Cosmic Sounds: A Game to Support Phonological Awareness Skills for Children With Dyslexia

Studies show that reduced literacy skills can negatively influence a child's self-esteem and future career opportunities. Literacy is significantly affected when problems exist in understanding the phonological component or sound structure of language, i.e., phonological awareness. Children with dyslexia in particular experience difficulties in spelling and reading accuracy due to a deficit in this phonological component of language. To support children with dyslexia and reduced literacy skills, intervention programs that focus on phonological awareness elements are recommended. Studies show that game-based learning interventions can enhance learning for children with dyslexia. The purpose of this pilot study was to partner with children with dyslexia aged between 9 and 12 years, to develop a game toolkit called Cosmic Sounds, and to support the teaching of phonological awareness skills. The content for the Cosmic Sounds games was informed by a pedagogical expert in dyslexia. This pilot study addressed the following: 'Can a toolkit of games, codesigned by children with dyslexia improve the teaching of phonological awareness skills?' Our findings showed that by including children and their teacher as part of the design team, they were more invested in using the games for learning. Furthermore, when children with dyslexia played Cosmic Sounds, there was a positive impact on their phonological awareness skills progress while their engagement in learning also increased.