When school, tutors, and specialists failed to help her son’s dyslexia, journalist Arleen Gajilan didn’t wait around. She created a custom GPT, loaded it with research papers and her child’s diagnosis, and within a couple of months built an AI tutor that works better than human educators.
Sounds like science fiction? Here are the facts.
The Story in Numbers
11-year-old Toby had struggled with reading and writing for years. He had a diagnosis, attended a specialized school, but nothing was working. One day he came home and said: “Mom, why do you tell me I’m smart? I’m the dumbest one in class.”
Gajilan, who spent years as a tech news editor at Reuters, decided to take action:
✅ Studied 450 research papers on dyslexia and ADHD
✅ Fed GPT her son’s data: grades, psychological evaluations, interests (dragons from the fantasy series “Wings of Fire,” blasters, the musical “Hamilton”)
✅ After this preparation, she created a custom GPT, assigned it the role of a special education teacher, and started working with her son using its methodology
Within a few months, Toby’s teacher began noticing improvements, and the child himself told his mom: “I’m speaking and reading more freely. I don’t doubt myself anymore”!
From Prototype to Platform
But that’s not all. This mom sat down for some vibe coding (when AI writes code based on your description) and within a couple of months:
👉 Created the platform Tobey’s Tutor
👉 Built in a frustration detection algorithm (if the child doesn’t quite understand the task or writes “I don’t know,” the system gives them a break and suggests a mini exercise: like jumping jacks or breathing exercises)
👉 Filed 2 patents
👉 Launched a beta version where parents with similar challenges are already paying her $29/month
No team. No coding experience. Just determination and accessible tools.
Why This Matters to You Personally
This isn’t just a heartwarming story about a “hero mom.” It’s a mirror of our times, when one person who mastered AI tools solved in 3 months a problem that professionals couldn’t crack for years!
And yes, vibe coding is no longer exotic. Soon, creating basic software without programmers will become the norm.
What You Should Do, Even If You’re a Parent of a Typical Child
1️⃣ Try a custom GPT: upload your child’s interests, their weak spots, and ask it to create exercises. You don’t need to include personal data! Just describe their interests and characteristics in general terms.
2️⃣ Explore no-code/low-code platforms (Lovable, Replit, etc.) + ChatGPT Code Interpreter—this will let you build prototypes without code
3️⃣ Test the platform with your child: they’ll likely find personalized learning with mom or dad interesting!
If you’re an entrepreneur, ask yourself: what problem in your niche could you solve over a weekend with GPT that the “big players” have been ignoring for years?