DytectiveU: A Game to Train the Difficulties and the Strengths of Children with Dyslexia
Luz Rello, Arturo Macias, María Herrera, Camila de Ros, Enrique Romero, Jeffrey P. Bigham · 2017 · Proceedings of the 19th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '17) · doi:10.1145/3132525.3134773
Summary
This demonstration paper presents DytectiveU, a game-based application containing 35,000 exercises designed to train cognitive abilities related to dyslexia in Spanish-speaking children. Unlike most existing dyslexia interventions that focus narrowly on reading fluency or spelling, DytectiveU takes a holistic approach by addressing 25 cognitive indicators grouped into five domains: language skills (9 indicators including alphabetic, phonological, syllabic, lexical, morphological, syntactic, semantic, orthographic, and prosodic awareness), performance measures (7 indicators including reading comprehension, reading speed, spelling, writing speed, and error recognition/correction), working memory (4 types: visual-alphabetical, auditory-phonological, sequential-auditory, and sequential-visual), executive functions (activation and attention, sustained attention, simultaneous attention), and perceptual processes (visual and auditory discrimination and categorization). The exercises were manually created by a multidisciplinary team of linguists, psychologists, and computer scientists using two language resources: linguistic error patterns mined from a corpus of real errors made by people with dyslexia, and language resources generated through natural language processing techniques. The game includes 54 exercise types with 11 different interaction modalities, organized into 64 challenges of approximately 15-20 minutes each.
Key findings
DytectiveU's key innovation is its personalization engine. For each exercise, the system collects dependent variables (number of clicks, hits, speed, accuracy, and efficiency) that are mapped to specific cognitive abilities. The child's performance per cognitive ability is compared against age-matched peers, and subsequent challenges are generated to strengthen weaker skills while providing more difficult exercises for stronger skills. This strengths-based approach is distinctive — the system explicitly trains both difficulties and strengths, recognizing that developing coping skills through leveraging cognitive strengths is crucial for overcoming dyslexia. The tool provides two types of reports: an evaluation comparing the player against the percentile of same-age players across language skills, and a longitudinal view showing the player's evolution over time per cognitive skill. Two versions exist: a family version with simplified performance reports, and DytectiveU PRO for professional therapists with detailed per-skill reports and manual exercise customization. A Proof of Concept workshop with 12 families (children ages 6-18) and 6 therapists informed the tool's design, including report formats, gamification strategies, and character design. The project was crowd-funded, with backers participating in the co-creation process.
Relevance
DytectiveU represents an important advance in technology-mediated dyslexia support by moving beyond the typical focus on reading and spelling to address the broader cognitive profile associated with dyslexia. With approximately 1 in 10 people affected by dyslexia, scalable, personalized interventions delivered through games have enormous potential reach compared to traditional one-on-one therapy. The application's grounding in real error corpus data — linguistic patterns extracted from actual mistakes made by people with dyslexia — gives it a stronger evidence base than many educational apps. For accessibility practitioners and educators, the 25-indicator framework provides a comprehensive model for understanding dyslexia as a multidimensional cognitive difference rather than simply a reading problem. The strengths-based perspective is particularly noteworthy: rather than treating dyslexia purely as a deficit to be remediated, the system explicitly develops coping skills by building on areas of cognitive strength. The availability across Android, iOS, and web platforms ensures broad access for families and schools.
Tags: dyslexia · serious games · cognitive accessibility · gamification · learning disabilities · education · personalization · reading accessibility