It May Not Be What You Think: Another Look At Learning Differences

I have heard numerous educators and school heads comment on the growth in learning differences in our schools.  This trend existed before Covid but has been more noticeable since schools resumed.  The question is, do these students have dyslexia and dysgraphia, or is there something else going on?

Most of the educational issues our struggling students face in the classroom can be classified as processing disorders.  These processing disorders can be classified as auditory, sensory, and visual.  Often a student or adult will have a combination of these disorders impacting learning and executive functioning.  According to Columbia University, 2.2-2.9 million people suffer from a visual processing disorder.  There is a great deal of information available on the topic, but this information rarely mentions Irlen Syndrome. 

According to the Irlen Institute, Irlen Syndrome is “a defect in one of the visual pathways that carries messages from the eye to the brain. This defect causes a timing fault in processing visual information.”  It is estimated that 50% of the population suffers from Irlen Syndrome and 46% of people with reading problems, dyslexia, or learning disabilities have this type of perceptual processing problem.  

Supported by 40 years of research, colored lenses can be used to filter out specific wavelengths of light helping the pathway between the eye and brain to function normally.  This is called the Irlen Method.  With the correct color filter, Irlen lenses can bring some relief to individuals who suffer from reading problems, dyslexia, ADHD, migraines, light sensitivity, autism, traumatic brain injury, and anxiety. 

I know of one teacher who struggles from long term Covid and serves as an AP Reader in the summer.  Her Irlen lenses reduced her headaches, eased anxiety, and increased her reading focus making it easier to get through the AP essays she had to grade.  I had a student who had never been able to catch a ball or participate in sports.  Late in his high school career he was able to get his Irlen lenses and immediately play catch for the first time because his depth perception changed.

The key is to get the right lenses.  For years we have used colored overlays in school to help students with visual processing.  Overlays are good, but insufficient for improving quality of life.  An Irlen Diagnostician will evaluate everyone for the specific color and tint of lenses that provides the most relief from whatever the symptoms are.  Best of all, the Irlen Method is an effective complement to educational therapy approaches like NILD and Orten-Gillingham.

Even though the Irlen Method has been thoroughly researched (see https://irlen.com/published-research/), few people know what Irlen Syndrome is or how it can help.  I would encourage you to go to https://irlen.com/ to learn more and find out how you or someone you know could benefit from Irlen lenses.  This website will also help an individual find a diagnostician in their area.  You can also go to the www.leverageeducational.com  to learn how Leverage Educational Services can assist in this area.