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Indiana University has announced that senior, Katie Spoon, has created a revolutionary neural network system that uses Artificial Intelligence to evaluate a child’s handwriting for possible symptoms of dyslexia with significant accuracy. According to the university’s news release, the work earned Ms. Spoon the Provost’s Award for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity in the category of Natural and Mathematical Sciences.

The news release said her work “has the potential to reduce the number undiagnosed cases of dyslexia, as well as help children access the accommodations they need as early as possible.” In the press release, Ms. Spoon went to explain, “an estimated 20 percent of kids have dyslexia or some other language-based learning disability,” said Spoon, who is enrolled in the accelerated master’s degree program at the IU School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering. “Those students need to be detected by second grade because, if you struggle to read in third grade, you’re more than four times more likely to drop out before finishing high school, and only two percent are detected by second grade.”

“Katie’s research has the potential to improve our education system in terms of identifying children sooner who should be assessed for learning disabilities,” said Katie Siek, an associate professor at the IU School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering; Spoon’s work on dyslexia began under her guidance. “This takes some of the burden of documenting handwriting off of teachers and caregivers.”

The university reported that Spoon was drawn to the topic because of her mother’s background in special education. “It’s up to parents most of the time to push the schools to diagnose their kids,” Spoon said. “A lot of times they need some type of evidence, and this project could provide that evidence so they can be detected sooner.”

Photo of Katie Spoon by Eric Rudd, Indiana University

“Students need to be detected by second grade because, if you struggle to read in third grade, you’re more than four times more likely to drop out before finishing high school…”
—University of Indiana student and researcher, Katie Spoon

Read the full news release from Indiana University here. And if you have questions or concerns about a struggling learner in your family, feel free to reach out. I’m always available by email or drop me a note using the quick form below.

McDonald's Sweden' digital billboard campaign to raise awareness of dyslexia.

Digital ads across Sweden alternated between standard lettering and jumbled phrasing to help viewers better understand and appreciate the effects of dyslexia. Photo by Nord DDB Stockholm

“Dyslexia is also very common, affecting 20 percent of the population and representing 80 – 90 percent of all those with learning disabilities.”
—Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity

Despite the prevalence of dyslexia, people who haven’t struggled with it have difficulty appreciating the frustration of those who suffer with the disorder.

To help non-dyslexics see through the eyes of those who struggle, making the invisible diagnosis visible, McDonald’s Sweden created an ad campaign coinciding with World Dyslexia Awareness Day on Oct. 4. The burger chain produced digital displays whose letters frequently jumbled in and out of order. The campaign included a free book in Happy Meals about a young boy’s struggles with dyslexia.

“McDonald’s is big enough to make a difference,” explained Christoffer Rönnblad, marketing director of McDonald’s Sweden. “It feels good to be able to use our scale and our voice in society to visualize an invisible problem that many suffer from.”

The Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity notes that, “Dyslexia can’t be “cured” — it is lifelong. But with the right supports, dyslexic individuals can become highly successful students and adults.”