Devin Kearns began his career as a general education elementary school teacher for third-graders in Los Angeles, where he noticed many students had difficulty reading. The observation would lead to a dramatic shift in the trajectory of his work.

Dyslexia makes reading a struggle for millions of people, but the learning disability is rarely diagnosed before age seven. Now, a team of educators and scientists led by UConn professors has made a game-like app that could help teachers identify younger kids at risk.