DysolveThe first artificial-intelligence-powered platform that can be used to dissolve dyslexia and other learning disabilities is opening the door for a completely new treatment method.
Dyslexia, a neurodevelopmental disorder, makes it difficult for adults and children to read, spell, or write. This condition affects 1 in 5 people, and 80%-90% of those with a learning disability.
This condition used to seem permanent. According to Coral Pau San Hoh, Dysolve CEO and cofounder of the AI platform, which generates verbal interactive games tailored to each student, the new Dysolve AI can correct dyslexia.
Coral Hoh, Dysolve’s CEO, is leading the charge for AI-based dyslexia therapy.
Dysolve, while it utilizes gamification techniques to enhance the learning experience, is not an entertainment platform. Students’ responses are used to create new game content that is evaluative or corrective. By correcting students daily, the AI system eliminates their underlying processing issues.
The proprietary software helped hundreds of elementary school students improve their reading and learning skills. Dysolve is currently undergoing clinical trials in order to determine its potential for use by schools.
“Dyslexics have an enormous problem. As part of formal education, there must be a program that combines reading enhancement, vocalization, and reading improvement. It was difficult to achieve before cloud-based AI and AI delivery,” Hoh said in a TechNewsWorld interview.
She has a PhD in linguistics and is an expert in the processing of language by exceptional populations. In her book “Dyslexia dissolved: successful cases,” she explains why dyslexia, a multidimensional disorder, has not yet been solved.
Voluntary Way to Displacing dyslexia
Hoh, after receiving her Ph.D. in psychology, began to work with students from upstate New York’s neighborhoods as part of a community service. She was interested in helping students with learning disabilities related to Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and related language disorders.
The journey began after a friend confided to her that his child was having difficulty reading in school. He also told her the cost of an evaluation, which was $2,000 Hoh agreed to work with the boy for free to test out her dyslexia treatment. The opportunity to test more children led to an increase in “clients”.
Hoh was exposed to a wide range of students who had multiple disabilities and severe language problems. She realized as she worked with the test groups that dyslexia was more than one thing. She started to notice that language processing problems manifested themselves in all age ranges, even into adulthood.
Hoh decided to formalize her consulting business. She built a computer system that created real-time, autonomous games based on symptoms observed and test results. This development took place ten years ago, at a time when artificial intelligent was still in its early stages.
Hoh’s aim was to create an AI-powered computer platform that would be able to address each case individually. This process required the incorporation of a probe into the brain in order to identify the areas of the processing issues.”
AI Development Behind Closed Door
Dysolve AI was developed by Hoh in the last 10 year. She custom-built a dyslexia-specific AI-powered solution, even though AI wasn’t widely used until recently.
We didn’t publicize anything. We launched it in 2017. Hoh stated that the prototype games were available for testing together. In a way, other educational companies are catching up to what we have developed in our field.
Dysolve AI’s brain training program is delivered in short passages, which prompt students to react and respond. The student must concentrate on listening, reading and spelling. The processing problems become clearer after that.
Students worked on iPads that were connected to servers running the AI platform in the early stages. Students scored in the lower 20th percentile of their school’s standardized reading assessments.
Students played AI-generated video games without any assistance. These were generated on demand based upon their responses. Over four months, tracking results revealed that students had reached the 50th percentile of reading and language abilities.
“That’s just how accurate and efficient Dysolve is. Dysolve AI is able to mine a large amount of data. She said that they were comparing billions and billions of points of data per student, to make sure the students improved as quickly as possible.
Dysolve Ai: What it Does
Hoh’s researchers have been integrating databases of national data about dyslexia for decades. Dysolve AI builds on the generic tools Hoh researchers developed.
Dysolve AI builds a series of brain-training games for dyslexic students. AI is able to learn about skills that need reinforcement based on the responses of students.
The first session is a short series of games lasting about three minutes. Dysolve AI builds a series games based on responses from the students for subsequent sessions. Each session provides an opportunity for AI learn more about dyslexic symptoms, and to build an evaluation.
Dysolve AI is available to provide tech support around the clock for private students who work at their pace.
Group Sessions also in Progress
The same process will be tested in formal schools where students wear earphones. Dysolve AI still personalizes the learning process.
She said that Dysolve AI had performed well at schools where it was being tested. Data shows that middle school students are able to perform at standard performance levels after just one or two school years.
The results are the same for both groups of students. The participating students caught up on vocabulary and other language skills. The time constraints may require up to two continuous years, depending on the individual student.
Clinical Trials in Progress
Dysolve AI is undergoing clinical trials. They began in the fall of 2022. These trials are due to conclude this year.
Participating schools are located in Illinois, Kansas Ohio, Wisconsin, Mississippi and North Carolina. Participants range from grades 3 to 8.
Hoh said that the trials are intended to validate Dysolve AI’s efficacy, by showing how it positively impacts participants’ state assessments and standardized reading assessments. The results will be used to determine the validity of Dysolve as a dyslexia screening method.
Hoh said, “In essence we use the clinical trial in order to replicate the sharp increase that we have seen among Dysolve users over the last six years.”
Participants use Dysolve for 15-45 minutes per day, two to five times a week in class or after school programs. They are generally struggling readers who score below the 30th per centile on reading assessments.
The University of Delaware Center for Research in Education and Social Policy’s (CRESP) randomized controlled study (RCT) is being conducted independently by the Center for Research in Education and Social Policy. This RCT will be overseen by their Institutional Review Board. Henry May, CRESP director and a former Institute of Education Sciences (IES), standards-compliant study leader has been the principal investigator.
Grandmother shares Dysolve AI experience
Vicki Bozarth has three grandchildren — ages seven, eight, and 11 — using the AI-powered treatment method at home for eight months. She has noticed several positive changes in her since the treatment began.
In a video, she explained to parents what they could expect from this program. She said that two important elements are patience and the ability of coping with frustration.
“The oldest is more confident in writing with a group. Eight-year-old girl likes writing and tries to spell unfamiliar words. Bozarth said that the youngest child has now improved her verbal skills.
She noted that change takes time. She observed that it takes time for the mind to change.
This can sometimes be frustrating. She assured that there was improvement.
Expect both highs and lows
During the initial months, kids did not make much progress. Bozarth’s students showed a significant improvement when the new academic year began.
Usually, the three children each work for 20 mins on Dysolve five days a weeks. The older two children enjoy doing the work. The youngest one took longer to get into the routine.
Bozarth claims that her grandchildren enjoy the sense of accomplishment they get from their work. She watches them closely, even though they have to work alone. She makes sure that she praises them when they perform well.
She told her students that she was proud of them for their hard work.
Parents were advised to use the program regularly. During the summer they were on vacation, and did not have access to the platform. When the children returned, she could tell they were rusty.
