Author: Teleprompter Product Team

Accessible Teleprompting for Neurodiverse Presenters: A Deep‑Dive Guide for ADHD & Dyslexic Speakers

Audiences judge a speaker in seconds—but many presenters read at different speeds, process information in unique ways, or struggle with text‐heavy scripts. By tuning your teleprompter for neurodiversity — especially for the two most common conditions, ADHD and dyslexia — you can transform reading from a stress‑point into an invisible super‑power. This 1,300‑plus‑word guide explains why accessibility matters, what settings make the biggest difference, and how to configure a free, browser‑based tool like Teleprompter Pro so every line flows naturally.

---

1. Why Inclusive Teleprompting Matters

• Neurodiversity is widespread. Roughly 15–20 % of people show dyslexic traits, making it the most common learning difference  , while ADHD affects about 5 % of adults worldwide  . That means at almost every shoot, classroom, or livestream, someone on‑camera (or behind it) is working with a brain that processes text differently.
• Reading stress sabotages delivery. ADHD speakers often race ahead mentally, stumble, or ad‑lib off‑script to “keep up” with a fast brain  . Dyslexic presenters may mis‑decode letters under studio lights and lose eye contact with the viewer  .
• Accessibility pays off for everyone. Design changes that help neurodivergent speakers—larger fonts, generous line spacing, captions—improve legibility for all viewers and comply with modern Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.2)  .

---

2. Challenges Faced by ADHD & Dyslexic Speakers

2.1 Cognitive Load & Working Memory

ADHD can make sustained focus on scrolling text difficult, especially if the pace is rigid or the layout cluttered  . Each “micro‑pause” to refocus drains working memory, leading to pauses, filler words, and visible anxiety.

2.2 Visual Stress & Letter Reversal

People with dyslexia experience crowding effects where letters appear to blend, especially in narrow columns or high‑contrast glare  . Mirrored glass in a physical prompter can amplify reflections, forcing the reader to squint and slow down.

2.3 Timing Mismatches

An ADHD presenter’s spontaneous energy often outpaces a fixed‑speed prompter; conversely, a dyslexic reader may need extra milliseconds to decode each word. If the script scrolls too fast (or too slow) the result is robotic delivery and lost authenticity  .

---

3. Designing an Inclusive Teleprompter

Below are the five variables that drive readability, with practical adjustments you can make in Teleprompter Pro or any modern teleprompter app.

3.1 Font Choice

• Use dyslexia‑friendly typefaces. Fonts such as Lexend and OpenDyslexic widen letters, add heavy baselines, and vary character shapes to reduce confusion between “b/d” or “p/q.” Both are now built into leading teleprompter apps  .
• Avoid all‑caps scripts. Uppercase blocks eliminate helpful ascenders/descenders and slow reading by up to 12 %  .

3.2 Text Size & Line Spacing

Teleprompter.com’s usability tests show that bumping line spacing from 1.2 × to 1.5 × increases reading speed for dyslexic users by 10–15 %  . Most browser‑based prompters let you:

1. Press “A ▲/▼” to grow/shrink font on the fly.
2. Toggle “Large line height” in Settings → Display.

3.3 Scroll Speed & Rhythm

ADHD readers benefit from dynamic pacing—brief bursts followed by micro‑pauses—mirroring natural speech cadence  . Build scripts in Teleprompter Pro with empty lines between paragraphs and map your Bluetooth remote’s up/down keys to ±5 % speed increments.

3.4 Color & Background

High contrast helps most people, but pure white on black can create visual vibration for some dyslexic readers. FoxCue recommends soft creams or midnight blue backgrounds with off‑white text  . Include a quick “contrast palette” toggle in your preset.

3.5 Environmental Factors

• Glare control. Angle the prompter glass at 45 ° and dim any fill light that bounces into the beam‑splitter  .
• Eye‑line distance. Keep the camera lens within 5 cm of screen center so larger fonts do not push eyeline off‑axis.

---

4. Assistive Technologies to Pair with Your Prompter

Accessibility Need	Tool	How It Helps
Reading while listening	Text‑to‑Speech overlays (Voice Dream, Speechify)	Dual input reduces cognitive load for dyslexic users
Post‑production review	Automatic transcripts (3Play Media)	Speakers can study pacing and adjust next script
Focus regulation	Microsoft “Reading Progress” mode	Highlights one line at a time, aiding ADHD focus
Caption burn‑in	FoxCue subtitle workflow	Meets ADA guidelines and boosts SEO reach
Remote speed control	Bluetooth foot pedals	Keeps hands free for gesturing—crucial for speakers with hyperactivity

Pro tip:Always test a font/speed combination with audio‑only rehearsal first; if the script sounds “sung,” slow the scroll 3 % and split long clauses.

