Empowering Dyslexic Children Worldwide with AI

JANUARY, 22, 2025- Dyslexia is a learning disorder that impacts reading and writing acquisition, often resulting in hesitant, slow progress full of errors. This multifaceted condition demands sustained attention, which can lead to significant fatigue (as explored in fragments of the ITEAP course on clinical neuroscience). For decades, educational strategies for students with dyslexia have been the focus of extensive neurological and pedagogical research. Dyslexia affects an estimated 10% of the global population, translating to around 700 million individuals, according to Dyslexia and Literacy International. Alarmingly, many people remain undiagnosed or are diagnosed too late, preventing timely intervention.

These failures in detection can severely undermine children’s educational experiences and self-esteem, as they often face ridicule from peers. The rise of artificial intelligence offers a transformative opportunity for dyslexia detection and remediation. Numerous groundbreaking initiatives—while still experimental—are already paving the way for meaningful support. This brief exploration highlights some of the innovative global efforts underway, emphasizing the urgent need for continued development and awareness. Together, we can harness AI to change the lives of dyslexic children everywhere.

Dytective in Spain

"In Spain, dyslexia affects 5 to 10% of the school population, which means that in each class, two or three students may experience this learning disability. It is important to emphasize that dyslexia is not related to intelligence, but it often results in low academic performance" explains Luz Rello, who holds a PhD in Human-Computer Interaction from Universitat Pompeu Fabra and is the founder of the social enterprise Change Dyslexia, sheds light on this important issue. Since its establishment in 2015, her organization has conducted research to develop a software program called Dytective.

Rello has published a scientific article (1), about this project, which has received several awards and garnered support from UNESCO and Forbes. The Dytective software employs a game-based pedagogy similar to that of Gamebox and video games. Its primary goal is to quickly identify young individuals with dyslexia through a survey that Rello asserts can be completed in only 15 minutes.

Following the survey, the program offers 42 000 engaging games designed to enhance the cognitive skills of these students across 24 functions, focusing on both remediation and building upon their strengths. To date, Change Dyslexia has identified 434,221 individuals and awarded 510 scholarships to support them.

The initiative also provides services to schools, with a list of 1,500 public colleges in Spain participating. Some regional institutions, particularly La Comunidad de Madrid, have supported this program since 2018. Additionally, the Centro Nacional de Innovación e Investigación Educativa (CNIIE), a branch of the Ministry of Education, collaborates with Luz Rello. The quality of her work has impressed them, leading to the creation of the "PLAN NACIONAL DE NEUROCIENCIA Y NEUROTECNOLOGÍA," (2) aimed at addressing the technological challenges faced by individuals with dyslexia.

(1) The story behind Dytective: How we brought research results on dyslexia and accessibility to spanish public schools b y Luz Rello

• Site de l’entreprise Dytective por Change Dyslexia
• Ministerio de Educación – Plataforma Dislexia (2)

• FRANCE

• According to a 2024 Senate report (1) on artificial intelligence (AI) in the education system, France holds "an intermediate position" in this field. We will explore this topic in greater detail in future editions. One notable initiative is the AnSu Project, an experiment conducted in the Aix-Marseille Academy (2). AnSu is a controlled generative AI designed to enhance the learning experience in the classroom. This AI acts as a learning assistant for students and can be adapted to various teaching contexts, including for students with disabilities. The project is currently in the experimental phase, with plans to increase the number of participating classes and teachers this year. It is still too early to draw definitive conclusions.

• (1)  r24-101-syn.pdf

  (2) Le numérique éducatif (DRANE), Aix - Marseille, Projet AnSu

  Additionally, Aivancity, a prominent school focused on artificial intelligence, has established a campus in Nice. In collaboration with Metropole, Aivancity aims to work with local schools to develop innovative educational programs. The French government officially recognized Aivancity with a rank of Grande Ecole through a ministerial order on February 24, 2023.
• The institution is also authorized to award a diploma approved by the Ministry of Higher Education for its five-year Grande École program, which is registered at the RNCP at level 7.