Vol. XVI, No. 1 Irlen North American Conference · Irlen North American Conference Excerpts from EEG Newsletter.com Volume 3, Issue 28, July 28, 2005 We just attended the annual conference

Irlen International Newsletter • January 2006

JANUARY 2006 Vol. XVI, No. 1

Irlen North American

Conference 1, 4-5

Helen’s Corner 2

New Irlen Diagnosticians 3

Around The World 6-8

Short Articles 11

In Memoriam 11

Inside This Edition

Research 9

Special Recognition 10

New Screeners 12

Irlen North American Conference Excerpts from EEG Newsletter.com

Volume 3, Issue 28, July 28, 2005 We just attended the annual conference on Irlen Syndrome, sponsored by Helen Irlen and her staff, and held in Long Beach. This was the twentieth anniversary of Helen Irlen’s work, subsequent to her discovery of Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome in 1983. The conference was a warm and spunky affair. There was still the sense of “us against the world” in the air, but also the swagger of great self-confidence. The remaining adversary in the world at large was nothing more formidable than ignorance itself. It is estimated that some 100,000 people are now running around with Irlen lenses. That is success of a sort indeed, except when it is compared to the estimate that some 26% of folks have a type of visual processing that could be affected by Irlen Syndrome. Helen herself looked at the downside of her enduring campaign: “In twenty years, we have lost another generation of children who could have been helped.” It will be observed that optometrists are not currently screening for or offering Irlen lenses. They just did not want what they saw as competition, even though Irlen’s work has nothing to do with optical correction. Thus is the public interest served by professional groups. Even

Orton Dyslexia Society looks askance at Irlen Syndrome because the organisation prefers its own perspective on the nature of dyslexia. Some five years ago I heard Dr. Jeffrey Lewine of the University of Utah Centre for Advanced Medical Technologies talk on Irlen at a Conference on Innovations in Education being held in Salt Lake City. He had been implored by Helen Irlen to utilise

the newly installed magneto-encephalography (MEG) at the university to investigate Irlen Syndrome. Lewine had resisted one overture after another from Helen for many months, but eventually relented. Among those children exhibiting the Irlen Syndrome, there was

indeed a difference in their response to a pulsed visual signal. The MEG visual

evoked potential in the association area V5 had a different time course and the processing took place over a larger cortical volume. This last feature could not have been determined from EEG measurements (because these measure effects only at the cortical surface) or any other imaging technique (because they are too slow). The difference showed up only in the range of 180msec to 240msec post-stimulus. Lewine could convert abnormal into normal performance (continued on page 4)

Dr. Daniel Amen and Helen Irlen North American Irlen Conference

2 Irlen International Newsletter • January 2006

I recently read an article by Cheryl Sahien and

Jean Lehmann in the CEC journal Teaching Exceptional Children (Vol.38 No.3 Jan/Feb 2006) which made me aware of the need to remind people about the importance of accommodations for those in the college and university system. Postsecondary survival requires that students who are accustomed to being special education recipients become proactive self-advocates. Although postsecondary institutions have an obligation to level the playing field for students with disabilities, the rules for requesting and receiving accommodations differ from the rules in high school. The burden of responsibility for obtaining services shifts to the student to request services. I am often asked by former clients to sign forms that will allow them to be registered with DDS (Disabled Student Services) to qualify for accommodations. Often, I cannot qualify the student for the following reasons: (a) Irlen Syndrome is not a condition that will qualify a student; (b) to receive services, a student must have had a recent evaluation within the past year. Students with Irlen Syndrome who will need to continue using accommodations after high school should have IEP’s in place before leaving high school; otherwise, the student will need to go through a costly testing process.

Vol. XVI, No. 1 JANUARY 2006

Helen’s Corner Requesting Accommodations in

Higher Education

What are the Laws? Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the American Disabilities Act governs policy in higher education. These laws provide general guidelines regarding the process. The American Disabilities Act states that any institution that receives federal funds must provide access for students with disabilities within the educational institution. The student is responsible for having the necessary documentation to show that a disability exists which qualifies for these services. The student will need to provide to the college results from recent standardized tests showing a specific learning disability. Otherwise, the student will have to pay for an eligibility

assessment which can be expensive. A current assessment is critical which shows that the student has a disability and qualifies for the program.

