by Rich Mintzer

They call it Irlen Syndrome, named for a former school psychologist in Southern California, who found that reading problems were not always what they seemed.  In fact, now, after 20 years, and with several hundred Irlen clinics worldwide, Helen Irlen is still working long and hard to get information to more parents about this “under the radar” reason why children struggle in school.

Irlen Syndrome is a perceptual problem that occurs in the transmission of visual materials from the eyes to the brain. The common assumption is that we all look at a page of dark print on white paper and see it the same way – that it appears comfortable to the eyes, with all of the letters clearly visible and stationary.  However, not unlike looking at an “optical illusion,” for some children, and adults, the words and letter are moving around, sometimes swirling, sometimes bunching together and sometimes moving around like ants. The words and letter have been described as disco dancing.  Reading a page of written material, with any of these types of distortions can be painfully slow, laborious and in some cases, just plain painful, resulting in headaches and discomfort.  As a result, many of these children are labeled as being slow, in need of remediation or just plain lazy when they tire quickly of reading or look for ways to avoid the task entirely.  To make matters worse, Irlen syndrome is typically exasperated by the bright lighting that is found in most classrooms, as well as from white boards, which are very popular today.  Even students without Irlen Syndrome are often struggling because of light sensitivity.

The problem for many young students, is that they are not aware that the page as they see it does not look the same way for everyone else. They do not realize that getting a headache each time you read for ten or fifteen minutes is not typical.  So, they say nothing, and parents and educators are left to guess what the problem may be.  And, Unfortunatly, most people still do not consider a perceptual problem as a likely possibility.  Instead they think it may be ADD or perhaps the child has trouble comprehending what he or she is reading. As a result Irlen Syndrome remains under-diagnosed.

It is now estimated that nearly 50% of children, and adults, with reading, learning, or attention problems may actually have Irlen Syndrome.  Most schools, however, are not aware of the problem nor are they equipped to test for Irlen Syndrome.  Children are tested for learning disabilities, reading disabilities and visual problems, but perceptual difficulties fall through the cracks, which is odd since it is common knowledge that the eyes are the pathway to the brain and the brain the two need to be working together to make reading happen.

So, What Can You Do?

First, it is important to be aware of your child’s struggles with reading and school work.   You’ll want to ask yourself, does he or she:

• Take breaks and get easily distracted from reading?
• Skip lines or words?
• Prefer to read in dim lighting?
• Tire easily when reading?
• Complain of headaches?
• Complain of eyes hurting?
• Have to go back and re-read material often to understand it?
• Have difficulty writing within the lines?
• Have problems copying words and sentences?
• Frequently misread symbols in math?
• Have trouble with word problems while doing math?

These are just some of the areas to look for, and since children do not always express themselves, you may need to ask, after your child has been reading for ten or fifteen minutes, how the page looked?  Were the letters clear and stable?  Was the background a problem, since the white page can also be a factor.  Clearly letting your child know that if he or she is having a problem, that it is okay, is the reassurance that they may need to start responding.  Making it clear that you are not angry, and even sharing some of your own troubles in school can be reassuring, even if you did not have struggles with reading.

While Irlen Syndrome may not be the answer, it is often an overlooked possibility, especially when children are labelled as having learning disabilities and do not seem to be making any progress through the school reading programs.

It’s also important to note that Irlen is not only about reading and light sensitivity.  Depth perception issues can also be a result of Irlen Syndrome for children and even for adults.  Moving objects may be hard to locate and something as simple as catching a ball can be a problem if your perception is slightly off.

How Do You Determine If Your Child Has Irlen Syndrome?

Your number one option is to go to an Irlen Screening Center, and they can be found all over the country, and, in fact, around the world.  Visiting www.irlen.com can assist you in finding a nearby center. Testing is very simple.  It is a two part process in which a diagnostic assessment is performed by a certified educational professional trained in the Irlen Method.

The first session determines whether your child has Irlen Syndrome by answering questions about reading and then working with various colored overlays to see if any progress is made.  If the colored overlays show an improvement in reading (and visual perception), then a second session is set up in which the right color or color combination is determined for the individual.   The color concept is not unlike the difference between wearing the special glasses you get when you see a 3-D movie.  Your perception changes because of the colors.  While more complicated, the basic concept is that the eye can perceive that which it is looking at it differently through colors.

While colored overlays and colored glasses , sound like a simple solution, it is important to recognize that wearing any colored glasses will not result in significant improvement and in some cases, the wrong colors will cause headaches and eye strain.  That is why the Irlen diagnosticians have been trained to determine the best color for each individual to wear.

One of the most encouraging things about Irlen Syndrome, is that a pair of Irlen spectral filters, which can be in the form of glasses or contact lenses, is all your child needs to correct the problem, no treatments, no medications, just an annual tint check to see that the color of the lenses hasn’t changed or faded.  And, no matter what color the lens is, the wearer does not see the world through “rose tinted glasses”  (or any other color), but instead, he or she  will see the world with all the right colors in place.

Spreading The Word

If there is no pill being marketed on television, no major pharmaceutical companies behind a “cure”, or no major association asking for donations, it is unlikely that you will hear much about a medical issue.  That doesn’t mean it does not exist. It simply means the advertising and marketing budget is not that of Merck or other huge drug conglomerates or associations.

Nonetheless, Irlen Syndrome is very real and affects many children who have learning specialists scratching their heads looking for answers.  Millions of people worldwide have been helped by Irlen filters over the past 20 years, including many who have had similar symptoms (but not Irlen syndrome) caused by head injuries, concussions or an illness.  Children with ADD, Autism and similar problems, such as Asperger Syndrome, can also benefit from wearing Irlen filters.  The filters will not cure the problem, but they can minimize some of the perceptual issues that cause great stress, making life that much easier for the individual.

Helen Irlen talks about Irlen Syndrome in her first book Reading By the Colors and her upcoming second book, The Irlen Revolution.