Use sans serif fonts, such as Arial and Comic Sans, as letters can appear less crowded. Alternatives include Verdana, Tahoma, Century Gothic, Trebuchet, Calibri, Open Sans. Font size should be 12-14 point or equivalent (e.g. 1-1.2em / 16-19 px). Some dyslexic readers may request a larger font.
Most of the recommendations come from associations for people with dyslexia and they agree in using sans-serif fonts. The British Dyslexia Association recommends to use Arial, Comic Sans or, as alternatives to these, Verdana, Tahoma, Century Gothic, and Trebuchet [2].
Arial and Comic Sans are standard fonts that work best for people with dyslexia, as they are less crowded than most others. However, you can try alternatives such as Century Gothic, Microsoft's Tahoma, and Verdana.
But seeing nonexistent movement in words and seeing letters like “d”, “b”, “p”, “q” rotated is common among people with dyslexia. Some commenters on Widell's blog said his text mirrored their experience; others said theirs was slightly different or even more difficult.
Consider using cream or off-white instead. Pastel colors such as peach, orange, yellow or blue are also suitable. Avoid green, red and pink backgrounds for text as these will be difficult for people with color deficiencies to read.
Texting can be hazardous.
Because of dyslexia, spelling is often difficult for me. I use spellcheck, of course. But sometimes my spelling is so off that even spellcheck doesn't recognize what I'm trying to type.
Most people think that dyslexia causes people to reverse letters and numbers and see words backwards. But reversals happen as a normal part of development, and are seen in many kids until first or second grade. The main problem in dyslexia is trouble recognizing phonemes (pronounced: FO-neems).
Off-white backgrounds are better for people with perceptual differences, like dyslexia. Select templates and themes with sans serif fonts that are 18 points or larger. Use solid backgrounds with contrasting text colour. This is preferred to patterned / watermarked backgrounds and low-contrast text themes.
Dyslexie is a special font that's easier for dyslexic people to read than standard type. It's free for personal use and easy to include in Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint for Windows or Mac. The font is specially designed, making it easier for the eye/brain to distinguish similar letters.
Many people with dyslexia describe comic sans as a powerful assistive tool, noting that the font has few repeated letter-shapes. The British Dyslexia Association recommends Comic Sans, noting that “letters can appear less crowded" than with other fonts.
Use dark coloured text on a light (not white) background. Avoid green and red/pink, as these colours are difficult for those who have colour vision deficiencies (colour blindness). Consider alternatives to white backgrounds for paper, computer and visual aids such as whiteboards.
In addition, Rello and Baeza- Yates also stated that yellow-black are the worst possible combination colours for dyslexia, followed with white- blue and white-black [7]. It proved that high contrasted colours are not beneficial for people with dyslexia.
People with dyslexia and astigmatism may have issues reading light text on dark backgrounds. For people with dyslexia, total contrast — white text on a black background, or vice-versa — can be difficult to read. Many dark themes use total contrast.
The most accessible fonts are Tahoma, Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, and Times New Roman. Slab serif fonts including Arvo, Museo Slab, and Rockwell are also considered to be accessible.
“All in all, the font Dyslexie, developed to facilitate the reading of dyslexic people, does not have the desired effect,” the researchers concluded. “Children with dyslexia do not read better when text is printed in the font Dyslexie than when text is printed in Arial or Times New Roman.”
How do you make text ADHD friendly? A text-to-speech app like Speechify can make text very ADHD friendly because it allows the person to move about if they are hyperactive or fidgety but it also allows them to freely take notes while listening to the text being read.
Use multisensory input and activities to give learners more than one way to make connections and learn concepts. For example, use flash cards, puppets, story videos and real objects in the classroom. When learners use more than one sense at a time, their brain is stimulated in a variety of ways.
Often people with dyslexia have an excellent long term memory. To remember something like a phone number, or how to spell a word, you need to transfer it to your long term memory. The best way to do that is through spaced repetition. That is, try to recall a fact with longer and longer gaps between testing.
Some dyslexic people find that their mind races, and they struggle to find the right words to express themselves or to verbally keep up with the speed of their thoughts. Conversely, they often know the answer but need time to retrieve it from their memory.
Serif fonts
Serif fonts have hooks at the ends of the letter strokes. They may look decorative, but they can cause reading problems for dyslexic users.
Excessive amounts of sugar and synthetic food additives (such as those described as "E" numbers) can effect a persons ability to concentrate. A dyslexic child needs to be able to concentrate more than a non-dyslexic child in order to take in the same amount of information.
Public speaking is one to the most common phobias in the world and reading aloud is public speaking! So a really good way to annoy someone who has difficulty with reading is to get them reading aloud. People with dyslexia love that sense of foreboding as they wait their turn.