Why is a computer often recommended for people with dyslexia?

1. The Computer as a Compensatory Tool

It is important to clarify one essential point:

A computer does not “fix” dyslexia.

Dyslexia is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition. There is no tool that cures it. However, certain supports can reduce its functional impact.

A computer operates within this compensatory framework.

It influences three major areas.

• Written Expression

For many people with dyslexia, handwriting creates a dual burden:

the physical act of writing and the cognitive effort required to manage spelling and transcription difficulties.

Typing can:

reduce the effort associated with letter formation,

minimize blocks related to handwriting,

provide access to spell-check and grammar tools,

enable word prediction features.

As a result, cognitive energy can be redirected toward content, organization of ideas, and critical thinking — rather than the constant fear of making spelling mistakes.

• Access to Text

Digital text offers flexibility that paper simply cannot.

Users can:

• increase font size,
• adjust typefaces,
• modify line spacing,
• change contrast settings.

These adjustments are far from cosmetic.

For some individuals with dyslexia, visual crowding — dense text, tight spacing, harsh contrast — can intensify decoding difficulties.

Adapting the display means adapting the cognitive load.

• Digital Support Tools

Computers also provide access to assistive technology that reshapes the reading experience:

• text-to-speech,
• speech-to-text (dictation),
• highlighting tools,
• supported or guided reading features.

These tools help bypass certain barriers without limiting access to knowledge, academic performance, or professional achievement.

In other words, a computer is not a privilege.

It is a functional accommodation designed to restore equitable conditions for learning and working.

2. A Matter of Cognitive Load

Dyslexia is not a temporary or occasional difficulty.

It significantly engages attentional and cognitive resources.

For a person with dyslexia, reading can require sustained effort:

• slower decoding,
• frequent hesitations,
• repeated rereading to ensure comprehension,
• increasing fatigue over time.

While a fluent reader quickly automates word recognition, a reader with dyslexia often relies on conscious compensatory strategies.

And the brain has limited resources.

When most cognitive energy is devoted to decoding, fewer resources remain available for:

• deep comprehension,
• memory retention,
• analysis,
• organizing and structuring ideas.

Neuroscience refers to this phenomenon as an increase in cognitive load.

Automaticity and Mental Effort

In skilled readers, word recognition becomes largely automatic.

This automaticity frees up cognitive capacity for higher-level processes such as interpretation and critical thinking.

For some individuals with dyslexia, automaticity is less stable.

The brain continues to devote attention to lower-level processes — letter identification, phonological assembly — which increases mental fatigue.

This is where the computer plays an indirect but meaningful role.

By reducing certain constraints — including handwriting demands, rigid page formatting, and the inability to adjust text presentation — it eases pressure on executive functions.

Less peripheral effort.

More cognitive availability for meaning.

Fatigue and Performance

This distinction is essential.

Dyslexia does not only affect reading as a technical skill.

It affects cognitive endurance.

After several hours of reading or writing, fatigue can:

• increase error rates,
• slow processing speed,
• diminish confidence,
• reduce overall performance.

By offering a more adaptable environment, a computer does not eliminate the difficulty.

But it can make it more sustainable over time.

It is not about comfort.

It is about efficiency and functional performance.

3. At School in the U.S.: Why a Laptop Is Often Part of a 504 Plan or IEP

In the United States, accommodations for students with dyslexia are typically formalized through either a 504 Plan (under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act) or an Individualized Education Program (IEP) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

While the legal frameworks may sound complex, the principle behind them is simple:

Students with dyslexia are entitled to equal access to learning and fair evaluation.

A laptop is frequently included in these plans — not as a privilege, but as a structured accommodation.

Ensuring Fair Assessment

Without appropriate support, a student with dyslexia may be disproportionately penalized for:

• slow handwriting,
• spelling errors that obscure ideas,
• difficulty copying from the board,
• fatigue during written exams.

The goal of a 504 Plan or IEP is to ensure that assessment reflects the student’s understanding — not the mechanical impact of a reading or writing disorder.

Using a laptop can allow students to:

• type instead of handwrite,
• use spell-checking and word prediction tools,
• access speech-to-text software,
• organize their work more efficiently.

The focus shifts from struggling with form to expressing ideas clearly.

Access to Text and Assistive Technology

Under U.S. educational guidelines, schools must consider whether a student requires assistive technology to access the curriculum.