If a student is qualified for accommodations and has made a request for a reasonable accommodation and the institution denies his requests, he has grounds to file a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights. Final Review. (1) Student must identify himself to DDS. (2) Student must make a request for reasonable accommodations. (3) Student must supply documentation. Postsecondary institutes grant accommodations on the basis of documented needs that relate directly to the disability and to the identified supports needed for meeting specific class requirements. (4) If the request is denied, the student can file a complaint.

“Postsecondary survival requires that students who are accustomed to being special education recipients become

proactive self-advocates.“


Sharon Smisek, EdD West Palm Beach, Florida, USA

Currently, Dr. Sharon Smisek is on full-time faculty at Florida Atlantic University in Jupiter, Florida, and teaches reading education courses to pre-service and in-service teachers. As owner and director of Excel Learning Center, she offers supplementary educational services to

children in the state of Florida. She believes that “as educators, we must do our best to help our students reach their full potential in all areas and being an Irlen Diagnostician allows me to more fully meet the needs of many children and adults.” Sharon was previously an Irlen Clinic Director from 1988 through 1993.

Jin-Woo Bae, MD, PhD Taegu, South Korea

Dr. Bae, a psychiatrist, has opened a new learning disability clinic for children and adolescents. It is associated with a private academic institute with approximately 1,500 high school students with a continual turnover. It is located about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul. We are hopeful that the Irlen Filters will help them, and he is working with Dr. Hyung-bae Park as an Irlen Diagnostician.

NEW IRLEN DIRECTORS & DIAGNOSTICIANSNEW IRLEN DIRECTORS & DIAGNOSTICIANSNEW IRLEN DIRECTORS & DIAGNOSTICIANS Christine Lee-Archer Melbourne, Australia

Over her 25 years as a primary teacher, Christine has always been concerned at the number of students who found reading difficult despite the many strategies being given. After training, and with a supportive principal at her school, she has spent a large proportion of her time in 2005 assessing students for Irlen Syndrome. As well as screening, Christine has also been busy developing a differentiated curriculum for her school and providing programs for gifted and talented students within her cluster of schools. Christine has now moved onto the next phase of Irlen training and will be working as an Irlen Diagnostician under Clinic Director Gloria Thomas.

Keiko Kumagai, PhD Tokyo, Japan

Dr Kumagai is Associate Professor in the Graduate School at the University of Tsukuba, Institute of Disability Sciences. One of her areas of expertise is in educational interventions for students with learning disabilities. While she was a visiting Research Fellow studying at the University of Manchester for ten months, she heard about Irlen and trained as an Irlen Screener before returning to Japan in April, 2003. She returned to England to complete her training as an Irlen Diagnostician and will run the clinic in Tokyo.

Kyung Ran Seo, MD Seoul, South Korea Dr. Seo is a psychiatrist specializing in psychotherapy and is also an excellent neurofeedback practitioner. She has her own clinic in the northern end of the Seoul metropolitan area and has been working closely with Dr. Hyung-bae Park in practicing neurofeedback. She is quite anxious to incorporate Irlen technology into

her current practice and will be working with Dr. Park as an Irlen Diagnostician.

Marcia Reis Guimaraes, MD, PhD Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Dr. Guimaraes is an ophthalmologist with Hospital de Olhos de Minas Gerais, Directera da Scoiedade Brasileira de Administracao em Oftalmolgia, Membro International Society of Refractive Surgery and Latin American Society of Ophthalmic Surgeons and American Academy of Ophthalmology. Her professional

activities are numerous and include: Professora Convidada das Universidades e/ou Faculdades, Escaola Oaulista de Medicina, Faculty of Unviersidadade Federal de Permambuco, Universidade Federal do Ceara, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Faculdade de Ciencias Medicas de Minas Gerais, Faculdade de Medicina UFMG, Oftalmologista Hospital de Olhos de Minas Gerais, Professor Adjunta de

Sang-Bo Sim, MD, PhD Kyungsangnam-do, South Korea

Dr. Sim is a urology practitioner while specializing in nutritional medicine. He is also very much into natural healing. He feels that with the Irlen technology, he will be able to expand the arena of his activities to a greater extent. Dr. Sim will be working as an Irlen Diagnostician with Dr. Hyung-bae Park.


