IRLEN & Learning Difficulties

Irlen syndrome presents almost the same picture as a person who has dyslexia or learning difficulties. Many times it has been misdiagnosed by specialists or those children who had the syndrome along with another disorder have followed treatment programs that have not been effective due to the fact that their perceptual problem was defied.

How it is explained:

Students who have the syndrome are sensitive to certain wavelengths of light, causing their brains to overload to the point where they can no longer properly process the information they see. Due to the fact that the texts the student is studying consist of a white background and black letters, the pages concentrate all the radiation. So, depending on the severity of the problem, after some time of reading, the student starts to perceive the material he or she is reading as distorted (see distortions). It is therefore logical and natural that the student can easily give the image of a student who cannot learn letters (confusing θ with d or f with b etc. etc.) or confusing letters with numbers (3 with e or 6 with 9).In the case of students with Irlen syndrome there is no problem in decoding the above symbols, like dyslexic students, but the student simply cannot see these symbols. There is distraction, hyperactivity during reading or writing.

Irlen syndrome and text comprehension or memorisation

Students with Irlen syndrome have been shown to have a limited field of vision and light is to blame. As a result, when they read they can see single words or parts of words from whole sentences or lines that would be functional. Thus they are unable to understand or remember all those bits and pieces that they have stored either as meaning or memorization, especially when the text is difficult.

General, students with the syndrome have problems with speed and accuracy of reading, concentration and visual detection.

IRLEN TEST

Circle any of the following that is a problem for you or your child:

READING FEATURES

• Poor understanding
• Omission of words or lines
• Reading slow and hesitant
• Interruptions
• They often lose their place
• Avoid reading
• Reading in low light
• They misread the words

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

*During reading and comprehension exercises

• Fatigue or intense effort
• Fatigue or feeling sleepy
• Headaches or nausea
• Anxiety and nervousness

WRITING CHARACTERISTICS

• Problem in copying
• Unnatural spacing and letter size

OTHER FEATURES

• Intense effort or fatigue in using computers
• Difficulty reading music
• Careless, careless mistakes (or in mathematics)
• Difficulty identifying specific numbers in columns
• Inefficient management of study time

DEPTH PERCEPTION

• Clumsiness
• Difficulty catching balls
• Difficulty in calculating distances
• Difficulty in accurately perceiving the environment

If you suffer from three or more of the above indications , the Irlen Method can help.