Reading Pen
 |
|
|
| |
Reading Pen |
| |
|
The gadget is small, portable and convenient and she simply puts it in her pocket wherever she goes. When she comes across difficult words, all she needs to do is to scan the word and the scanner will read out the word to her. The meaning of the word will also be shown on a small screen. She is highly motivated to read more storybooks as she no longer needs to “bother” (in her own words) other people with the pronunciation and meaning of the words. She can go on and on to finish the book in no time as she gains momentum in her reading speed, with the help of the scanner that spares her the interruption caused by difficult words. She derives tremendous pleasure in being able to read independently, just like any of her siblings and classmates, and she enjoys the flow of uninterrupted reading. Her language ability, in terms of pronunciation and vocabulary, has improved by leaps and bounds. She even uses the scanner to scan over difficult words in the menu when we go to restaurant for dinner and she is now confident enough to place an order with the waiter. However, there are some slight shortcomings of this scanner. It is unable to pick up words that are of irregular fonts, e.g. some words with fanciful fonts and colours such as those that appear on product packaging, especially children’s products. It is also not very reliable if scanned over handwritten words, especially if the letters are cursive. Melanie Chong Melanie is a student on the Dyslexia Certificate course
|  |
|
My
niece - aged nine, is dyslexic. She received a hand-held scanner for her birthday
present and since then it has become her best pal when it comes to reading her
favorite storybooks.