When you read, do the letters move?

Question

Look at the letters and tell me if they are moving. If so we need to try another method of learning to read.

Answer 1

This can be a symptom of dyslexia. I have taught classes in special education in dyslexia in a pull-out program called R.I.P. I have also worked with students in regular classes with dyslexia on a consulting or tutoring basis. The overlays and rulers/cards are methods that work with many students. There are glasses that are made to help adults and children stop words from "swimming". Usually kids don't like them because they are noticeable, but a famous news broadcaster in Houston, Marvin Zindler, wore them and he couldn't say enough about how they changed his life. Other ideas are to change the color of the background on computers, tablets, Kindles, etc. I like black background/white letters, but I find students like yellow or grey backgrounds. They can also hold or tape their colored overlays onto their monitors. There are trained professionals that can help with overlays, such as colors, multiple colors or texture. Some students like 3x5 cards with a word size hole in the middle that helps isolate the word they are reading from all other words. We used to teach our students with dyslexia to write in cursive using all 4 learning modalities. They are lots of ideas out there that you can try. Hey--how about an expert tutor! Like me!

Answer 2

Reading aids for dyslexia generally fall into three categories: digital software, hardware (handheld devices), and physical (low-tech) tools. The goal is typically to reduce "decoding" fatigue—the mental effort used to sound out words—so the brain can focus on comprehension.

Digital Software & Apps

These are often the most powerful tools for managing large amounts of text.

1. Text-to-Speech (TTS): Converts digital text into spoken words. High-quality AI voices in 2026 (like those in Speechify or NaturalReader) sound very human.
2. Specialized Readers: Apps like Voice Dream Reader and DyslexiaBuddy allow you to fully customize the reading environment, including:
3. Dyslexia-friendly fonts: Such as OpenDyslexic or Dyslexie, which use weighted bottoms to prevent letters from "rotating" or "flipping."
4. Line Focus: Shading out everything except the line you are currently reading to prevent "skipping."
5. Color Overlays: Changing the background from bright white to a softer cream or pastel to reduce visual glare and "moving letters."
6. Microsoft Immersive Reader: A free, built-in tool in Word and Edge that can break words into syllables, highlight parts of speech, and read text aloud.

Handheld & Physical Hardware

For reading printed materials like books, menus, or handouts.

1. Reading Pens: Devices like the C-Pen Reader allow you to scan a line of printed text and have it read aloud instantly through headphones.
2. Smart Pens: The Livescribe Smartpen records audio while you take notes, allowing you to tap your written words later to hear exactly what was being said at that moment.
3. OCR Apps: You can use your smartphone camera with apps like Leksa or Prizmo to take a photo of a page and instantly convert it into readable, voiced text.

Physical (Low-Tech) Aids

Sometimes the simplest tools are the most effective for daily tasks.

1. Reading Trackers/Rulers: Transparent plastic strips with a colored "window" that helps the eye stay on one line at a time.
2. Tinted Overlays: Colored plastic sheets placed over a page to reduce "visual stress." Different people find different colors (blue, yellow, or rose) more effective.
3. Colored Paper: Printing on cream or off-white paper instead of bright white can significantly reduce eye strain.

Which tool should you start with?

1. For school/work: Read&Write is an all-in-one toolbar that works across web browsers and documents.
2. For pleasure reading: Learning Ally and Bookshare provide massive libraries of human-narrated audiobooks and "voice+text" synced books.

Answer 3

After working in a remedial based program for students with learning disabilities, predominantly dyslexia, I have found that remediation does not work most of the time, especially when a student is both dyslexic and also has another disability. Also, many students, not all, but many people with dyslexia are quite gifted! So seeing perfectly capable 12th graders still working in kiddie elementary level books broke my heart. They just learn differently and we need to stop trying to reform people with dyslexia to catch up with same age peers. While there are some people who found help with remediation, I do not think that it is helpful to most people in my experience. The problem is not that these students need to play catch up, the problem is that our education is teaching them all wrong to begin with.

Answer 4

Hi! Not sure if you'll see this. YES...they can move, dance, sway, and change positions. Dyslexia is neurobiological. Dyslexics think predominantly with their brain's right hemisphere. There is less activity in the left-parietal and left-occipital - temporal lobes.

Answer 5

I would increase the print size of the text as well as use a ruler placed underneath the line of the text as it is read. This helps to guide the eyes as you are reading.

Answer 6

We need to try and used a color overlays or sheets to find out what color works for the student to help the letters stay in one place. This will help in comprehension and functional parts of learning to read.