code Chart - How well you decode words makes a huge difference on how easily you learn to read. The Phonetic Alphabet Code Chart shows what sounds go with what letter combinations.  Keeping the code chart with you will make reading much easier.

• Use Font Software - Technology is making a huge impact on reading for dyslexic students. Special designed teachers fonts, like EZ Read/EZ Write/Brain Games, are having a great impact on the education of dyslexics and reading.

• Use strategies to decode words - If you have trouble breaking words down syllable by syllable, break it down even further. Try two letters at a time.  If a long word is giving you a lot of trouble,  try breaking it down into different 2 and 3 word combinations.  For example: sec-ret-ary or se-cre-tary.

• Look for context clues - Sometimes the easiest way to figure out unfamiliar words and what they mean for the big picture of reading comprehension is to look for words around it that you do recognize and know what they mean. The words you know will give you “clues” on what the other words mean.

• Improve eye tracking - Place a ruler or piece of paper under the sentence that you’re reading.  Move it along as you read.  If you get to a hard or unfamiliar word, cover it with the paper and read it one syllable at a time.  Narrowing the reading down to one line at a time will help your brain focus. See some fantastic dyslexia worksheets here.

• Practice reading out loud - This is a great strategy whether you’re dyslexic or not. Hearing your own voice out loud will force your eyes and brain to work together.

Being diagnosed with dyslexia doesn’t mean you’ll never be able to learn to read...It just means you are going to have to work harder at it than some people.  Follow the strategies above and don’t get discouraged.

You can do this!

Happy reading.

Are You Looking For Dyslexia Workbooks? Stop Here!

Like dyslexia worksheets there are many types of dyslexia workbooks that are available out there for you or for your loved one.  Some of these workbooks may be downloaded online for free or for a fairly inexpensive price.  Other dyslexia workbooks can be purchased online from online sellers for a fairly inexpensive price.  A quick google search revealed that many companies offer dyslexia workbooks.

There are even publishers out there that print only dyslexia friendly books so it doesn’t hurt to look them up to see if they have any and it’s also a great way to support their company!

These dyslexia workbooks offer many different options for you so it is important to know what you are looking for in a dyslexia workbook. Ask yourself some of the following questions:

• Am I looking for a dyslexia workbooks that helps with letters?
• Am I looking for a dyslexia workbooks that helps with telling left and right apart?
• Am I looking for a dyslexia workbooks that helps with reading comprehension?
• Am I looking for a dyslexia workbooks that will help with school work?

There are dyslexia workbooks for those and even more available for you!  Once you know what you’re looking for in particular it will help you in finding the right workbook.

The dyslexia workbooks will contain a certain amount of lessons.  Fifty plus lessons seem to be the most common and it should say how many lessons are included in information about the book.

These lessons in the dyslexia workbooks start out gradually and build up to the next topic.  There should be repetition and reinforcement along the way to help the information from the last lesson stay with the worker.

While many of these dyslexia workbooks are broken up according to age, they are also geared towards reading and comprehension level.

Some of the dyslexia workbooks are broken up into a series so the reader can go from one book into the other.  Many of these are done in such a way that the person working on them does not realize that they are doing actual work!

Some of these dyslexia workbooks will also include an audio book that is on CD or is available for download online after purchase.  This may help reinforce the information if you or your loved one are reading along with the lesson.

Many of the best dyslexia workbooks are based on the Orton-Gillingham method of treating dyslexia.  The Orton-Gillingham method is one of the most respected and is considered the best way to overcome dyslexia.

Many companies that sell these workbooks will also offer online reviews.  When looking for the right book be sure to look at the reviews and do your own research.  Our emotions, positive and negative, can affect what we write in reviews so it is always important to do your own independent research.  Be sure to ask yourself what methods these workbooks use and how does it address your or your loved ones needs?  If you need help deciding your school and doctor would be happy to help point you in the right direction.

With a little work and help from these books you and your loved ones should be reading and writing in no time!

What is the Best Dyslexia Colored Paper?

When it comes to reading with dyslexia white paper can make reading frustrating and even rather difficult.

Fortunately this has been noticed and many companies like award winning Irlen Overlays are now printing dyslexia paper that is printed in different colors.  You can even buy dyslexia color sleeves to help you organize your information. 

This is different from traditional white colored paper and it has even been developed by dyslexia experts!  This isn’t someone throwing something out and hoping it works; this has been done by people who carefully took in your needs and created a form and color of dyslexia paper which will help you.  Even today these dyslexia colored paper are being adapted and changed based on the need of people like you.

