Although speech synthesis has been around since the 1960s, it has become cheaper and more accessible to the general public in the past decade. Now there are user-friendly technology tools to support reading available for free when using Google Chrome.
Research
Studies show that students who use Text-to-Speech (TTS) applications demonstrate an increase reading rate and improved reading comprehension. Although speech synthesis has been around since the 1960s, it has become cheaper and more accessible to the general public in the past decade. Now there are user-friendly technology tools to support reading available for free when using Google Chrome. To find the accessible extensions go to the Chrome Web Store, and at the left navigation sidebar, select extensions.
One of the best tools to consider using with your student is Read & Write for Google. It adds accessibility features to Google docs such as text to speech with dual synchronized highlighting, and also provides study skills tools, a talking dictionary, and a picture dictionary.
References
Moorman, A., Boon, R.T., Keller-Bell, Y., Stagliano, C., & Jeffs, T. (2010). Effects of text-to-speech software on the reading rate and comprehension skills of high school students with specific learning disabilities, Learning Disabilities: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 16(1), 41-49.
Roberts, K., Park, H.J., & Takahashi, K. (2010). Effectiveness of text-to-speech software features for improving vocabulary, reading comprehension, and reading rate of culturally diverse high school students in Hawaii. In D. Gibson & B. Dodge (Eds.). Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference, 1606-1611. Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/p/33587.
