E-Z-DISLEKSIA FOR DYSLEXIC CHILDREN S.S.Ismail, R.Ismail E.M.Mohd Mahidin, K.Umar, M.Z.

Mohd Yusoff College of Information Technology Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Jalan Kajang-Puchong, 43009 Kajang, Selangor. Tel: 03-89212020, Fax: 03-89212161 sitisalwa@uniten.edu.my, irozita@uniten.edu.my, ezemanzura@uniten.edu.my, karimah@uniten.edu.my, zaliman@uniten.edu.my Abstract E-Z-Disleksia is a courseware designed to accommodate the needs of dyslexic children with difficulty in reading and learning to read Bahasa Melayu. It supports the fundamental elements in multimedia that are visual, auditory and kinesthetic within a semi user controlled navigation approach. In this paper, we present the development work of the courseware using multi-sensory approach. This includes the issues in designing the content and navigational structure of the courseware. It is hoped that the courseware can be as a reference for others in assisting the development of courseware for teaching and learning Bahasa Melayu. Keywords: Multisensory approach, Dyslexia, Phonic method 1.0 Introduction Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that leads to certain difficulties in learning process. Among those difficulties are (Gross & Voegeli, 2007): (a) problems in reading and writing (b) difficulties in carrying out instructions (c) directional confusion where dyslexic students usually confused of their left and right direction d) problems in understanding the mathematical concept (counting and arithmetic operations) (e) problems in arranging the sequence of numbers, letters or instructions (f) difficulties in organizing workflow (g) difficulties to stay focus in learning. These problems happened because dyslexic students often mix-up letters with words and words within sentences (Burgstahler, 2001). Sometimes they see words juggle in a paragraph. Furthermore, some of them experiencing the mirror opposites (reversal of word and letter) problem (Heymans, ND). For example, they might see the letter p instead of q or the word saw instead of was. Statistic from Jabatan Pendidikan Khas, Ministry of Education Malaysia, shows that about 314,000 children in Malaysia are dyslexic (New Straits Times, 2009). Even though the figure is fairly high, the number of schools and trained personnel addressing the problems are relatively small; there are only 30 schools that offer special programs for dyslexic and the number of trained teachers in this area is about 100 (Devaraj, 2006). Currently, similar teaching method is used both for the normal and dyslexic children. In this method, teacher plays a dominant role in teaching and learning process, and it involved mostly one way communication. The method is debated to be less efficient for teaching dyslexic children as they can get bored easily and end up leaving the class or doing their own activity (Omar, 2004; Devaraju et al., 2000; Abdul Rahman and Ismail, 2004).Therefore, to attract dyslexic childrens attention and to optimize their learning time, teachers were
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encouraged to provide appropriate teaching aid to facilitate dyslexic children (Husni and Jamaluddin, 2008). This study is aimed at developing a Bahasa Melayu reading courseware specifically for dyslexic children. It is hoped that the courseware can be used as a teaching aid for teachers as well as parents. 2.0 Teaching Method Dyslexic children are taught either in a conventional teaching method or using a multisensory teaching method (Critchley, M., 1970). The traditional teaching method involves lecturing to the children while they, as the audience try to stay focus on the information being relayed to them. This method does not really work with dyslexic children because dyslexic children have problem to stay focus on certain subject for a long duration of time (Kevin L. Huitt, 1999). Besides, it is hard for them to remember what has been taught since it does not involve any interaction between students, teacher and the subjects taught. The suggested technique to teach dyslexic is by applying a multi-sensory method in teaching (Learning Disabilities Association America, 1998). This method is proven to be an effective method to teach