[novia]

Just yesterday I learned about the learning disorder called hyperlexia[1], where a child appears to be a very advanced reader for their age, but in reality they are approaching reading as a problem to be solved rather than as a source of information. The child ends up with a superficial reading skill that's more advanced than their verbal language understanding skill.

I'd imagine a hyperlexic reader would sound very accurate to Ello. Do you have any way to test the child's understanding of what is being read instead of just checking for correct pronunciation of words to make sure the app doesn't create a generation of hyperlexics?

You've said you're not trying to replace the adult/child interactions involved with learning to read, but the cynic in me thinks that some parents or teachers will lean on the tool a little too hard.

[1] https://www.verywellfamily.com/hyperlexia-signs-diagnosis-an...

[eba7keb]

Thanks for your comment! As of right now, We aren't a tool that diagnoses or assesses in a formal way (though we may move in that direction in the future). Research shows that the number of children who read for pleasure is the lowest it has been in decades. Additionally, many children don't read at home at all, and resist parent (and school) bids to have them read at home independently. Ello's focus is more on making reading for fun a more supported experience where the kids have an opportunity to learn in the moment (using evidence-based strategies). We support comprehension through commentary Ello makes (summarizing and commenting as the child reads) rather than testing or assessing the child's comprehension skills. This was a purposeful choice. Hyperlexia isn't something that can be "created" through reading independently (Elizabeth here, child clinical psychologist and co-founder of Ello). It is a (relatively rare) disorder where very young children decode far above grade level. In most cases, this is flagged in schools, and would be flagged for us if a parent reported a very high reading ability for their child's age (which is usually the opposite profile of our customer). However, you are correct that hyperlexia is a learning difference where there is decoding without meaning. Generally, we send books for children that are at or below grade level in reading for practice with reading fluency. We aren't a full service curriculum (and have designed our program to focus on enjoyment and time in text).