Wanjing Anya Ma

Dyslexia is a prevalent learning disorder affecting approximately 10-20% of individuals in the United States, but traditional screening methods in schools face limitations of professional training and time-consuming, one-on-one administration. To address this challenge, my research aims to create advanced dyslexia screening and monitoring tools by combining education, pediatrics, psychometrics, and computer science. In one aspect of my work, I develop an open-source library, jsCAT, enabling real-time, browser-based computerized adaptive testing for broad application in behavioral research. At the same time, I explore the potential of leveraging generative AI, assessment data, and human expertise to scale and diversify the item bank of reading assessments. This involves employing psychometric methods to evaluate the relevance, difficulty, and reliability of the generated items, using the evaluation results to provide feedback for improved item generation. This innovation will provide teachers with a more efficient means of identifying and supporting struggling readers, further the research on dyslexia, and lead to positive policy changes.