Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Serious Games
Date Submitted: Apr 23, 2025
Date Accepted: Jul 1, 2025
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Children’s improvement after language and rhythm training with the digital medical device Poppins for dyslexia: single-arm study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Specific Learning Disorder in Reading (SLD-reading), commonly dyslexia, is a neurodevelopmental condition affecting reading. The serious game Mila-Learn, which is based on rhythm training, showed promising results in a randomized placebo-controlled trial. However, dyslexia recommended treatment always includes graphonological interventions.
Objective:
This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Poppins, a digital medical device combining rhythm-based and graphophonological training, in improving reading and phonological skills in children with SLD-reading.
Methods:
A single-arm study was conducted with 38 children (ages 7–11) diagnosed with SLD-reading. Participants completed an 8-week training program with Poppins (five 20-minute sessions per week). Pre- and post-training assessments measured reading accuracy and speed, phoneme deletion, and phonological discrimination. Statistical analysis included pre- and post-comparisons (primary analysis) and comparisons with children's improvement from a previous randomized controlled trial of Mila-Learn, an earlier version of the device (exploratory analysis).
Results:
Participants demonstrated significant improvements in reading accuracy (+11.46 words correctly read, p<.001), reading speed (+10.26 words read, p<.001), and phoneme deletion (+2.87 points, p<.001). No significant change was observed in reading comprehension for younger participants (grades 2–3, p>.09), though improvements were noted in older children (grades 4–5, p=.03). Exploratory analysis comparing children’s improvement with Mila-Learn, Poppins yielded similar gains in reading accuracy and speed but showed superior improvement in phonological skills (Cohen d=0.48, p=.019).
Conclusions:
The findings suggest that Poppins is an effective and safe tool for enhancing reading and phonological skills in children with SLD-reading. By integrating rhythm-based and graphophonological exercises, the device aligns with best-practice recommendations for curative intervention. Future research should explore its long-term effects and medico-economic impact, and compare outcomes with conventional therapy, as serious games provide an engaging, scalable method for delivering such interventions. Clinical Trial: The trial has been registered on the ClinicalTrials registry under the number NCT06596980
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