Startup raises $290K to improve early detection, assessment of dyslexia in schools

Dyslexia assessments can end up being very expensive and time-consuming. It’s estimated that up to 20% of Australians have some degree of dyslexia. While it may not always be considered a severe condition, this reading difficulty can certainly have a detrimental impact on people’s lives.

In this context comes Dystech, an Australian startup responsible for developing a screening technology for the early detection of learning differences, such as dyslexia.

Dystech is an all-in-one literacy measurement platform that accurately analyses six critical aspects of reading. The platform combines two hours of paper-based assessments into 10 minutes, making it easy for schools and literacy professionals to perform reading assessments.

The startup has successfully raised $290,000 to develop the platform further and make it available to schools and allied health professionals worldwide. The use of AI facilitates more accurate dyslexia and ongoing reading assessments.

“We have several goals, but our sole mission is to help people with learning differences identify their talents through the power of artificial intelligence. We aim to empower educators and literacy professionals with efficient and accessible assessment tools,” says Hugo Richard, CEO of Dystech.

“Right now, we have literacy professionals with over 400 children on their waiting list.By reducing the 2 hours spent on reading assessment to 10-minutes, we are empowering them to support even more struggling students,” Richard said.

Additionally, Dyscover’s norm is based on thousands of data points collected from over 2,500 individuals. Schools, government agencies, and allied health professionals worldwide can use the tool to support their students.

Dystech’s team of experts view learning differences as an “alternate way of thinking.” Students with learning differences can find new ways to hone their strengths and surpass their expectations using Dystech’s platform. The evidence-based platform comes with several advanced features.

Dyscover also offers collaboration features that facilitate teamwork. Team administrators can add or remove members at any time. The security features of the platform ensure that the data is safe from unauthorised access. The features are as follows.

• Real-Time Reading Data: Schools and allied health professionals can assess a student’s reading capabilities using real-time reading data available on Dyscover’s dashboard.
• Track Student Performance: Dyscover users can track the student’s performance to assess progress. Educators and health professionals can identify the specific strengths and weaknesses of each student.
• Report Generation: Users will have access to detailed assessment reports. The platform will also suggest support material for each measurement area.
• Task Assignment: The platform allows educators and others to set up specific deadline-based tasks for students in their teams.

Additionally, users can track and manage their workload using the platform. Additionally, the platform facilitates the tracking of sessions and adding notes regarding each student’s assessment.

Dystech plans to channel its funds to improving the evidence-based platform and making dyslexia and reading assessment more accessible to educators and literacy professionals across the globe.