Providing Interactive Booksfor Learning Disabled Teens & Young Adults
We know that readers enjoy our book because we’ve asked them. Readeezy conducted extensive research at a number of schools to get student reaction to the story.
Study Participants
0
Total Students
0
School Districts
6
Grades
Ages 11-21+
The Results Were Amazing!
Comprehension
Audio, Graphics, Games
Digital
The great majority of readers enjoyed, understood and remembered the story after they read it.
All three elements were a big help in readers’ comprehension and enjoyment of the story.
Readers gave a thumbs up to reading on a digital device which they preferred to print two to one.
Why Is This Important?
Brain Growth 
Pruning Back 
Find Out More 
Readeezy Supports the Research 
A new word has emerged when we talk about our brains – “neuroplasticity.” That means that our brains keep building new connections throughout our lives. BUT the only way for our brains to continue growing is for us to use them. If we give up on reading when we’re in middle school, for instance, the “reading part” of our brain stops developing.
What happens if we stop reading is very worrisome. When we stop using a part of our brain, the brain decides we don’t need that section anymore, so it “prunes back” those connections. That means that sooner or later, those parts of our brain will die off! So we either “use it or lose it!”
A scientist named Norman Doidge has written a lot on this subject. If you’d like to learn more, you can check out these books.
Doidge, Norman. (2007). The brain that changes itself: Stories of personal triumph from the frontiers of brain science. New York: Viking.
Doidge, Norman. (2015). The brain’s way of healing: Remarkable discoveries and recoveries from the frontiers of neuroplasticity. New York: Viking.
Research also supports the features we’ve included in Readeezy, including the use of pictures, a digital format, text to speech and interactivity. You can find much of this information in one place in this article:
Comments so far…
It is user friendly which is important for struggling readers who are looking for reasons to give up because they cannot deal with the frustrations of reading.
VL Guidance Counselor
The aspect I find most engaging is the slight animations of the illustrations, and the pan effect you have scrolling across some of the scenes when the page is first turned. I find it’s a nice break in between reading the pages, to be able to see these brief, non-distracting animations. And it made me interested to read the words.
MH Market Researcher
The questions are also well-thought out. They are easy enough to answer but do require some higher level thinking.
BW ESL Teacher
I liked the pictures and the way they reflected what was happening in the story when they moved. I also liked that the story was broken down into small concepts that could be looked at individually.
JC Special Needs Parent
I liked the overall concept very much. The story has meaning with which students can relate, yet it is simply stated.
M O’S teacher
What I like most about your app is that it meets the need of older students who require developmentally simpler content that is also age appropriate. I think if you continue to provide age appropriate stories for the students age 12 and up with lower processing/academic abilities, you will be tapping into an untouched area. I have a very hard time finding materials for my older students.
MD Special Ed teacher
I also like how the questions are open-ended because it helps guide readers thoughts on what is key to the story without saying there’s only one answer. It lets readers figure out why it’s key to the story for themselves. Reading is subjective and full of multiple answers, so it’s also great that you included a “I have my own idea” field for readers to type in their own answer.
SN Book Publisher
I liked that the questions were open ended, discussion prompters.