It has been established that the iPad is useful for children who have an autism spectrum disorder, or who are non-verbal. There are apps that can help a child communicate and to keep track of what comes next in a school day. A new study find that the iPad can help people who have vision problems to read.
Does you child have vision problems? Has he come home from school saying that he can’t see the board? Does she sit really close to the TV, and hold books really close to her face while reading? Has your child been diagnosed as being legally blind? If so, the iPad could be very useful.
A study was recently presented at the 116th annual meeting of the American Academy of Opthalmology. The study looked at all backlit tablets. The iPad received the highest score for helping people with low vision (from macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy) to read at the level that they did before their vision loss occurred.
Part of what is helpful with an iPad is that it is backlit. The study found that it was easier for people to see the text on an iPad than on a Kindle that was not backlit. There is something about the backlit feature that is especially helpful.
The iPad allows people to adjust the font size to one that is comfortable for them to read. You cannot adjust the font size in a book that is made out of paper. Instead, a person would have to use a magnifying glass to increase the text size. Or, the person would have to use a CCTV device, which can brighten the text in a printed book or newspaper, as well as adjust the size.
The CCTV device is large, bulky, and not easily portable. The iPad does not have that limitation. It doesn’t weigh much and can easily be stored in a backpack when not in use. Your child might feel uncomfortable about the idea of her peers watching her use a magnifying glass to read something. No one is going to pick on her for using an iPad, though.
Best of all, the iPad can help children and adults who have vision problems to fall in love with reading. It removes the struggle of straining to see the words, and the stigma of using a magnifying glass in public, and the limitations of a non-portable CCTV device. Download a few of your favorite books from childhood onto your child’s iPad, and watch him fall in love with the stories.
Image by John Karakatsanis on Flickr