Mother from Indianapolis develops Lectio, an app for dyslexia

“Have you ever heard the expression, ‘Necessity is the mother of all invention?’ Well, it’s true,” says Kris Parmelee.  Parmelee is an Indianapolis mother of a son with dyslexia, a learning disorder affecting at least 10-15% of the nation’s population.  After several years of watching her son struggle with reading, Parmelee founded and developed Lectio, an app now available on iTunes.

Parmelee’s son, Sam, was diagnosed with dyslexia in the middle of first grade.  “His needs for assistive technology changed when he moved from learning to read to reading to learn,” said Parmelee.  “…I spent five years searching for technology for him to use in the classroom that met his needs.  I kept coming up empty handed, so I created it,” she said.

Due to his learning disability, Sam required help reading in the classroom and at home, so he’d always be hauling around bulky assistive technology.  However, since the development of Lectio, he only needs his smartphone.

Lectio is very easy to use: it’s as simple as launching the app, taking a picture, and pressing the highlighted word to have it read aloud.  While using the app, users have the option to have one word read aloud or several words–all instantaneously!  It also offers a dictionary feature, which can be accessed by pressing and holding down a word.  One of the biggest benefits of Lectio is that it doesn’t require internet connection, so it’s that much easier to use on-the-go!

Lectio can be purchased on the App Store for $4.99.  It is only on its first version with several enhancements on the way (including Android compatibility!)  To sign up for updates and learn more, visit the Lectio website.

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