I envision a world where we don’t have to hide and mask ourselves, and we get to be ourselves and not feel like we have to hide anything.
Getting to Know Matt Ivey
Matt is the founder and creator of dyslexic.ai – a website dedicated to the advancement of dyslexic individuals in business and beyond. A dyslexic himself, he is an amazing father to two beautiful children. Because of his experiences and the experiences of his children, Matt is fighting to level the playing field for neurodivergents.
Like many adults today, Matt was not diagnosed with dyslexia as a boy. He went through his school years without knowing why he struggled the way he did. It wasn’t until a remedial math college course and an observant educator that Matt decided to go for testing.
Matt’s School Years
Matt grew up being the social, competitive student. While he didn’t know the intricacies of his academic struggles, he quickly developed coping strategies to help him get through school. Even though Matt is more of an introvert, he discovered early on in his life that if he was talkative and social, he could avoid the negative consequences of his shortcomings. He worked to become the “teacher’s helper” and would take charge of the class, guiding discussions and topics towards things he was comfortable with. This proved to be an invaluable tool for him as he navigated school. Matt would figure out when he would be “up” to read out loud and would quietly excuse himself to go to the bathroom. Having a mom that worked as a librarian and had a deep passion for reading kept Matt from developing a fear or distaste of books. In his home, reading was celebrated and encouraged every day. It was a family affair!
As Matt grew and entered middle school and high school, he discovered that typing was a significant challenge for him. It was something that he struggled with despite his determined efforts. Playing in athletics was Matt’s outlet. There, he felt like he had more control over his abilities and could see a positive result in his hard work. This ultimately led to Matt entering into the physical education and coaching world beyond his schooling.
Dyslexia and AI
AI and Education
Matt realized very quickly the tremendous possibilities for neurodivergents with AI (Artificial Intelligence). He saw how it impacted and helped him and set out to bring that same experience to all neurodivergents, especially dyslexics. With our world changing so quickly and so drastically, our information needs have also shifted. AI allows users to be creative and use information to create new and amazing things. AI allows us to free up our cognitive load by taking the work out of writing or reading text. By taking those tasks out, AI allows us to use our brains for the higher level tasks, such as synthesizing and analyzing information, and using it to create something our own.
Many people are skeptical of AI, especially its use in the school setting. New ideas and ways of thinking can be scary, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. When used the right way, AI provides independence to dyslexic children. It gives them their confidence and control back. Just like anything else, we as educators and caregivers must teach our children how to use these tools properly. The science, data, and technology of today have shown repeatedly that how we’ve been teaching our children to read and write is not effective. Let’s make some changes and finally close this reading and knowledge gap that our children have!
Matt envisions a world where GPT assistants can be developed and tailored to an individual person’s unique needs.
With his Dyslexic.ai GPT, Matt is providing users the most up-to-date information on dyslexia and neurodivergence. I encourage you to check out his website and subscribe to his wonderful newsletters. I learn something new every time I get a newsletter from him.
Matt’s Advice to Parents of Dyslexic Children
Have patience. It’s a long road. It’s not something that can be cured.
There’s nothing wrong with how your child thinks and learns. It’s a blessing, not a curse.