when the children put on their Irlen glasses, and could convert back into abnormal performance by placing them in the offending lighting environments. Unsurprisingly, I found these data to be completely persuasive. The import for Helen’s continuing work was that these findings shifted the attention to post-retinal processing of the visual signal. Perhaps the syndrome did not involve “scotopic sensitivity” at all. The term “Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome” was henceforth down-played in favour of the less tendentious “Irlen Syndrome.” Chris Chase, Ph.D. of Claremont McKenna College illuminated a possible model for Irlen Syndrome. He was working under a grant from the National Eye Institute. It has been found that there is a distribution in ratios of the different colour receptors (cones). As was first demonstrated by Edwin Land of Polaroid fame, the brain really makes up most of the colour spectrum through the weighing of relative fluxes perceived by the three cone types. When the retinal populations are too far out, this normalization process may not be able to function fluently. The neural system combines inputs from different colour cones in a centre/surround combination. Some eight combinations are formed, leading to our perception of four basic colours even though there are only three types of cones. Chase devised an optical threshold test that gets at the same ratios. He found a distributional match to the distribution known from prior post-mortem measurements. Thus encouraged, he correlated the ratios with reading performance by Irlen criteria. There was an excellent correlation. ln the cohort of college students being evaluated, some 17.4% were found to have mild to moderate Irlen symptoms. And reading is their job! Some four different symptom patterns were identified: Daniel Amen, MD was a keynote speaker. Significantly, he showed a pre-post comparison of SPECTs with and without the Irlen lenses in someone with the syndrome. The difference was stunning. This was, of course, sufficient to convince him since he is conversant with his own assessments. Irlen screening is now routinely done at his centres. Robert Dobrin, MD, a psychiatrist working at the Amen Clinic, talked about how he first got interested in Irlen work when a bright bespectacled 9-year-old came into his office some years ago sporting Irlen lenses. Dobrin asked about them, and the kid insouciantly answered: “You’re the child psychiatrist; you should know!” Indeed. So Dobrin was embarrassed into investigating the Irlen

approach by a nine-year-old patient. He has never looked back. Dobrin undertook a thorough investigation in which some 460 patients were screened preliminarily using some 17 questions selected from the Irlen questionnaire. This was over a three-year period. 210 of these ended up diagnosed with Irlen Syndrome, and in 120 the condition was moderate to severe. Forty of these ended up getting the Irlen lenses. James Irvine is a military guy, currently residing at China Lake, who got interested in this work because the Armed Forces often put soldiers, sailors, and airmen under strange lighting conditions aboard ship and in the bellies of aircraft. If these policies were disadvantaging some people and rendering them dysfunctional, that needed to be known. Irvine talked about the old research on the human visual response to colour. Masses of people had been studied, and when the data were compiled there was a significant problem of outliers. The response of the researchers at the time (around 1930) was the obvious one: do more studies. But adding numbers to what was already a statistically meaningful cohort was no way to make outliers go away. Eventually the resolution was to simply segregate some 22% of subjects into this anomalous category and to evaluate the rest to establish normative curves. Ever since, the assumption has been that the human colour response is reasonably homogeneous. Now it turns out that this same 22% is the very cohort of interest in the Irlen Syndrome. For these people, the accommodation function performed by the brain does not quite cover the subject. For these folks, perception is altered as a function of spectral input. If the variability in the data had been highlighted originally, we might have been sixty years ahead now instead of twenty years behind. He then plugged this into some eighteen different models for human vision. The only fit obtained was for the “receptor field model” that also accounts for the Irlen Syndrome. In fact he obtained a high correlation between reading speed and colour intensity/colour balance. There is also a dependence of lateral eye span, the lateral distance on the page that can be “taken in” by the eye in one glance. And most surprisingly, there is even a dependence on the preferred focal distance for near vision as a function of spectral content. Change the colour of the light, and the person will promptly adjust how far away the reading material will be held away from the eye. Absent Irlen Syndrome, there should be no dependence of reading speed, eye span, and focal distance on colour content or intensity, and for “normals” that is generally true. But for the vulnerable population, the variation in reading speed alone was from 65% to 145%. That by itself proves (continued on page 5)

