How AI Can Help Struggling Older Readers, Their Educators, and Their Parents

Technology has always had nuggets of genius for helping struggling learners.  Today, AI is a useful tool across many platforms, for us teachers and parents of older struggling readers. There is a good chance, as an educator, you’ve experienced platforms that help struggling readers.  There’s a lot of new stuff out there too.  Times are changing fast and AI is getting better!  There are several AI tools that can read text aloud, help with comprehension, and even provide assistance with tasks like writing or understanding information. For example:

• Text-to-speech tools can read documents, books, or web pages to you.
• Speech Recognition tools allow you to dictate text instead of writing it.
• AI-powered reading apps can break down complex texts into simpler language or provide summaries.
• AI learning tools can assist with phonics, vocabulary, and reading comprehension exercises.

These technologies can empower your struggling reader’s independence and confidence to engage with written content in ways that work best for them.  

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly transforming reading tutoring programs, literacy education, and adult reading programs.  It offers new tools and opportunities to assist educators and struggling readers. Older readers who face challenges with literacy (and their families) often deal with years of frustration and disengagement. 

AI has become a valuable resource for struggling readers, their parents, and educators by offering innovative ways to identify the right action steps. It individualizes each step to improve reading skills while also building confidence through personalized, engaging learning experiences.

Although I still believe there is nothing more valuable than a (real) teacher sitting down with a student who is struggling, I’m also curious about what’s new.  I’m curious about new ways AI gives struggling readers access to strategies that will speed up the process of closing literacy gaps. Recent research has validated the effectiveness of AI-driven tools in education, particularly for those who struggle with reading.  

The Challenges Faced by Older Struggling Readers

Older struggling readers and those who teach them, find that traditional approaches do not address their individual specific needs in a timely way. Months are spent locating the gaps, assessing them, collecting data, and making it “legal”, and then, they move to a new school, teacher, curriculum, or program.  Struggling readers face these, and other unique challenges, including a decline in motivation, increased frustration, and a lack of confidence. According to a study by Cutter et al. (2021), older struggling readers often experience heightened anxiety when faced with complex reading tasks, which can create a cycle of avoidance and academic difficulties.

For these students, personalized and adaptive learning is crucial to re-engaging them and fostering timely measurable improvement. AI-powered educational tools can offer tailored solutions that meet each student's unique needs and learning style.

How AI Supports Struggling Older Readers

 Some of the most successful reading programs now use AI and offer individualized learning paths and interactive features making it a valuable tool for older struggling readers. These students require personalized intervention, immediate feedback, and engaging content to make meaningful progress.

1. Personalized Learning Paths

AI tools like DreamBox and ReadWorks use advanced algorithms to create personalized learning paths based on each student’s strengths, weaknesses, and reading behavior. These tools adapt in real-time, making sure that students receive the right level of difficulty and can progress at their own pace, with the real guidance of an educator or parent. A study by Pane et al. (2017) found that the best online reading programs or personalized learning approaches facilitated by AI can significantly streamline positive reading outcomes, particularly for students who are behind grade level. The adaptive learning environments provided by AI can prevent students from becoming overwhelmed by offering appropriate challenges that match their abilities.

2. Immediate Feedback for Continuous Improvement

One of the key benefits of AI-powered reading tools is their ability to provide real-time feedback. Research from the Education Endowment Foundation (2020) highlights that immediate feedback significantly improves learning outcomes, especially for students who struggle with core reading skills. Tools such as Google Read&Write and Grammarly deliver instant corrections on grammar, sentence structure, and pronunciation, streamlining literacy by helping struggling learners recognize and correct their mistakes as they go. This process helps struggling readers build fluency and comprehension by reinforcing correct reading habits.  

3. Text-to-Speech (TTS) and Speech-to-Text (STT) Tools

These tools have been around for a long time and have had mixed reviews through the years.  Text-to-speech (TTS) technology helps struggling readers access content beyond their current reading level. For older readers who may comprehend content better through listening, TTS tools like Natural Reader or Kurzweil 3000 convert written text into spoken words. Recent studies have shown the benefits of TTS for improving comprehension and engagement for students with reading difficulties. For example, a 2021 study by Marin et al. demonstrated that TTS technology improves reading comprehension and overall academic performance in students with dyslexia.

Conversely, Speech-to-Text (STT) tools assist students in generating written content without the barriers posed by spelling or handwriting issues. Tools like Dragon Naturally Speaking allow students to verbally express their ideas, which are then converted into text. A 2019 study by Pino and Mortari showed that STT tools greatly enhance writing abilities and empower students to focus on content creation rather than spelling or grammar.

4. Engagement Through Gamified Learning

These days, anything that is gamified is attractive to students. AI-powered platforms such as ReadTheory and DuoLingo are powered by AI and are considered attractive reading strategies for struggling readers.  They incorporate gamification literacy strategies that encourage students to practice reading in a fun, engaging way. These have been shown to improve student motivation and persistence, particularly for those who struggle with traditional learning methods (Dicheva et al., 2018). Persistence and motivation, the missing pieces for many older struggling readers, are absolutely necessary in how fast and how successful they close their reading gaps. While AI-based tools alone may not be the answer, they are a piece of the puzzle or at least one strategy that might work for some of your struggling readers.  AI-based reading apps leverage points, badges, and rewards to engage older struggling readers who may feel disengaged from conventional reading activities. This can lead to sustained practice and improved reading skills over time.

5. Improving Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary

AI-powered tools like Rewordify and MobyMax simplify text to make it more accessible to older struggling readers. These tools adjust vocabulary difficulty based on the student's reading level, which promotes incremental reading intervention strategies on pace with individual learners.

Research by Yang et al. (2022) highlights that AI-driven interventions focusing on vocabulary development can significantly close reading comprehension and word knowledge gaps in struggling readers. By providing scaffolded support, AI tools help students gradually tackle more difficult reading material without becoming overwhelmed.

How do you meet the needs of all learners, specifically those with reading deficits?  AI is a piece of the puzzle that is proving a reliable and accessible solution for struggling readers.  As I said before, there is nothing like a real-life teacher supporting a struggling reader, but sometimes we as educators don’t have the right tools, and AI might be a helpful solution for a reader.