If you are wanting to read, then many books are published with this dyslexia colored paper.  There are even companies that only publish books that are meant for people with dyslexia.

Dyslexia colored paper for writing these may be a little more difficult to find in an everyday back to school store but they can be purchased online for a rather inexpensive price.  These can often be found through a simple online search or you can also ask the school for help in finding these materials.

Dyslexia colors come in many different sizes for all your needs.  These can be smaller books which are meant for journal keeping or spelling to standard size paper for bigger notes.

If you don’t need booklets many times these sheets can be bought in packages of twenty five to fifty depending on your needs.

Dyslexia colors can have lines for writing and even grids to help you.  There are some dyslexia colored papers that are mad specifically for writing with bolded and broken lines to help you with your writing. These can be narrow or wide in size depending on your needs.

Dyslexia colored papers are often tinted so that they reduce reading and writing stress.  If the paper is white it can make it difficult for people with dyslexia to read or write as the letters have a tendency to jump around.  Dyslexia colors are available can include but are not limited to:

• Cream
• Blue
• Aqua
• Lavender
• Green
• Orange
• Pink
• Turquoise
• Yellow

Clear sleeves are also available in dyslexia colors.  These can often be purchased online for a fairly inexpensive price or may even be found in specialty shops.

At first it is possible and even normal to feel slightly embarrassed by having special colored paper for dyslexia.  The designers have taken this fact into account and have you covered!  The differences between dyslexia writing paper and traditional writing paper are fairly minimal and done in such a way most people would not recognize the paper as dyslexia paper at first glance.  In fact some of them may not even recognize it as dyslexia paper unless they are told so.

Dyslexia colored paper will greatly help you with your reading and writing.  As there are many benefits to it there’s no time like the present to buy some and get started!

Are You Looking For Dyslexia Worksheets?

There are many dyslexia worksheets that are available for you to download online for free or for a fairly inexpensive price.  Many of these dyslexia worksheets have been specially developed for children with dyslexia.

If you search “dyslexia worksheets” you will find many, many downloads that can make you wonder just where to start?  If you are uncertain where to start your school and doctor will be able to help you with a starting place.  Or you can look here.

Every person’s needs are different so the worksheets are varied and there is no “one size fits all.”  Because of this it is important to see what the dyslexic person needs the most and to practice them.

Below I’ll be listing the different types of dyslexia worksheets available and what are the signs that may be shown when the learner is struggling.

Visual recognition dyslexia worksheets:

• Visually similar things are not recognized as being different.  The lower case letters “C” and “E” and “I” and “J” are common ones.
• Handwriting is difficult to read.
• There is a lack of uniformity in the sizing of the handwriting.
• Confusion between letters such as “D” and “B” and “U” and “N”.
• Inverted reading or writing of numbers.  The numbers 6 and 9 are good examples.
• Omission of letters or numbers.
• Difficulty in distinguishing colors and shapes.
• Everything must be touched in order to be understood.
• Unable to understand amounts.
• Difficulty with numbers greater than ten.
• Multiple copy errors.

Visual memory dyslexia worksheets:

• Difficulty in recognizing colors, shapes, pictures, patterns, and objects.
• Difficulty memorizing words.  These words can be properly written several times and then incorrectly.
• Difficulties or unable to draw patterns from memory.
• Mixing up of the letters “A, E, O”, “H, K”, “F, T”, and “M, N.”
• The letters “A, E, O” appear the same.
• The learner cannot find their place in text when reading.
• The learner frequently checks the patterns when copying work.

Visual sequencing dyslexia worksheets:

• Halting and/or slow reading
• Letters and/or syllables are missing or added where not needed.
• Reversing letters or numbers when reading and writing.
• Switching the order of words when writing.
• Duplication of letters.
• Leaving out endings or words when writing.
• Distraction and losing place in a story.
• Omission of numbers when writing.
• Difficulties counting.
• Difficulty understanding amounts.
• Slow learning of basic math skills.
• Omission of steps when doing basic math.

Sound recognition dyslexia worksheets:

• The basics of sounds cannot be understood.
• Unable to say if sounds are the same or not.
• A sound is matched with a wrong letter.
• Unable to distinguish between spoken and non-spoken consonants.  The letters “G and K”, “B and P”, “D and T” are common.
• Unable to distinguish between dipthongs such as “ei and eu” and “eu and au”.
• Unable to distinguish between “M” and “N.”
• Difficulty repeating the same or similar words or names.
• Difficulty repeating unfamiliar words.
• Difficulty transcribing spoken words.