---

5. Step‑by‑Step Workflow in Teleprompter Pro

1. Import & Clean Script Paste your text in plain‑text mode to strip odd breaks. Run Grammarly or Read&Write to catch homophones that trip dyslexic eyes  .
2. Activate Accessibility Preset Settings → Display → Presets → “Neuro‑Friendly.” This sets Lexend, 1.45 × line spacing, cream‑on‑navy palette, and 130 wpm base speed.
3. Map Remote Shortcuts Assign Up/Down to speed ±5 %, Left/Right to pause/resume. Physical control restores agency to ADHD presenters who may need quick tempo tweaks mid‑sentence  .
4. Run Dual‑Channel Rehearsal Use picture‑in‑picture to watch eyeline, while audio monitors your cadence. Insert blank lines every 35–40 words; silent gaps cue natural breaths  .
5. Export Captions After recording, auto‑generate transcripts, then manually correct proper nouns. Providing both captions and downloadable transcripts meets diverse cognition and D/deaf needs  .

---

6. Speaker Techniques to Complement the Tech

• Chunk information. Break paragraphs into two‑sentence “thought groups.” This aligns with cognitive research suggesting dyslexic readers digest ~14 words per fixation  .
• Use kinesthetic anchors. ADHD presenters can tap a finger on the podium each time they advance a paragraph—small, rhythmic cues maintain pace without staring at the scroll.
• Preview triggers not paragraphs. Replace long parentheticals with a single bold cue (“[SMILE at camera]”). Lesser text reduces saccades and clamps down eye fatigue  .
• Practice variable pacing. Record once at 110 wpm and again at 150 wpm. The comparison reveals where natural enthusiasm overrides the script—then tune default speed to your average.

---

7. Future Trends: Toward Friction‑Free Prompters

Mixed‑reality glasses that beam scripts into your peripheral vision are already in pilot with field reporters. Early tests show that situating text just outside foveal focus lets dyslexic users maintain eye contact without reading strain  . Meanwhile, AI‑driven “smart scroll” features—adjusting in real time to voice tempo—promise to eliminate manual speed tweaks entirely.

---

8. Conclusion

Inclusive teleprompting is not an optional add‑on; it is the fastest path to clearer communication, smoother shoots, and a broader audience. By selecting dyslexia‑friendly fonts, offering flexible pacing, and layering assistive tech, you empower every presenter—neurotypical or not—to sound like their best self. Implement the steps above in Teleprompter Pro today, and transform what was once a glass barrier into a bridge between your words and the world.

Ready to put these ideas into action? Head over to your next recording session, load the “Neuro‑Friendly” preset, and watch your confidence rise line‑by‑line.

I can pin-point the moment my fear of filming cracked: it was the day I propped my iPhone on three cook-books, opened a pocket teleprompter and watched my words glide beneath the lens instead of rattling around my head. The clip was shaky, the lighting too orange, and I said “um” eleven times, but hey—people could hear the story. That single win proved something huge: once your lines are visible where your eyes already look, every other obstacle is just a small tweak you can knock out one by one. The rest of this post breaks down those tweaks in plain English so anyone—total beginner, rusty speaker, over-forty tech avoider, whatever tag you wear—can hit Record without feeling like a deer in headlights.

---

1 — Write Like You Talk

Forget glossy marketing buzzwords. Draft your script exactly how you’d chat with a neighbour over coffee. Use contractions, half-sentences, even the odd “gonna” if that’s how you really say it. When you read the paragraph aloud and your tongue trips, change the line, not yourself. A script that feels like “you” keeps your mouth on autopilot, freeing your brain to focus on eye contact and pace. Bonus: viewers pick up authenticity in a heartbeat; they’ll forgive the occasional stumble faster than a plastic corporate pitch.

2 — Break the Script Into Beats

Think of beats as verbal Post-it notes. Each key idea—intro, pain point, quick story, call-to-action—lives on its own line or two. When the teleprompter scrolls, each beat feels like a new slide clicking into place. That rhythm gives your lungs room to breathe and your mind a second to reset. If you’ve ever rambled through a giant paragraph and lost the plot mid-sentence, beats are your new best mate.

3 — Mark Your Energy Cues

On a quiet edit pass, sprinkle tiny brackets into the text: (smile), (lean in), (hand swipe), (small shrug). They look goofy in the doc but future-on-camera-you will be grateful. Under studio lights your brain sometimes blanks, and those nudges yank your body language back to life. Quick tip: place the cue one line before the moment you need it; by the time your eye reaches the bracket the action happens right on beat.

4 — Rehearse Standing Up

Sitting squashes the diaphragm, bends your spine and strangles projection. Stand tall, unlock the knees, pace a step left-right as you read. Movement lodges the words into muscle memory—same way you recall lyrics easier when you dance. Messy room? Who cares, its rehearsal. Record a five-minute “ugly run” with hair un-done and pajama bottoms; you’ll iron out breathing gaps and sticky consonants long before makeup and studio lights matter.

