Last Updated on October 3, 2024 by Editorial Team
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Have you ever been drenched in the ocean of knowledge? Definitely, you would have, being possessed with that routine of reading books. Accomplishing this knowledge not just confines to reading but also in other formats like audiobooks that are equally captivating.
These audio representations come in handy for people struggling with learning disorders, like Dyslexia. In this accord, we will look into how to choose, benefits, and finally, audiobooks picked especially for dyslexics. Let’s dive into it to see if those picks suit you.
Picking the best audio books- What should you consider?
Audiobooks can be favorable for all as they help bridge the gap between decoding words and their associated meanings. In view of the same, let see some quick tips to make a better choice:
- Pick something short and easy
If you are new to audiobooks, try picking up something easy, preferably starting with a children’s audiobook. This will be easy to comprehend as you can easily read and keep track of it.
Humans may have a lesser attention span and get edgy soon. Obviously, listening to a 25-hour long audiobook might seem an enormous obstacle. We recommend starting with a short audiobook, ideally something within 120 minutes, which will give you a sense of accomplishment and motivation to listen more.
- Choose narrator wisely
Most people with no prior experience in hearing audiobooks have difficulty getting the hang of the narration. Make sure that you choose a narrator with a calm voice that can help you comprehend it easily. Before committing your time and energy to the book, hear out the full sample.
- Genre matters
Your choice of the genre will depend on your personality. So choose a familiar genre, and do not jump into a genre that makes no impact on you or has no interest in.
You can start with the Young adult genre, written in a straightforward style, making a great starter. Mysteries and thrillers are also a great option for people with dyslexia, as these hit the right buttons. Moreover, the preferable genre also ensures engagement.
- Experiment with the speed
Individuals with dyslexia may prefer slower speech recognition due to difficulty in understanding the sound structure of words. For optimal audiobook reading, experiment with the speed of the audiobooks.
- Dedicated reading area
Audiobooks come in handy for occupied people as well; however, a dedicated reading area will let you build up focus and apply a habit of reading. At the end of the day, who wouldn’t love being in their comfort zone to read.
All of this will specifically help people with learning disabilities to cope with reading routines.
Inspiring audiobooks for individuals with dyslexia
1. Hair Love
The central theme of this audiobook is the relationship between Zuri and her father. Zuri is a superhero, and her superpower is her extra curly hair, large expressive eyes, and a smile that conveys warmth. The relationship between Zuri and her father forms the central theme. The story revolves around the struggles that her father faced while styling her hair in her mother’s absence.
The book conveys hair love for all. It has a feel-good ending and shows the rest that all people, just like Zuri’s hair, can be appreciated for their quirks because that makes them special.
2. The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time
The book is about the life of young Cristopher Boone, who is suffering from a mild form of autism. He implements methodical ways in his detective work, which were inspired by the stories of Sherlock Holmes. The book’s plot revolves around the death of his neighbor’s poodle.
By the end of the book, Cristopher gained confidence from solving the murder investigation. This leads him to take his A-level exams and join university to further his goals. This audiobook is excellent for individuals with dyslexia as it can correlate with the protagonist and gain inspiration and motivation with a profound meaning.
3. Fish In A Tree
The central part of the audiobook is that everyone is intelligent in their way. You would have to fit in just for the sake of society, and It is okay to be different. Readers have termed this book as unforgettable and uplifting.
The book is about Ally, a child with dyslexia, which has led her to change multiple schools. But in her new school, her homeroom teacher, Mr. Daniels, sees right through her problems and teaches her not to be hard on herself for being dyslexic. This helps Ally grow her confidence.
4. The London Eye Mystery
The story takes us to a normal day in the life of teenagers Ted and Kat, who search for their cousin Salim, who vanished from a sealed London eye capsule. The police cannot locate him, and Ted, whose brain works differently, uses his unique way of finding clues to the mystery. The story shows that no matter your age or mental capacity, you can still achieve it if you put your mind to it.
The book is very much well constructed and will keep you hooked up on the mysteries, twists, and major revelations readers will find along the way.
5. Niagara Falls Or Does It?
The story is about Henry Winkler, whose undiagnosed dyslexia made him an underachiever.
The story goes on about a series of misadventures and the seemingly unusual things Henry does for his age. It usually lands him in the principal’s office. It ends with how one of his teachers finds his undiagnosed learning disability and conveys it to his parents.
Benefits of using audiobooks for people with learning disabilities
Audiobooks and text-to-speech technology have opened a new world for people diagnosed with dyslexia. Here we will discuss some of them:
- Become a better reader
Audiobooks help students decrypt words with exact and precise pronunciation. Listening to audiobooks while simultaneously reading the material helps in comprehension and cognition. After all, listening is the first skill we have learned as children.
- Become an effective learner
Audiobooks can help focus on listening to the words rather than grasping words. They often overtake for listening; this helps them to reach the pace of their peers.
- Improve focus and attention span
In the case of engaging audiobooks, listeners routinely pay attention to the chapter as well as the tone of the narrator, and thus the morale. Thus, you learn to focus, which is an effective way to build your attention span.
- Increases self-esteem and confidence
You no longer feel aspirated switching to audiobooks. Additionally, these provide necessary confidence and boost self-esteem, also making the reading experience much more enjoyable, simultaneously matching the speed of their fellows.
- Improves fluency
You also develop fluency by listening to speakers. Reading an unknown word which you do not know how to pronounce can be difficult for most people, but with audiobooks, when you hear someone pronounce the new word, it becomes easier for you to understand what the word means.
The bottom line,
Audiobooks are exceptional provenances; however, they cannot override books altogether. But, these can be handy for individuals with dyslexia. To start with something rudimentary, podcasts can be a great kickoff. These are often short, immersive, and free. Seeing that there is no age consideration to commence with, you can start uplifting your child towards audiobooks right from a tender age. Now that you learned our favorite picks, mull into them to see if any of them slips on your taste.
An engineer, Maths expert, Online Tutor and animal rights activist. In more than 5+ years of my online teaching experience, I closely worked with many students struggling with dyscalculia and dyslexia. With the years passing, I learned that not much effort being put into the awareness of this learning disorder. Students with dyscalculia often misunderstood for having just a simple math fear. This is still an underresearched and understudied subject. I am also the founder of Smartynote -‘The notepad app for dyslexia’,