Irlen/ Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome

Irlen/ Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome



     Irlen Syndrome is a learning disability that has intrigued me very much. My younger cousin, Jeffrey who is 9 years old had problems reading when he was younger. He was tested for many learning disorders such as dyslexia, but when all tests came back negative they pointed towards a disorder called Irlen or Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome.

      Irlen Syndrome is a is a perceptual disorder caused by a sensitivity to light; many children with this disorder have problems reading and writing. Many people who have Irlen Syndrome have a color, my cousins color is a mixture between yellow and brown. He has problems writing and cannot be exposed to bright light for long periods of time or her gets  headache or feels nausea's. Jeffrey wears glasses that have a yellow/ brown tinge to the lens, these glasses allow him to write better and be able to be exposed to bright light.
    
     Another younger girl I know with Irlen's has a color of blue. The glasses and lens' that are needed are very expensive and many are not able to afford them, such as this little girl. She instead uses a blue overlay; she just puts the transparent blue overlay over her black and white paper and she can see the words clearly. The problem for her was that her words would actually move along the page when she was reading.

      I personally cannot imagine trying to read and having the words moving all along the page.

     These are the paper overlays that many children with Irlen's Syndrome put over there paper to allow them to read properly. The glasses have lens' that are the color that the child is diagnosed with as being their color.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9N5qbMFtKQ4

The link above is a video on Irlen Syndrome.