Fact · Accessibility and health
In a 1999 study of 20 elementary and secondary students with learning disabilities, those who used speech recognition software improved significantly more than a control group in word recognition, spelling and reading comprehension.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“This study examined whether the use of speech recognition technology by elementary and secondary students with learning disabilities (N=20) would demonstrate improvements in reading and spelling. Comparison with a control group indicated that the speech recognition groups showed significantly more improvement in word recognition, spelling, and reading comprehension.”
Speaking To Read: The Effects of Speech Recognition Technology on the Reading and Spelling Performance of Children with Learning Disabilities, Marshall H. Raskind and Eleanor L. Higgins, Annals of Dyslexia (ERIC record EJ601354), 1999, ERIC abstract.
Open the original- What it measures
- Published in Annals of Dyslexia, the journal of the International Dyslexia Association. The students used speech recognition software and were compared with a control group that did not. The abstract adds that analysis indicated growth in phonological processing was responsible for the gains.
- What it does not show
- Only 20 students, 1990s software, and an effect on reading and spelling skills rather than on writing output. A 2000 follow-up by the same authors with 52 students aged 9 to 18 reported gains in word recognition and reading comprehension over a control group.