Sound memory dyslexia worksheets:

• Unable to remember and repeat what was heard.
• Frequent questioning when reciting.
• Difficulty understanding what was heard.
• Poor vocabulary.

Body perception dyslexia worksheets:

• Unable to orientate oneself to one’s own body.
• Confusion or unable to understand right and left, above and below, in front of and in back of.

Once you know what your child needs in help you can find and print out the appropriate dyslexia worksheet for them.  There are many sites that offer reviews so you can look over the comments on the worksheets so you know what you are printing out.

Looking for a Dyslexia Friendly Typeface?

When a person has dyslexia he will unconsciously switch, rotate, and even mirror letters without them even realizing it.  This can make reading very difficult.  Traditional typefaces such as Helvetica are a good example.  It can be especially confusing when the letters “N”, “U”, “B”, and “D” are used.  In several typefaces the letters are mirrored, flipped over, or switched.

Is there a dyslexia friendly typeface that can help me? You may ask.

Yes, there is!

As dyslexia becomes more understood many publishers are starting to print books with dyslexic friendly typefaces.  Some of these books are also available in e-format so you can easily purchase them and download them onto your tablet for easy reading.

This is great for books but you may also be wondering about what about other dyslexia typefaces in general?  So many things are done online these days which can make reading online difficult.  What if you want to type away on your computer or read something on your computer that isn’t a dyslexic friendly typeface?

You mustn’t worry as we’ve got you covered!  Along with physical books with typeface for dyslexics out there there are several dyslexia typefaces that are available for 

download either for free or for a rather inexpensive price.  Many of these dyslexia typefaces have been developed by people who are dyslexic themselves so these creators know how to help you!

Some of these dyslexia typefaces involve making bottom heavy letters so that your mind can’t turn the letters.  With some of these typefaces the spaces between the letters are bigger as well for easier reading.  Punctuation marks and capitalized letters can be made bolder so that it is easier to read and the paragraph does not appear as one big run on sentence.

There is also a special type of dyslexia typeface known as “Read Regular” or “Zwijsen Dyslexiefont” that was developed in 2003 by graphic designer Natascha Frensch.  This person developed a typeface specifically designed for easy reading font for people with dyslexia.  This particular font and help with it can easily be found through an online search.

Though it is rather expensive there is a dyslexia typeface out there that is often recommended.  This typeface is called “Sassoon” and can be purchased online.  This typeface is different as the letter shapes are similar to those that are used in school to teach handwriting.  The letter shapes are exaggerated to emphasize the word shapes.

Another dyslexia typeface is called “Myriad Pro” which is a modern easy reading typeface designed by Adobe.  Many sites have begun adopting this font for easy readying for people with dyslexia.  This typeface has a clean sans serif look that makes reading easy for people with dyslexia. Another great example of a dyslexia typeface is EZRead/EZWrite/Brain Games by font expert Ramon Abajo, from Downhill Publishing.

When looking into which dyslexia typeface will help you the best be sure to do some research.  Many of the sites will post reviews of their fonts.  What typeface will work for you may not work for someone else and that’s okay.  With a little time and work you will be able to find out which dyslexia typeface works best for you!

Teaching Dyslexic Kids to Read the Easy Way

What is the best way for teaching dyslexic kids to read?

When it comes to teaching dyslexic students to read you will need to take a modified approach. Dyslexia is a condition that causes a person to struggle with reading and writing.  It can also cause a person to struggle when they focus, their memory skills, and their organization.  Because of these it is important to help build a student’s self-awareness, cognitive skills, and use modified teaching methods that have a multi-sensory approach. 

 When it comes to teaching dyslexic students to read, the Orton Gillingham approach is one of the oldest and one of the best researched for dyslexia reading programs.  This program was developed in the 1930s by Samuel Torrey Orton and Anna Gillingham and is most often used because of its effectiveness. Some teachers like using the Multi-sensory Structured Language [MSL] approach when helping teach dyslexic students how to read.  This method is often used most for teaching children with dyslexia and it is beneficial for all children.  MSL will teach phonics, comprehension, vocabulary, and accuracy in writing and spelling.  

The student is encouraged to use tough, sight, movement, and sound as a part of this learning process. Through these programs teachers and parents can receive MSL training and certification. When teaching dyslexic students to read BE direct and explicit.  

