Dysolve: Tackling The Dyslexia Crisis & Pandemic Learning Loss With AI
Fifteen months ago, Dysolve, an innovative AI-driven solution for dyslexia developed by Dr. Coral Hoh, began to show promising results in addressing dyslexia at a foundational level. In the time since, it has become clear that the need for a comprehensive language intervention extends beyond dyslexia, particularly as the learning loss resulting from disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has come to light. Dysolve's mission to address dyslexia through generative AI-driven games has become even more crucial.
Dr. Hoh, a linguist and founder of Dysolve, originally aimed to tackle dyslexia as a computational problem. Her premise was simple yet powerful: dyslexia stems from errors in the brain's language processing system. Dysolve operates by dynamically creating interactive games during each session. Typically lasting 1 to 3 minutes, these games are designed to quickly and effectively identify unique "coding errors" within an individual's language processing abilities. By continually adapting to each user's specific needs, Dysolve's AI not only identifies these errors but also actively retrains the brain, enhancing the user's capacity to process and interpret language. This approach ensures engagement through short, constantly changing games that remain appealing and effective for users.
In a recent interview, Dr. Hoh revealed that as Dysolve has been implemented across districts in the country, she has discovered a deeper crisis in language learning and development, exacerbated by the pandemic and the significant reduction in language exposure that many students have experienced. Schools that are already struggling with limited resources for diagnosing and treating dyslexia have found themselves overwhelmed by a surge in students showing severe language deficits due to disrupted education.
'The situation is worse than we initially understood,' Dr. Hoh explained. Research conducted during the pandemic underscores alarming deficits in language acquisition among children born or raised during COVID lockdowns. Pre-pandemic, infants typically began recognizing word boundaries by four months of age. Alarmingly, recent studies indicate that pandemic-born infants struggle to achieve this milestone even by twelve months.
This linguistic gap is not merely academic. "Teachers report fourth graders who are completely unresponsive, unable to process verbal instructions effectively," Dr. Hoh observed. This phenomenon, previously attributed to general educational disruption, is now recognized as a significant linguistic and cognitive developmental issue, highlighting the previously underappreciated role of formal education in language and cognitive development.
Despite the growing urgency, some school administrators, wary of introducing new technologies into already strained systems, initially hesitated to widely integrate Dysolve until they realized how easy it is to implement a plug-and-play program. The main issue, Dr. Hoh notes, is that the novelty of an intervention program requires minimal teacher input. "We need to shift the mindset," Hoh emphasized, "teachers simply need to step back and allow the AI to do its job rather than thinking of it as a tool that they needed to actively use."
Schools that have embraced Dysolve have reported notable successes. One case Dr. Hoh shared involved a third grader performing below the first percentile on state tests. After just three months of engagement, totaling only three hours of game time, the student rose to the 50th percentile and subsequently exceeded the 70th percentile. Such rapid progress underscores Dysolve's potential effectiveness.
Beyond elementary and secondary education, Dysolve is gaining traction among adults facing literacy challenges, college students, and even individuals in their eighties. A compelling example emerged after Dysolve was featured on NBC Nightly News, resulting in poignant testimonials from older users who had battled lifelong isolation and employment difficulties due to untreated dyslexia. These older users expressed a strong desire to see Dysolve introduced in prisons, breaking the destructive cycle of illiteracy.
Financially, Dysolve offers significant savings for educational institutions. Traditional dyslexia interventions can cost up to $20,000 per student annually, while Dysolve's model provides effective treatment for just $1,000 per year. Clinical trials, which have been ongoing since 2022, have further validated the platform's efficacy, with preliminary results showing a positive effect.
Looking ahead, Dysolve aims to enhance implementation in New York schools by leveraging a systematic approach to expand its impact nationwide. The company seeks external funding for a rapid rollout. This will be its first capital raise, as it has supported Dysolve's product development with paid subscriptions since its inception.
"We're at the cusp of a cultural shift," Dr. Hoh said. The vision for the future involves Dysolve becoming a standard component of early education, universally screening and supporting all students. Such normalization could profoundly transform educational outcomes, reduce stigma, and significantly raise literacy rates.
As Dysolve continues to demonstrate its efficacy in tackling dyslexia, Dr. Hoh and her team remain hopeful yet pragmatic about upcoming challenges. "We need broader acceptance and support, especially at the administrative level," she concludes. The potential, however, is undeniable. As it gains traction, Dysolve may soon transition from being an innovative educational tool to a universally recognized necessity in education, improving countless lives in the process.
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