Opening the written world - WordQ helps kids break barriers to writing

Telling her story: Julie, 12, shows text she wrote with WordQ software. Its ability to predict words as she types (see box on screen) has given her a way to easily express herself in writing for the first time.

Julie’s verbal skills are like any other grade 7 student. But because of a learning disability she struggles to read and write.

“I find spelling difficult, and it’s hard for me to know if what I’m writing makes sense,” Julie says. Doing homework is a laborious process that involves Julie’s mom sitting beside her to provide continual spell checks.

That’s changing thanks to WordQ software, which predicts words on the screen as Julie types the first one to three letters, and gives her spoken feedback to help her identify errors. 

“When I hear each word as I type, I know whether it makes sense,” Julie says. “Now if my mother is busy, I can write on my own.”

WordQ software is a new product developed at Bloorview MacMillan, and was one of 27 assistive technologies displayed at a recent research day.

The software is targeted to students and adults who have learning problems that make writing difficult — an estimated 10% of the population.

“By helping students with the mechanical aspects of writing, it allows them to get past those basics so they can be more functional and creative in their writing,” says Fraser Shein, who developed the product. “Often students who struggle with writing get so stuck on the basics that they never move beyond that.” WordQ software predicts words based on  vocabulary tailored to specific age and language groups, and adapts to the writing style of the user, in terms of most commonly used words.

It works with standard word-processing software so that “kids aren’t using something that’s different from their peers,” Fraser says.

“It’s amazing,” says Julie’s mother Sherri. “Rather than me giving her all the answers, Julie can sit down, type a story, have it read back to her,  and then change it so it makes sense. Right now Julie just has this at home, but we can’t wait till she can use it at school.”