Irlen Syndrome - the OTHER Perceptual Processing Disorder
by Helen Irlen
Lately, educators and medical professionals are quick to diagnose children who struggle in school with dyslexia and/or AD/HD. In fact, just this week, I was reading the blog post of a teenager who said that 26 out of 30 children on her color guard team have been diagnosed with dyslexia. We as a society like labels because it means we have answers and we can get help, right? Generally, this is true.
If you know what’s wrong, you can identify all the available methods of help, which in the case of AD/HD usually means, placing your child on medication, and in the case of dyslexia, can mean anything from paying for eye training to phonics instruction. And for some, the help works. But, what about those that just don’t seem to get better? Research suggests that at least a portion of these children may be misdiagnosed or misclassified with dyslexia or ADD/HD. In fact, as many as 50% of children diagnosed with dyslexia actually have a visual perceptual processing problem known as Irlen Syndrome. Similarly, about 30% of children diagnosed with ADD/HD actually suffer from Irlen Syndrome (ironically, this is the same percentage of children that do not respond positively to medication).
Irlen Syndrome was first identified in 1980 by Helen Irlen, a school psychologist and therapist. Individuals with Irlen Syndrome see distortions on the printed page when reading, or suffer from discomfort such as eye strain, headaches, stomachaches, or becoming tired reading, writing, copying, and doing math. The brain has difficulty processing visual information, and by filtering out certain wavelengths of light through the use of colored spectral filters worn as glasses, brain function normalizes, and distortions and discomfort disappear. Fluorescent, bright lights, black print on white paper, and whiteboards can be particularly problematic, and many with Irlen Syndrome describe feeling agitated or fidgety, and having a decreased ability to focus, attend, and comprehend – symptoms that mimic ADD/HD. Why? Because they see distortions on the printed page, such a blurriness, moving, floating, swirling, confusion of letters – symptoms that mimic dyslexia. Since it’s a problem with the brain and not the eye, glasses and vision training doesn’t help to keep the page clear and still. And, since it’s not AD/HD, the medications prescribed usually do nothing to help with attention and concentration when reading and doing school work. Even though the homeschool environment is less stressful than being in classrooms under fluorescent lights, having to read, study, do school work for any length of time can cause problems.
How Do You Know If It’s Irlen Syndrome?
• Light Sensitivity: sensitivity to bright or fluorescent lights, prefers to read in dim lighting, wears sunglasses outside in bright sunlight, bothered by glare, and even headlights at night
• Print Distortions: words on the page lack clarity and stability or are uncomfortable to look at, words may be blurry, shaky, move, dance, float, swirl, fade, or individuals may be bothered by the glare of the white background
• Headaches, Migraines or Other Physical Symptoms: reading or bright lights cause eyes to hurt, burn, or feel itchy, scratchy, tired or sleepy. You child may rubs his eyes, move closer to the page, become fidgety, restless or keep looking away from the page.
What Can You Do?
• Let your child read in dim lighting. Dim lighting will not hurt your eyes in the same way whispering doesn’t hurt your ears.
• Investigate whether using colored paper makes it easier or more comfortable to read.
• Do not use a whiteboard.
• Ask your child how the page looks and how it feels after reading for awhile and listen to their answers.
Helen L. Irlen is an internationally recognized educator, researcher, therapist, scholar, and expert in the area of visual-perceptual problems. She is a graduate of Cornell University and has been in the field of education for the past 40 years. Her background includes 15 years as a School Psychologist, 30 years as a Child and Family Therapist, Educational Therapist, founder and Director of the Adult Learning Disabilities Program and Assistant Professor of Adult Learning Disabilities at California State University/Long Beach, instructor in psychology at Cornell University, and research assistant at Cornell. She is the author of Reading By The Colors and The Irlen Revolution. Her work has been reported in textbooks on learning disabilities in Australia and England, and the Irlen Method has received international exposure through National Geographic, newspaper articles, magazine articles, and television documentaries.
