Reading by ear: how audiobooks can help people with phonological dyslexia to enjoy books

“I don’t understand, I don’t get it, I’m tired.” These are phrases often heard from children with dyslexia, a developmental disorder that affects their ability to read.

To reach a reading level similar to that of their non-dyslexic peers, these children need more time and more chances to practice reading. This means they can find themselves caught in a vicious circle: they struggle with reading, which causes them distress. As a result, they avoid reading and miss out on the benefits that a book can bring them.

Dyslexia can manifest in several ways. Sometimes it involves difficulty recognising familiar words that are already stored in the brain. This is known as surface dyslexia, and is typically characterised by a slower reading pace.

Other times, the most notable symptom is reading unfamiliar words more slowly or confusing them with others. This is known as phonological dyslexia. It affects the process of recognising each letter and linking it to the sound it represents, a process known as “decoding”. People with this type of dyslexia find it very difficult to expand their vocabulary through reading.

Dyslexia and reading comprehension

When we read a text, our brains set various mechanisms in motion. These include rereading sentences we have not understood, and deducing the meaning of unfamiliar words from the context. However, these mechanisms – and many others – cannot work properly if the brain is overloaded with other processes, such as decoding. This is the case for people with dyslexia.

We could compare this to juggling. If you are a skilled juggler, you can juggle lots of balls without dropping any. But as soon as you are handed a larger ball that you can’t control, you might have to juggle fewer balls to keep that one in the air.

By taking decoding out of the equation, we take away the dyslexia sufferer’s “big ball”. This allows them to enjoy other benefits that are generally more associated with written text than with spoken language, including hearing more complex sentences or new vocabulary.

The benefits of audiobooks

When we listen to an audiobook, we practise listening comprehension without the need for decoding. Mental effort is instead focused on language comprehension.

Without the pressure of decoding written symbols, people with dyslexia can enjoy listening to the text more and focus on the content, which helps them improve their vocabulary. The ongoing rise of audiobooks could therefore be a major support for people with phonological dyslexia, as they offer a new way of experiencing reading through listening comprehension.

Students with dyslexia understand better when content is presented via audio or text-to-speech systems, particularly when the aim is to learn a subject rather than to assess reading ability.

Furthermore, active listening can help boost your confidence and motivation to read. Immersive reading – which involves reading the same text as you listen to it – can make it easier to understand and memorise study material.

Breaking the cycle

Given that audiobooks are now part of our everyday lives, we should use them to our advantage. The most significant benefit they offer is their potential to break the vicious circle experienced by people with phonological dyslexia, reducing the anxiety associated with reading. Furthermore, they help to improve attention and listening skills.

Reading aloud can also be helpful. For a child with dyslexia, listening to an adult or classmate read aloud enables them to focus on the content and model reading.

It is worth highlighting that, although we use both memory and attention when reading and listening, we cannot say that listening to a book is exactly the same as reading it. In a book, a reader can go back, reread and review a passage if they have not understood a sentence or a word. In other words, they maintain an active approach to comprehension.

In contrast, listening entails a more passive approach, which is less helpful for learning.

But while it isn’t exactly the same as reading text, listening to stories can bring many benefits without associating books with excessive effort or a sense of failure. Audiobooks offer a accessible gateway to literature for children with dyslexia, allowing them to enjoy it without the barriers that written text can present.

The current consensus is that audiobooks are a very valuable accessibility tool for people with dyslexia. They facilitate learning, comprehension and a love of reading, but they are no substitute for intervention aimed at developing reading skills. A combination of specialised teaching, reading practice and support through audiobooks can yield good results.

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