Explicit means teaching including describing, modeling, breaking the skills down into steps, providing clear instructions and feedback, providing demonstrations, and presenting all the information in a logical order.  

While this may be a tedious step it will greatly help the dyslexic student to understand.  These steps and process must be done until the student masters the skill.  Never assume that the student has any previous knowledge or understanding of the subject matter. 

 It is far better to have to repeat a few steps when teaching a dyslexic student how to read than to forge ahead and have them not understand the material. 

 When teaching dyslexic students how to read be sure to repeat yourself often.  Some dyslexic children struggle with short term memory so they may have difficulty remembering what you said.  Be sure to take extra time to repeat the instructions, key words, and concepts so they will be more likely to remember what you said and write it down. 

 As you build these new skills continue to use any previously learned information.  The repetition will help reinforce older skills. 

 When teaching a dyslexic student how to read you will want to use something known as “diagnostic teaching.”  Be sure to continuously assess how well your student understands what’s being taught.  If something is not understood you should re-teach the skill.  Students with dyslexia, when learning how to read, may require more time and intense instruction to learn.  

When teaching dyslexic students how to read you may have to modify your teaching approach as something may be caught on quickly while another takes some time. Be sure to use time wisely when working with dyslexic students.  Avoid rushing through a lesson as this can confuse them and not make the information stick. During your time of teaching dyslexic students how to read, DO your best to stick to a daily routine.  If you can write down and illustrate each day’s lesson on the wall so the students can see what they can expect each day.  

These routines should include information from previous lessons to help reinforce the lessons. Be sure to use lots of positive reinforcement when helping dyslexic students.  Children with dyslexia may suffer from low self-esteem or feel that they are not as smart as their classmates.  Because of this it is very important to build them up and to use positive reinforcement. There are some programs that are NOT meant for teaching dyslexic students how to read.  This is NOT saying that these programs are bad or ineffective but they are not equipped or meant for teaching dyslexic students how to read. These programs are:

• Kumon
• Sylvan Learning
• Hooked on Phonics
• Reading Recovery
• Accelerated Reader
• Vision Therapy
• Brain Gym
• Special Diets

Don’t be afraid to experiment around on what works the best for teaching dyslexic students how to read.  With a little work you will find what works best for teaching dyslexic students how to read!

Best Reading Tools for Dylexics

Looking for dyslexia reading tools? 

Are you or someone you know dyslexic? Is reading a chore that you think you’ll never master? Don’t worry-- there is hope! There are many tech and non-tech options to help make reading easier. Some of my favorites non-tech dyslexia reading tools for dyslexia:

 Tinted pages - black text on white background has been proven to be difficult for dyslexics to read. Instead of struggling, place a tinted or colored transparency over the book page or worksheet to make it easier on your eyes and brain.

 Rulers - Place a ruler under the line of text you’re reading. It helps you focus only on one thing at a time and helps you read in a straight line instead of having your eyes jump around the page.

 Find a topic you enjoy -- Learning about something you already are interested in can turn reading into a fun activity instead of a challenge. If you like legos, find books about legos. This reading tool works for more than just dyslexics. Any reluctant reader can benefit from this strategy.

If you’re looking for some more high tech dyslexia reading tools options, consider the following:

 Ghotit Real Writer - A bit pricey at $99 and only found in the Apple app store, Ghotit is perfect if you badly misspell words, confuse letters/words and have trouble with homophones. If you’re looking for an advanced dyslexia reading tool to help with writing more than reading, Ghotit is a good choice.

 Sam Spy Reading Series - A free series of digital books, Sam Spy Reading was created by a doctor to help his dyslexic son learn to read. The text starts out simple with only a few words on the page and progressive gets harder. It is only available on iOS.

 Play & Learn Languages - a free app to help dyslexics or any reluctant reader learn new words and even languages in a fun flash card style. It is only available for android.

 Learn To Read, Write, and Spell - another free app learning tool that helps both children and adult who struggle with dyslexia and other learning difficulties learn to read, write, and spell in a fun, engaging way. Available only on iOS.

 Special Fonts Software - Just like colored paper or tinted transparencies can be a great dyslexic reading tool, so can using special fonts. Designed for both mobile devices and computers, dyslexia friendly fonts are a great tool. One of the best options is the fonts found at http://www.fonts4dyslexia.com. There’s even over 1,200 activities you can download in addition to the fonts to help with reading challenges and many more tools that will make your life easier.