There are over 80 affiliated Irlen Clinics worldwide and over 7,000 educators have been trained in the Irlen Method. Many school districts have included screening as part of the regular test battery administered.
by Helen Irlen
Lately, educators and medical professionals are quick to diagnose children who struggle in school with dyslexia and/or AD/HD. In fact, just this week, I was reading the blog post of a teenager who said that 26 out of 30 children on her color guard team have been diagnosed with dyslexia. We as a society like labels because it means we have answers and we can get help, right? Generally, this is true.
If you know what’s wrong, you can identify all the available methods of help, which in the case of AD/HD usually means, placing your child on medication, and in the case of dyslexia, can mean anything from paying for eye training to phonics instruction. And for some, the help works. But, what about those that just don’t seem to get better? Research suggests that at least a portion of these children may be misdiagnosed or misclassified with dyslexia or ADD/HD. In fact, as many as 50% of children diagnosed with dyslexia actually have a visual perceptual processing problem known as Irlen Syndrome. Similarly, about 30% of children diagnosed with ADD/HD actually suffer from Irlen Syndrome (ironically, this is the same percentage of children that do not respond positively to medication).
Irlen Syndrome was first identified in 1980 by Helen Irlen, a school psychologist and therapist. Individuals with Irlen Syndrome see distortions on the printed page when reading, or suffer from discomfort such as eye strain, headaches, stomachaches, or becoming tired reading, writing, copying, and doing math. The brain has difficulty processing visual information, and by filtering out certain wavelengths of light through the use of colored spectral filters worn as glasses, brain function normalizes, and distortions and discomfort disappear. Fluorescent, bright lights, black print on white paper, and whiteboards can be particularly problematic, and many with Irlen Syndrome describe feeling agitated or fidgety, and having a decreased ability to focus, attend, and comprehend – symptoms that mimic ADD/HD. Why? Because they see distortions on the printed page, such a blurriness, moving, floating, swirling, confusion of letters – symptoms that mimic dyslexia. Since it’s a problem with the brain and not the eye, glasses and vision training doesn’t help to keep the page clear and still. And, since it’s not AD/HD, the medications prescribed usually do nothing to help with attention and concentration when reading and doing school work. Even though the homeschool environment is less stressful than being in classrooms under fluorescent lights, having to read, study, do school work for any length of time can cause problems.
How Do You Know If It’s Irlen Syndrome?
• Light Sensitivity: sensitivity to bright or fluorescent lights, prefers to read in dim lighting, wears sunglasses outside in bright sunlight, bothered by glare, and even headlights at night
• Print Distortions: words on the page lack clarity and stability or are uncomfortable to look at, words may be blurry, shaky, move, dance, float, swirl, fade, or individuals may be bothered by the glare of the white background
• Headaches, Migraines or Other Physical Symptoms: reading or bright lights cause eyes to hurt, burn, or feel itchy, scratchy, tired or sleepy. You child may rubs his eyes, move closer to the page, become fidgety, restless or keep looking away from the page.
What Can You Do?
• Let your child read in dim lighting. Dim lighting will not hurt your eyes in the same way whispering doesn’t hurt your ears.
• Investigate whether using colored paper makes it easier or more comfortable to read.
• Do not use a whiteboard.
• Ask your child how the page looks and how it feels after reading for awhile and listen to their answers.
Helen L. Irlen is an internationally recognized educator, researcher, therapist, scholar, and expert in the area of visual-perceptual problems. She is a graduate of Cornell University and has been in the field of education for the past 40 years. Her background includes 15 years as a School Psychologist, 30 years as a Child and Family Therapist, Educational Therapist, founder and Director of the Adult Learning Disabilities Program and Assistant Professor of Adult Learning Disabilities at California State University/Long Beach, instructor in psychology at Cornell University, and research assistant at Cornell. She is the author of Reading By The Colors and The Irlen Revolution. Her work has been reported in textbooks on learning disabilities in Australia and England, and the Irlen Method has received international exposure through National Geographic, newspaper articles, magazine articles, and television documentaries.
There are over 80 affiliated Irlen Clinics worldwide and over 7,000 educators have been trained in the Irlen Method. Many school districts have included screening as part of the regular test battery administered.
