For students with dyslexia and other reading deficits that cause them to read below grade level, leveled readers may not be enough. While they help students learn to read, if used exclusively, they also limit students’ opportunities to acquire grade-level content. When decoding is hard for kids, they might put all of their energy into sounding out the words, which may affect their comprehension. Audiobooks can free up their energy to focus on the meaning instead of the decoding.

In a recent study, researchers found that words activate the same brain regions with the same intensity, regardless of whether the person is reading the words or listening to the words.  This new evidence suggests that, to our brains, reading and hearing a story aren't that different.