For many students with dyslexia, this includes:

• text-to-speech tools,
• audiobooks,
• digital textbooks,
• adjustable font size and spacing,
• reading support software.

These tools are not designed to eliminate dyslexia.

They are designed to reduce its functional impact on academic performance.

From School to Adulthood

The logic behind these accommodations extends beyond K–12 education.

Whether in college or in the workplace, the core principle remains the same:

Compensation supports equity.

Reading-heavy environments do not disappear after graduation.

Emails, reports, contracts, research papers — digital reading becomes constant.

The laptop, therefore, is not merely a school tool.

It becomes a structural part of how many individuals with dyslexia navigate academic and professional life.

4. Why a Screen Can Sometimes Make Reading Easier

Beyond digital tools themselves, computers modify an often overlooked variable: the visual environment.

Reading on a screen does not simply mean “reading on a different surface.”

It means reading in an environment where several parameters can be adjusted:

• brightness,
• contrast,
• font size,
• spacing,
• display stability.

These adjustments may seem technical.

For some individuals with dyslexia, they are significant.

Reading and Visual Processing

Reading is a complex neurological process. It involves phonological processing, word recognition, working memory — but also eye movement coordination and visual processing.

Some research in visual neuroscience, including work by Albert Le Floch and Guy Ropars, has explored how visual perception and ocular stability may influence reading performance.

In some individuals with dyslexia, researchers have observed:

less stable eye movements,

longer fixation times,

frequent regressions (backward eye movements),

increased visual fatigue.

When visual perception is unstable or fatiguing, decoding becomes more demanding.

In this context, a customizable visual environment can help reduce part of that burden.

The Role of the Light Environment

Printed text offers a fixed format: black text on white paper, predetermined density, unchangeable spacing.

A screen, by contrast, allows adjustments.

Reducing brightness.

Modifying contrast.

Increasing spacing.

These changes can help limit glare, reduce eye strain, and improve reading comfort over time.

They do not resolve dyslexia.

But they can make sustained reading more manageable.

5. The Limits of a Standard Computer Screen

A conventional computer was not designed specifically for readers with dyslexia.

It provides flexibility — but its visual environment remains generic.

Depending on the situation, a standard screen may:

• emit light perceived as harsh or overstimulating,
• increase eye strain during prolonged use,
• contribute to attentional dispersion due to the digital environment,
• fail to address specific visual processing needs.

In other words:

A computer is a meaningful support — but an imperfect one.

It compensates for certain cognitive and functional challenges.

It was not designed to optimize the perceptual environment of readers with dyslexia.

This leads to an important question.

If computers are recommended because they transform the reading experience, can we go further in adapting that visual environment?

6. Going Further: Rethinking the Reading Environment

Computers are recommended for people with dyslexia not only for practical reasons.

They are recommended because they change the reading experience.

They reduce the burden of handwriting.

They allow text display to be adjusted.

They provide access to assistive tools.

But they still rely on a standard screen — designed for the general population.

Which raises an important question:

Can we preserve the benefits of digital reading while specifically optimizing the visual environment for individuals with dyslexia?

When Science Drives Innovation

Research in visual neuroscience has highlighted the importance of perceptual stability and light comfort in the act of reading.

Some scientific approaches have explored how light modulation may influence visual perception and eye strain in people with dyslexia.

It is within this scientific framework that the Lili screen was developed.

Designed on the basis of recognized research, it acts directly on the light environment in order to:

• improve visual stability,
• reduce fatigue during prolonged reading,
• support smoother reading.

Measurable Benefits in Everyday Life

In practical terms, this can translate into:

• improved reading speed,
• better comprehension,
• reduced visual fatigue.

At school, in college, or in the workplace, these improvements can have a meaningful impact on:

• confidence,
• autonomy,
• the ability to fully express one’s potential.

The goal is not to replace existing accommodations.

It is to make them more effective.

A New Step in Supporting Readers with Dyslexia

The computer represented a major shift in how dyslexia-related challenges are supported.

The Lili screen builds on that evolution.

Developed based on recognized scientific research, it was specifically designed to improve the digital reading experience for people with dyslexia.

For families, schools, and organizations committed to inclusion, the message is clear:

Adapting the work and learning environment is not about giving an advantage.

It is about creating equitable conditions for performance.

👉 Discover the Lili screen and how it can transform digital reading: