GraphoLearn Reading Intervention for Dyslexia

Overseen By Kayla Sirois

Age: < 18

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Connecticut

Disqualifiers: Vision, Hearing, Autism, Depression, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Approved in 7 Jurisdictions This treatment is already approved in other countries

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 3

Duration: 12 weeks

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial aims to test a computer-based reading program called GraphoLearn, designed to help children with dyslexia improve their reading skills. Participants will use GraphoLearn at home, and researchers will compare their progress to those using a math game as a control. The study will assess whether the reading improvements persist by evaluating skills again after 12 weeks. Suitable candidates for this trial are children aged 6 to 10 who are part of the Healthy Brain Network and have been struggling with reading, but do not have significant vision, hearing, or other severe mental health issues. As an unphased trial, this study offers a unique opportunity for children to potentially enhance their reading skills with a novel program.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It is best to discuss this with the trial coordinators or your doctor.

What prior data suggests that the GraphoLearn reading intervention is safe for children with reading disabilities?

Research has shown that GraphoLearn, a computer-based reading program, has helped children improve their reading skills in many studies. Children who used GraphoLearn for about 7.5 hours demonstrated significant progress in matching sounds with letters, a crucial reading skill.

These studies primarily assess GraphoLearn's effectiveness rather than its safety. However, as a software program, GraphoLearn is less likely to cause physical side effects compared to medication-based treatments. No reports of negative effects from using GraphoLearn have emerged. Children generally receive this type of program well because it offers fun learning activities instead of medical treatments or drugs. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the GraphoLearn reading intervention for dyslexia because it's a game-changer in how we approach reading difficulties. Unlike traditional methods that might use repetitive exercises or one-size-fits-all approaches, GraphoLearn turns learning into an engaging computer game. This unique method allows children to match sounds to letters and words at their own pace, making the learning process personalized and interactive. Additionally, it tracks progress, offering insights that can tailor future lessons to each child's needs, potentially making it a more effective and enjoyable way to improve reading skills in kids with dyslexia.

What evidence suggests that the GraphoLearn reading intervention is effective for dyslexia?

Research shows that GraphoLearn, a treatment in this trial, is a digital learning tool that effectively helps children develop early reading skills. Several studies have found that GraphoLearn improves reading fluency and comprehension by allowing children to practice matching sounds with letters and words. This interactive method adapts to each child's needs, making it a flexible tool for those with reading challenges. In one study, young readers using GraphoLearn showed significant improvements in word recognition and reading speed. Overall, the program is designed to make reading practice both fun and effective for young learners. ^{2 4 5 6 7}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Nicole Landi, PhD

Principal Investigator

University of Connecticut

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for children aged 6 to 10 who are part of the Healthy Brain Network, have reading difficulties as shown by specific test scores, and can speak English natively. They must be able to use a keyboard or mouse and not have severe vision or hearing issues, certain psychiatric conditions like psychosis or major depression, nor moderate to severe autism.

Inclusion Criteria

I am between 6 and 10 years old.

I am a native English speaker.

You must have a certain level of intelligence, as measured by a specific test, to participate.

Exclusion Criteria

You have trouble seeing or hearing, according to specific tests.

You have thoughts about hurting yourself or others.

I have been diagnosed with major depressive disorder.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants receive a 12-week GraphoLearn reading intervention or an active math control

12 weeks

3 to 4 visits (in-person)

Retention

Participants' reading gains are assessed for stability during a retention period

12 weeks

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after treatment

4 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• GraphoLearn reading intervention
• Vektor math control intervention

Trial Overview The study tests how effective GraphoLearn (a tech-based reading treatment) is compared to a math control intervention in improving reading skills over a period of 12 weeks. It includes follow-up assessments after another 12 weeks without treatment to check if improvements last.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: GraphoLearn reading intervention Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

GraphoLearn is a research-based treatment, delivered as an engaging computer game. Players match auditory targets (e.g., phonemes, rimes) to visual targets (single letters, letter sequences, words). The complexity of the items within each level is ordered such that at each level, the most frequent and regular mappings are introduced first based on measures such as orthographic/phonological neighborhood size and morphological family size. GraphoLearn allows the children to practice and reinforce lessons at their own individual trial pace and provides a record of performance progress that can be used to guide analyses.

Group II: Vektor math control Active Control 1 Intervention

We selected an active control to maximize the specificity of the treatment outcomes; to this end, math games are among the most commonly used. Game sessions support learning numerical mathematical skills and cognition related to mathematical skills. In addition to math, this game contains training tasks for visuospatial working memory, spatial visualization and visuospatial reasoning. The overall theme of the game and feedback style are similar to those in GraphoLearn.

GraphoLearn reading intervention is already approved in European Union, United States, Canada for the following indications:

Approved in European Union as GraphoLearn for:

• Reading disability
• Dyslexia

Approved in United States as GraphoLearn for:

• Reading disability
• Dyslexia

Approved in Canada as GraphoLearn for:

• Reading disability
• Dyslexia

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Connecticut

Lead Sponsor

Trials

194

Recruited

162,000+

Haskins Laboratories

Collaborator

Trials

2

Recruited

480+

Child Mind Institute

Collaborator

Trials

4

Recruited

1,400+

Georgia State University

Collaborator

Trials

71

Recruited

33,600+

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Collaborator

Trials

2,103

Recruited

2,760,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

The GraphoLearn (GL) technology effectively supports early readers in acquiring basic spelling and reading skills through a digital game-based learning environment, utilizing repetition and reinforcement of connections between spoken and written language.

Originally developed for children at risk of reading disorders in Finland, GL has now been shown to benefit all early readers, regardless of their educational, social, or biological challenges.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Supporting Acquisition of Spelling Skills in Different Orthographies Using an Empirically Validated Digital Learning Environment. Juhani Lyytinen, H., Semrud-Clikeman, M., Li, H., et al.[2021]

Dyslexic children can process written language at the graphophonological level, indicating that they have some ability to connect sounds with letters despite their phonological deficits.

Over a year, dyslexic readers showed performance improvements in graphophonological tasks, with their accuracy and response times becoming comparable to younger normal readers, but still differing from their age-matched peers.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Graphophonological processes in dyslexic readers of French: a longitudinal study of the explicitness effect of tasks. Daigle, D., Berthiaume, R., Plisson, A., et al.[2012]

GraphoGame (GG) is an effective technology-based intervention designed to help children with reading difficulties by training them to match speech sounds with their written forms, and it has been successfully implemented in Finland for literacy support.

The program is being adapted for use in African countries, where it aims to improve reading skills among children in regions with transparent writing systems, potentially benefiting millions of children who struggle with literacy despite years of schooling.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

GraphoGame - a catalyst for multi-level promotion of literacy in diverse contexts. Ojanen, E., Ronimus, M., Ahonen, T., et al.[2020]

The Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Dyslexia has identified effective early predictors of reading difficulties in children, such as newborn brain recordings and letter knowledge, allowing for timely diagnosis and intervention.

GraphoGame™, a computer game designed for reading instruction, has proven to be an effective intervention tool for at-risk children and is being used widely in Finland and beyond to support reading development regardless of the underlying causes.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Dyslexia-Early Identification and Prevention: Highlights from the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Dyslexia. Lyytinen, H., Erskine, J., Hämäläinen, J., et al.[2020]

The Swiss-German version of GraphoLearn, a computer game aimed at improving reading skills, showed positive effects on pseudoword reading and rapid naming skills in children at risk for dyslexia after 14 weeks of training, with sessions held three times a week.

Children who started training earlier in first grade experienced greater benefits, indicating that early intervention with GraphoLearn can enhance phonological decoding and verbal retrieval skills, making it a valuable tool for supporting reading instruction.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

(Swiss) GraphoLearn: an app-based tool to support beginning readers. Mehringer, H., Fraga-González, G., Pleisch, G., et al.[2021]

The study involved 88 pre-reading kindergarteners at cognitive risk for dyslexia, and those using the adapted GraphoGame-Flemish (GG-FL) showed significant improvements in letter knowledge and word decoding after 12 weeks, indicating its efficacy in enhancing early literacy skills.

While GG-FL effectively improved explicitly trained skills, there were no observed transfer effects to broader phonological and language abilities, suggesting that while it provides a strong foundation, additional interventions may be needed for comprehensive literacy development.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Digital Game-Based Phonics Instruction Promotes Print Knowledge in Pre-Readers at Cognitive Risk for Dyslexia. Vanden Bempt, F., Economou, M., Van Herck, S., et al.[2021]

In a study involving 24 students with dyslexia, treatment A, which included orthographic spelling strategies and rapid accelerated reading (RAP) training, significantly improved decoding rates compared to treatment B, which focused on phonological awareness.

Both treatment groups showed overall improvements in reading and writing skills, but treatment A's approach, which integrated orthographic strategies, was particularly effective in enhancing spelling and reading fluency, indicating that combining phonics with orthographic strategies can benefit students with dyslexia.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Teaching children with dyslexia to spell in a reading-writers' workshop. Berninger, VW., Lee, YL., Abbott, RD., et al.[2013]

Citations

1. research.rug.nl research.rug.nl/files/123420628/Borleffs_Zwarts_Siregar_Maassen.pdf

GraphoLearn SI: Digital Learning Support for Reading ... In this paper, we discuss the results of an extended pilot study using GraphoLearn for. Standard Indonesian (GraphoLearn SI), a digital learning environment ...

2. info.grapholearn.com info.grapholearn.com/research/publications/

Publications | GraphoLearn GraphoLearn SI: Digital learning support for reading difficulties in a transparent orthography. ... Predicting word-level reading fluency outcomes in three ...

3. researchgate.net researchgate.net/publication/339582858_GraphoLearn_SI_Digital_Learning_Support_for_Reading_Difficulties_in_a_Transparent_Orthography

(PDF) GraphoLearn SI: Digital Learning Support for ... Results indicate that effective reading intervention strategies are varied, classifiable into four categories: materials-based, technology ...

4. tandfonline.com tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02699206.2025.2452979

Full article: Digital game-based learning for dynamic ... We conclude that GL is an effective tool for early dynamic diagnostic screening, and supporting early reading acquisition.

5. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10399564/

Dynamic assessment of the effectiveness of digital game ... In this article, we report on a study evaluating the effectiveness of a digital game-based learning (DGBL) tool for beginning readers of Dutch.

6. graphogame.com graphogame.com/evidence/

Evidence Children who played GraphoLearn for a limited amount of time (∼7.5 hours) have showed massive improvement in letter-sound knowledge, a critical skill for early ...

7. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39930805/

Cross-linguistic studies of GraphoLearn This presentation gives a cross-linguistic overview of studies, conducted at our department, making use of GraphoLearn (GL), a serious gaming environment.