DEA—An innovative technological tool for personalized linguistic training for Italian children with developmental dyslexia.

In this paper, we illustrate a research project using advanced technological tools to improve the linguistic and reading skills of Italian children diagnosed with developmental dyslexia (DD) aged between 8 and 11. Besides the well-known reading and spelling difficulties, DD is characterized by marked linguistic deficits especially at phonological and morphological level, negatively impacting the child’s reading abilities and directly affecting text comprehension. Recent studies have shown the effectiveness of linguistic interventions in enhancing phonological and morphological awareness in DD children and improving their reading skills. However, access to such linguistic programs is not free from important barriers; in particular, high costs and difficulties in customizing training programs make it imperative to implement new accessible technological tools. In this context, we developed the DEA (Dyslexia Exercises Application) training program, a modular web application that offers interactive and highly personalized linguistic activities. The ongoing study involves 30 DD Italian children who participate in a 10-week training three times a week for 20-minute sessions. The program includes phonological and morphological exercises with increasing difficulty created with AI support. It allows the therapist to monitor the child’s progress and provide a tailored reinforcement program based on their needs. DEA provides individualized and highly accessible training programs to support reading development in children with DD, helping the therapist create specific learning tracks based on the participant’s linguistic and cognitive skills.