Reading & Writing Problems may be Irlen Syndrome

Irlen Syndrome may be misdiagnosed or a part of problems such as dyslexia, AD/HD or learning disabilities, which is why techniques to help these issues without addressing the possibility of Irlen Syndrome may not be as successful. Also, continued reading practice doesn't make it better--on the contrary, the longer people practice reading, the worse their distortions get and the poorer is their comprehension. As a result, reading is not enjoyable, can be tiring and even cause discomfort or pain, so many people with Irlen avoid it. Unfortunately, children with Irlen are often told that they just need to "try harder" or are "lazy".  The criticism and labeling are very discouraging and can negatively affect their self-esteem.

In addition to difficulty with reading books, people with Irlen may have trouble with standardized answer sheets and with white boards


​People with Irlen may see one or more of the distortions to the left when reading.
​
Distortions may occur immediately or only after they have been reading--especially dense text--for a while. They may happen with any type of light or glare, or only happen or worsen with particular types of lighting, especially fluorescent, which constantly stress and overwork the brain because of their continuous flickering. 
Picture
Visual distortions cause the writing on the top to be unclear, unstable or off the line.

The writing on the bottom was done when the material being copied had the proper color filter over it, allowing the student to see it without the distortions, so able to write it without distortion 



​People with Irlen may also
have a few or many
of the following with
​different levels of severity: 

 They may also get headaches, dizzy, nauseous, tired, irritable, nervous, anxious, eye pain and strain, stomachaches, fidgety, brain fog, lighted headed, disoriented, and tense.
​(Copyright © 1998-2015 by Perceptual Development Corp/Helen Irlen.  All rights reserved.)