Introducing Irlen Syndrome: What Do You Need To Know?
“What’s Irlen Syndrome, and why should I care?” you may ask.
According to Irlen.com
Around 50% of children and adults with reading, learning, or attention problems have Irlen Syndrome. For some, the Irlen Method is the solution. For others, the Irlen Method is just part of the puzzle as there will be other reading/learning problems that need to be addressed.
“What About Irlen Syndrome and Autism/Aspergers?”
Again, according to Irlen.com:
Approximately 50% of those with Autism and Asperger Syndrome have the following types of difficulties which can by helped by the Irlen Method:
Looks in a series of short glancesLooks away from visual targets
Squints or looks down
Finger flicks
Sideway glances
Poor eye contact
Rubs or pushes on eyes
Mesmerized by colors, patterns, or light
Behavior changes in bright lights or sunlight
Poor spatial or body awareness
Light sensitivity
Difficulties with stairs, escalators, or catching balls
Poor small or gross motor coordination.
Today, I’m bringing you an interview with Helen Irlen and Sandra Tosta, PhD.
Helen Irlen has a background as as a researcher in the field of visual perception, as a school psychologist, and an adult learning disabilities specialist, starting the first specialist program for students with learning disabilities at a university level
Dr. Tosta, Helen’s daughter, has a PhD in Educational Psychology from UCLA.
In This Episode, You’ll Learn
* How Helen first got into the field of visual perception
* The importance of the environment, and how it can affect a person with a condition like Irlen Syndrome – the environment can affect the brain and one’s
ability to visually process.
* The types of problems an individual with Irlen Syndrome has
* The difference between dyslexia and Irlen Syndrome
* Dr. Tosta shares some of the brain studies about Irlen Syndrome
* Helen’s approach to discovering her method, which education and research desperately needs: First going to the client who is dealing with learning and other challenges, and listening to their experiences to inform research efforts.
* Once she found out what her adult students were dealing with, she performed a comprehensive review of the research, (a literature review)
* How Helen Irlen found out that the right color combination of glasses could help correct this visual processing condition.
* Irlen Syndrome is not only inherited, but can be acquired via head trauma, concussions
* How Irlen lenses are different than ordinary sunglasses – Dr. Tosta shared that there are over 100,000 color combinations on the color spectrum – each person is different, and therefore needs to be evaluated by a specialist, and any variation in hue or density from optimal, will either not help as much,or could actually make the symptoms worse — that’s where the diagnostic process by an Irlen specialist comes in and is so key
* How autistics and Aspergians found out about Irlen Syndrome and the Irlen Institute: as Helen was speaking and writing more, the autistic community started reaching out to her.
For example, Donna Williams, autistic author of a number of great books, reached out to Helen for help with her visual processing issues.
Environmental Visual Tips
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“What’s Irlen Syndrome, and why should I care?” you may ask.
According to Irlen.com
Around 50% of children and adults with reading, learning, or attention problems have Irlen Syndrome. For some, the Irlen Method is the solution. For others, the Irlen Method is just part of the puzzle as there will be other reading/learning problems that need to be addressed.
“What About Irlen Syndrome and Autism/Aspergers?”
Again, according to Irlen.com:
Approximately 50% of those with Autism and Asperger Syndrome have the following types of difficulties which can by helped by the Irlen Method:
Looks in a series of short glancesLooks away from visual targets
Squints or looks down
Finger flicks
Sideway glances
Poor eye contact
Rubs or pushes on eyes
Mesmerized by colors, patterns, or light
Behavior changes in bright lights or sunlight
Poor spatial or body awareness
Light sensitivity
Difficulties with stairs, escalators, or catching balls
Poor small or gross motor coordination.
Today, I’m bringing you an interview with Helen Irlen and Sandra Tosta, PhD.
Helen Irlen has a background as as a researcher in the field of visual perception, as a school psychologist, and an adult learning disabilities specialist, starting the first specialist program for students with learning disabilities at a university level
Dr. Tosta, Helen’s daughter, has a PhD in Educational Psychology from UCLA.
In This Episode, You’ll Learn
* How Helen first got into the field of visual perception
* The importance of the environment, and how it can affect a person with a condition like Irlen Syndrome – the environment can affect the brain and one’s
ability to visually process.
* The types of problems an individual with Irlen Syndrome has
* The difference between dyslexia and Irlen Syndrome
* Dr. Tosta shares some of the brain studies about Irlen Syndrome
* Helen’s approach to discovering her method, which education and research desperately needs: First going to the client who is dealing with learning and other challenges, and listening to their experiences to inform research efforts.
* Once she found out what her adult students were dealing with, she performed a comprehensive review of the research, (a literature review)
* How Helen Irlen found out that the right color combination of glasses could help correct this visual processing condition.
* Irlen Syndrome is not only inherited, but can be acquired via head trauma, concussions
* How Irlen lenses are different than ordinary sunglasses – Dr. Tosta shared that there are over 100,000 color combinations on the color spectrum – each person is different, and therefore needs to be evaluated by a specialist, and any variation in hue or density from optimal, will either not help as much,or could actually make the symptoms worse — that’s where the diagnostic process by an Irlen specialist comes in and is so key
* How autistics and Aspergians found out about Irlen Syndrome and the Irlen Institute: as Helen was speaking and writing more, the autistic community started reaching out to her.
For example, Donna Williams, autistic author of a number of great books, reached out to Helen for help with her visual processing issues.
Environmental Visual Tips