Study tools for dyslexic learners

Reading is one part of school. Studying is another: learning the material, remembering it and showing what you know on a test. Here are the tools and habits that help kids with dyslexia do that.

By Billy Miecuna, co-founder of Homework Turtle · Updated October 18, 2026

This guide is about studying: science chapters, history notes, vocabulary lists and tests. If you're looking for help with reading homework itself, fonts or getting an evaluation, start with our guide to dyslexia and reading homework.

What assistive technology helps with studying?

• Text-to-speech shows the words and reads them aloud at the same time, usually in a computer voice. It lets your child take in a chapter at the pace of listening while still seeing the text.
• Audiobooks use human narrators. Both are ways to get to the content. Understood is clear that neither replaces reading instruction.
• Dictation (speech-to-text) turns spoken words into text, so ideas don't get stuck behind spelling. It takes practice, like saying "period" out loud, and it isn't always accurate, so build in a read-back.
• Word prediction suggests words while your child types, and some tools can guess the right word from a misspelling. That matters, because kids who can't spell a word often avoid using it.
• Spelling and grammar checkers are on the International Dyslexia Association's list of helpful technology, alongside text readers.

Where can we get free or low-cost audiobooks?

Bookshare is free for U.S. students with a qualifying disability, and dyslexia can qualify. It's funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Your child doesn't need an IEP or 504 plan, but a professional with the right expertise has to confirm the disability. Books can be read aloud with each word highlighted as it's read, on computers, Chromebooks, phones and tablets.

Learning Ally offers human-read audiobooks. As of October 2026, a household membership is $135 a year and covers up to four children, and it has a financial assistance form. Check with your school first, since many schools already provide it. Eligibility requires a reading deficit, a visual impairment or a physical disability, confirmed by a qualified educator or evaluator. ADHD or autism alone doesn't qualify.

How should my child study?

• Plan for more time, with breaks. Kids with dyslexia often need longer to study than their classmates. A realistic schedule beats a heroic night before the test.
• Study in small batches. Several short sessions work better than one long stretch.
• Test, don't just reread. Flashcards let kids quiz themselves, and adding a small picture to each card helps memory. The Institute of Education Sciences rates quizzing as having strong evidence for helping students remember what they learn.
• Spread it out. Coming back to the same material over several days also has research support, according to the same IES practice guide.
• Hear it and say it. Explaining material out loud, or recording notes and playing them back, can make it easier to take in.
• Use graphic organizers. Diagrams, timelines and charts that pair pictures with a few words help organize what's being learned, and they're good for planning written answers.

What does a week before a test look like?

One example for a science test on Friday. Adjust the timing to your child.

1. Monday: listen to the chapter with text-to-speech or the audiobook, following along. Make 10 flashcards with a picture on each.
2. Tuesday: 15 minutes of flashcards. Sort them into "know it" and "not yet".
3. Wednesday: draw one diagram of the main process from memory, then check it against the book.
4. Thursday: a short practice quiz. Your child explains each answer out loud. Go over only the "not yet" cards.
5. Friday morning: five minutes with the "not yet" pile, and that's all.

What help can the school give?

Many of the biggest supports for studying happen at school. Common accommodations include:

• a copy of the teacher's notes, or recording the lesson instead of taking notes;
• having test questions read aloud;
• answering by speaking, either to a scribe or with dictation, or taking a test orally;
• extra time on tests and written work.

These usually go in an IEP or 504 plan. Our guides to IEP accommodations and 504 plans explain how to ask.

Where Homework Turtle fits

Homework Turtle has reading support built in: read-aloud, a reading ruler that works as a line marker, bigger text and extra spacing, and OpenDyslexic as a font option for kids who prefer it. Students can make flashcard decks, and Shelly, the AI tutor, can turn notes into a study guide or a practice quiz. The calendar makes it easy to spread study over several days before a test. It's free to start.