dyslexic children because it can accommodate different learning styles (Logsdon, 2008). It is used in many Special Needs schools and Dyslexia centers, for example Dyslexia Association Singapore and British Dyslexic Association. Research by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) reported that, dyslexic children who were trained in multi-sensory intervention program made significant achievement in their learning skills (International Dyslexia Association, 2008). The famous multi-sensory method is Orton-Gillingham multi-sensory method. In this technique, children are taught to link the sounds of the letters with the written symbols. They also have to link the sound and symbol with how it feels to form the letter/letters by tracing, copying or writing the letter while saying the corresponding sound. 3.0 Reading Method In Malaysia, children are taught to read by spelling or mengeja. Children have to say the letter and pronounce the sound of combining letters. For example b...a ba. In this technique, children have to remember the name of letter and the sound of combined letters. However, some critics of these techniques believe that children take much longer duration to read fluently (Ahmad, 2004). Recently, the phonics approach has been introduced and used especially in pre-school. Phonic method has been identified as one of the possible method for teaching dyslexic children (Ahmad, 2004; Cecilia, 2004). This method teaches word recognition using lettersound association (Learning Disabilities Association America, 1998). Once children have learnt the letter sounds, they will begin to blend letters to make simple words. For example the sound of a combine with t will become at then the sound of c combine with at will becomes cat. We decided to incorporate this method into our courseware due to its effectiveness in improving childrens reading ability. It does not only applicable to normal children but also to dyslexic children (Ahmad, 2004).
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4.0 Multimedia and Dyslexia Recently, there are varieties of multimedia educational courseware in the market. This is an evidence of multimedia applications are widely accepted in the educational field. Multimedia plays a role as a secondary learning tool to enhance students understanding and interest on certain subjects. Multimedia as mentioned by Singleton (2006) has the potential to reduce or even remove most of the problems faced by dyslexic people. For example, Beacham (2007) in his article mentioned that learning materials containing text can be supplemented by graphical and auditory forms, so that dyslexic children can comprehend meaning better. Using multimedia, instructions can be represented in a graphical or auditory form since it allows dyslexic children to develop links between what a word looks like, sounds and meaning. Furthermore, multimedia has the potential to improve reading ability as it provides large amounts of practice that promotes the drill and practice concepts (Lundberg, 1992). This is supported by Karsh (1992) in his report where substantial gains were made by dyslexic children in word reading fluency using Construct a Word program. This program provided drill and practice in forming real words by matching consonants with word endings. Based on the potential used of multimedia application discussed above, a Bahasa Melayu reading courseware was developed for dyslexic children. The courseware will be discussed in more detail in the following sections. 5.0 Courseware Description E-Z-Disleksia is a courseware that introduces dyslexic students to syllables in Bahasa Melayu. It was developed based on ADDIE methodology and applies multi-sensory approach for its content design. This courseware was developed due to the lack of such courseware in the market. Moreover, research on the subject (Bahasa Melayu reading courseware for dyslexic) was also very limited in Malaysia (Lee, 2008; Gomez, 2004).The target users for this courseware are dyslexic children who are in their early stage of learning to read and Bahasa Melayu teachers who can use it as a teaching aid. It is hoped that this courseware can help dyslexic children in learning to read Bahasa Melayu.

5.1 Content structure design As for illustration, we present the content structure of the courseware as in Figure 1. The courseware covers six main modules which comprises of twelve sub modules. Each of these sub modules contains introduction to syllable together with the pronunciation of the syllable, examples of pictures associated with the syllable and a writing exercise.

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Module 1

Module 2

Module 3

content writing content

ca

content writing content

fa

content writing

ba
writing

da
writing

content

ga
writing

Module 4

Module 5

Module 6

ha

content writing content

ka

content writing content

ma

Content writing content

ja
writing

la
writing

na
writing

Figure 1: Content structure of the courseware

5.2 Navigational structure Figure 2 shows the navigational structure of the courseware. For ease of use, the courseware is equipped with a menu that allows user to access any module as they wish. The navigational structure in Figure 2 depicts the overall flow of the courseware.

Figure 2: Courseware navigational structure

Users can choose modules they want to explore from the main menu. The navigational flow of the modules is indicated by numbering each module starting from one until six. The
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modules are arranged in a sequence as illustrated in Figure 2. Apart from that, the users can also access the Help page that contains System Help and Buttons Help. The courseware permits user with flexibility in exploring the content but at the same time imposed certain constraint on the navigation flow. User have to wait until the whole contents of each page are presented before he/she could navigate to the next page, previous page or repeating the same page. This will ensure that the user finishes the module without clicking unnecessary icons and lose in the modules. Besides the navigational structure, interface design also plays a vital part in the development of the courseware. Good interface can attract user in using the application (Dix, 2004). Additional design elements have been included into the courseware to accommodate dyslexic children needs. The following sections explain on the layout design of the courseware where authors provide screen shots and functions definition of each icon in the courseware. 5.3 Main Menu

Figure 3: Main menu of the courseware

Table 1: Description of the menu button available on screen Module icon Help icon Exit icon.

The design of the main menu is simple and straight forward .The page acts as an interactive table of content or index page for the courseware. It has 6 module icons that will direct user
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to navigate the modules in the courseware. There is also a Help button that contains step by step instructions of using the courseware. The Exit button is to exit the application. In addition, there is also a tool tip for each of the buttons together with the narration when mouse is rolled over the buttons. This will help dyslexic children understand the use of button better. 5.4 Content page or sub module Syllables have been divided into sub modules, for example a, ba, ca and others. Each module contains combination of two sub modules (for example combination of sub module a and sub module ba will become one module). All sub-modules have the same layout design. Figure 4 shows the screenshot of the content page of the courseware and the explanation of the icons is provided in the Table 2.

Figure 4: Content page of the courseware - Introduction to syllable and pronunciation of syllable

Figure 5: Content page of the courseware Samples of object associated with syllable

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Table 2: Description of the content page for sub module a

Button that link to the main menu

Left marker to indicate the left side of the screen. Button that give audio instruction to students if they do not understand how to use this courseware Navigation button to go to the next page Button to repeat activity on current page Color picker button or background customization feature that give flexibility for the dyslexic children to choose the background color that best suited them. Content of the page that appear one by one from left to right. Once all letters appear, user can click the syllable to hear the pronunciation of the syllable. Writing button that direct the student to the writing exercise page Button that link to the next sub module contained within the current module In section 1.0, the authors have discussed about the directional confusion among dyslexic children. The conventional way of solving the directional confusion was by wearing a bracelet on the left hand so the children will remember that the hand with bracelet is the left hand (Dyslexia Association of Scotland, 2008). With the knowledge, the authors have suggested the use of left marker to indicate the left side of the screen. The use of the left marker is to assist dyslexic children on identifying the left side of the page as they always confused between left and right and sometimes end up reading from the right (Gross & Voegeli, 2007). The left marker is presented using the hand image which is located at the
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upper left corner of the page. Besides the use of marker, the researcher also applied another method that will help dyslexic children to overcome the directional confusion. The method was implemented by showing the syllables one by one from the left of the screen. This means, at the beginning of each content page, the letters or syllables will come out one by one from left to right on the screen. The process will continue on each new page. This will indirectly help dyslexic children to read from the left. Additionally, the courseware also offers a background color customization feature that offers flexibility for the dyslexic children to choose the background color that best suits them. The choices of colors are represented with palette on the top left corner of the courseware (e.g. Figure 4 and 5). The main intention of this feature was to reduce the Scotopic sensitivity or Meares-Irlen syndrome (unpleasant visual symptoms when reading, for example, seeing words juggle in a paragraph or rivers of white space). 5.5 Activity Figure 6 shows the screen shot of the writing activity page. The animation on how to correctly write a letter is provided. User can use their hands to follow or trace the animation. Tracing the syllable is one way of applying the tactile element into the courseware. Tracing method actually helps dyslexic children to write the letter and remember how the letter looks like (Lim et al., 2009). In addition, they can also rewrite the syllable by clicking the eraser icon to clear the writing canvas.

Figure 6: Writing activities

6.0 Conclusion and future work To sum up, E-Z-Disleksia is in its early development stage. It needs to be tested on real respondents in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the courseware. Further enhancement will be made to the courseware based on the results and feedback from the testing. It is hoped that this courseware can help dyslexic children to enhance their reading skills.

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References Ahmad, M. S. (2004). Mengurus kanak-kanak susah belajar. PTS Professional Publishing Sdn. Bhd., Malaysia Abdul Rahman, M. J., Ismail, M. A. (2004). Multimedia Interaktif Dwibahasa Di Kalangan Kanak-Kanak Bermasalah Pembelajaran. Prosiding Pendidikan Khas, pp. 328-337 Burgstahler, S. (2001).Universal design for instruction. Retrieved October 10, 2008 from: http://ww.washington.edu/doit/Faculty/Strategies/Universal/ Beacham, N. The potential of multimedia to enhance learning for students with dyslexia. Retrieved March 21, 2008, from http://www.skillforaccess.org.uk/articles.php?id=150 Bradford, J. (2003). What causes dyslexia?. Retrieved December 15, 2009 from www.dyslexia-parent.com/mag24.html Critchley, M. (1970). The dyslexic child. London: William Keinemann Medical Books Cecilia, S. L., Adam, T. and Julianna, S. (2004). User Interface Design in Developing Multimedia Software for Handicapped Children, 8th ERCIM Workshop, User interface for All, 28 -29 June 2004, Vienna, Austria Dix, A., Finlay, J., Abowd, D. G, and Beale, R. (2004). Human Computer Interaction: Third Edition. Prentice Hall, England. Dyslexia Association of Scotland. DYSLEXIA: A Brief Guide for Parents. Retrieved October 10, 2008 from: www.dyslexiascotland.org.uk Devaraj, S. and Roslan, S. (2006). Apa itu Disleksia? Panduan untuk ibu bapa, guru dan kaunselor. PTS Professional Publishing Sdn.Bhd, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Gomez, C. (2004). Dyslexia in Malaysia. In Smythe, I., Everett, J & Salter, R. Supplementary materials of the International Book of Dyslexia: Aguie to practice and resources. Retrieved August 20, 2008, from: http://www.wiley.com/legacy/wileychi/dyslexia/supp/Malaysia.pdf Gross. M and Voegeli. C, A multimedia framework for effective language training, Elsevier: Computers & Graphics 31 (2007) 761777 Heymans, Y. Dyslexia. Retrieved February 12, 2008, from www.etni.org.il/etninews/inter2d.htm Husni, H. and Jamaluddin, Z. (2008). A Retrospective and Future Look at Speech Recognition Applications in Assisting Children with Reading Disabilities. Proceedings of the World Congress on Engineering and Computer Science (WCECS), San Francisco, USA International Dyslexia Association. Multisensory Teaching. Retrieved February 12, 2008, from: www.interdys.org Kevin L. Huitt, (1999). Teaching Dyslexic Students. Retrieved December 3, 2009, from http://teach.valdosta.edu/WHuitt/files/tchdyslexic.pdf Karsh, K.G. (1992). Computer Assisted Instruction: Potential and Reality, SpringerVerlang pp.452- 477 Lim Abdullah, M. H., Hisham, S., and Parumo, S. (2009). MyLexics: An Assistive Courseware for Dyslexic Children to Learn Basic Malay Language. SIGACCESS Newsletter, Issue 95 Lee, L. W. (2008). Development and validation of a reading related assessment battery in Malay for the purpose of dyslexia assessment. Annals of Dyslexia, 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2009 from: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3809/is_200806

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Logsdon, A. Multisensory Techniques - Make Multisensory Teaching Materials. Retrieved October 10, 2008 from: http://learningdisabilities.about.com/od/instructionalmaterials/p/mulitsensory.htm Lundberg, (1992). The computer as a tool of remediation in the education of students with reading disabilities, Learning Disability Quarterly Vol. 18, 1992,pp 89-99 March/April 1998 issue of LDA Newsbriefs (Volume 38, No.4), the newsletter of the Learning Disabilities Association. America. Available at: www.dys_add.com/teach.html New Straits Times (2009). They Overcame Dyslexia. Can Our Children? August 9. Omar, M. Z. (2004). Masalah Disleksia Di Sekolah Singleton, C. (2006). Computer and Dyslexia: implications for policy and practice, Dyslexia Computer Resource Centre; University of Hull.

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