5 — Find Your Default Eye Line

A sticky note or googly-eye sticker right next to the lens beats any fancy gadget. Stare at that tiny dot, not at your own face inside the preview box. Audience senses direct connection, and nerves drop almost by magic. If your phone’s lens sits off-center on the bezel, tilt the script margin a smidge using your teleprompter’s alignment slider so the words hover as close to that lens as possible.

6 — Shoot a 30-Second Throw-Away First

Perfectionists waste hours deleting full takes. Instead, fire off a dirty half-minute read-through, watch it instantly, pick one fix (pace too fast, light too dim), adjust and shoot again. These micro loops teach more in ten minutes than a marathon scripted session teaches all afternoon. Keep the garbage clips; later you’ll laugh at how fast your baseline improved.

7 — Control the Rhythm With Breath

Here’s a trick stolen from stage actors: inhale through the nose while the teleprompter scrolls down a single line, exhale as you speak that line. Nose-breathing stays silent on mic and calms the vagus nerve, slicing stress. After three cycles the tempo locks in like a drum beat, flubs vanish, and your tone lands warm instead of rushed. Write a tiny “↓” symbol as a scroll-plus-inhale cue if you need visual help.

8 — Use Gestures to Reset Tension

Voice gone squeaky? Shoulders glued to ears? Shake out arms below frame, wiggle fingers, bounce on heels between takes. Looks ridiculous, feels brilliant. Fresh blood flow resets face muscles so your smile reads genuine, not plaster-on. One director told me, “If your cheeks don’t tingle, you’re not relaxed yet.” Thirty seconds of loose-limbed goofing usually does the trick.

9 — Cut the Filler Words in Edit, Not Live

“Umm,” “like,” “you know”—don’t wrestle them mid-sentence. Maintaining flow trumps live precision. Keep rolling, slice out the verbal fluff with a three-frame jump-cut later in iMovie, CapCut or DaVinci Resolve. Viewers barely notice a micro-jump; they do notice frozen dread when a speaker self-flags every slip. Momentum is trust.

10 — Treat Lighting and Audio as Twins

One soft light 45° to your face, mic a fist distance from your chin. Change one, test both. Good picture with bad sound is still unwatchable; crystal audio under strobe lighting looks just as amateur. Spend thirty bucks on a clip-on ring-light and a basic wired lavalier, and you’ve beaten eighty percent of home videos online. Pro move: record thirty seconds of room tone, then apply a gentle noise gate in post; silence between words becomes velvet, not hiss.

Maybe you’ll nail every step on day one, maybe you’ll trip on step three and curse under breath—totally fine. Each clip is proof you’re miles ahead of anyone who never pressed the red button. Celebrate tiny wins: a cleaner pause, a softer “s,” a steadier gaze. Eventually the setup feels second nature: phone, light, mic, sticker eye-line, scroll speed, breathe, send. And when nerves spike again, just let that trusty little teleprompter roll beside the lens—words clear, eyes forward, story yours. Ready to try? Grab the same tool I lean on every week right here and see how much calmer your next take feels: https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1626361311?pt=123519897&ct=web-index-page&mt=8

Below is a compact, jargon-free guide for anyone who has never filmed themselves before but wants crisp, confident video straight from an iPhone. Follow each step once; you’ll be ready to record whenever inspiration strikes.

1 — Dial-in Your Camera

Open Settings › Camera › Record Video and pick 4K 30 fps for sharp clips without massive file sizes. If you plan to walk or move, toggle Action Mode › Lower Light so the phone smooths motion even indoors.

2 — Stabilise the Shot

Hand-held footage looks shaky. A small flexible tripod such as the JOBY GripTight Pro 3 keeps the frame rock-solid and bends to any desk or chair. In a pinch, prop the phone on a book stack at eye level and switch on the grid lines to centre yourself along the top third.

3 — Light Your Face First

Natural light is free: face a window so soft daylight hits you, not the wall behind. After dark, a $15 clip-on ring light clipped to your phone or monitor fills shadows nicely.

4 — Capture Clear Audio

Viewers forgive average video, never muffled sound. A budget lavalier mic like the RØDE Lavalier II plugs into an adapter and kills echo better than built-in mics. Clip it a handspan below your chin and rustle-proof it with a bit of tape.

5 — Keep Eye Contact With a Teleprompter

Reading lines off paper pulls your gaze off-camera. Paste your script into a teleprompter app so the words glide beside the lens while you speak naturally. Teleprompter Pro+ even syncs scroll speed to your voice—hit Record, talk, and the finished 4K file is ready to share. Try it here: https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1626361311?pt=123519897&ct=web-index-page&mt=8

6 — Frame, Smile, Record

With the grid on, keep eyes near the top-third line, leave a little headroom, breathe, and press record. Trim, cut or add titles later in any free editor like CapCut or iMovie—your audience will only notice how confident you look.

Master these basics once and you can capture polished videos anytime—no studio, no stress, just your iPhone and a plan.