Irlen North American Conference (continued from page 1)


that there is a problem to be solved. To date, even that has not been acknowledged by the mainstream. If you don’t acknowledge a problem, then of course Helen Irlen can only be a charlatan. One reason that the problem escapes the ophthalmologists is that they typically test under dim light conditions. So, what are the implications for us? First of all, it is by now apparent that the problem does in fact trace back to retinal architecture, and therefore is not just a matter of the efficiency of post-processing in the association cortex. But the latter problem exists as well, and that’s where neurofeedback might help. It is not surprising to find that people with disregulated brains have particular difficulties with Irlen Syndrome. This would include first and foremost all those with sensory hyper-excitability. A high percentage of our autism spectrum people and our migraineurs have problems with Irlen Syndrome, as do the head-injured and people with irritable bowel. Since the “back-end” problem can be modelled as a sensory integration problem, even if it exists solely within the visual system, it is only too likely that Irlen Syndrome should correlate with other sensory integration deficits. That’s what we observe. Also anxiety correlates. Neurofeedback can help with the back-end processing problem, but there is no good alternative at the moment to solving the problem at the front end with correction of spectral input to the

eye. Every neurofeedback practitioner should be screening routinely for Irlen Syndrome. Our work may very well not succeed at all unless that is taken care of.

In summary, the parallelism here to our own experience is in some ways uncanny. The speakers generally manifested a very clinical and problem-solving orientation, but also one that was very respectful of the need for scientific investigation and responsive to the results of such investigations. This has by now occupied some twenty years, a period of time that has given mainstream practitioners plenty of opportunities to be “snagged” by intriguing data, just as Dr. Dobrin was, and as Helen Irlen was originally. It would be ludicrous to consider this body of work collectively and pronounce it deficient in some way, undeserving of any attention. It is not a matter of needing the data to be just a bit less ambiguous. In particular, it is not a matter of controlled studies not having been done. Controlled studies are easily done in this case: glasses on, read; glasses off, read some more. What could be easier? Yet mainstream science is still missing in action. As Einstein said, “it is the theory that tells us what we may believe.”

Handout packets available ($15.00) includes the following speakers:

Chris Chase, PhD: Magnocellular Cone Signal Strength and Reading Many studies have found visual impairments in dyslexia that suggest a magnocellular (MC) deficit. Colored filters also can help children learn to read.

Laurence D. Martel, PhD: Impact of the Environment on Learning and Performance. This presentation includes the elements of Dr. Martel’s latest book, The Seven Secrets of Learning Revealed, including the ergonomics of learning.

Bonnie France Morrow, PhD: Report from the Trenches: An Assessment and Computerized Remediation Program that Applies Cognitive Neuroscience in the Classroom. Decades of experience with learning “differences” and underprepared students led me to identify, and then to develop, an effective program of remediation for the five most important “invisible” barriers, including Irlen Syndrome, that hinder student reading and learning.

Daniel C. Parsons: The Irlen Method and the Law This session explores how the fundamental provisions of Federal law (NCLB, IDEA, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act) enable parents, teachers, and other child advocates to secure Irlen accommodations for children who suffer from Irlen Syndrome.

Laura P. Weisel, PhD: Emotions! The Prerequisite to Learning This session offers an understanding of how emotions are brain functions that are core to all learning and managing all life situations.

Place orders through the Irlen Institute via email, fax, or mail.

Daniel G. Amen, MD Making a Good Brain Great CD . . .$5.00 Ways to improve and optimize brain function. High resolution scans demonstrate the effectiveness of various interventions, including the Irlen Lenses.

James Irvine The Cause of Irlen Syndrome CD . . .$5.00 Findings and results of the U.S. Navy’s experiment that verified scientifically the validity of Irlen Syndrome.

Irlen North American Conference (continued from page 4)


AROUND THE WORLD WITH IRLEN

Vol. XVI, No. 1

State and National Standardized Testing The GED, TABE (Tests of Adult Basic Education by CTB McGraw-Hill) and CASAS Test of Life Skills ALL accept colored overlays, lighting modifications, and magnifiers to be used during testing at the student’s request.

Colored Overlays for Standardized Testing In addition to the California Department of Education's website which lists colored overlays as a standard accommodation, Oklahoma also has a website listing colored overlays as a standard accommodation. The easiest method for getting to this website is to do a google search for “colored overlays” and find “Accommodations for Students on an IEP or 504 Plan Oklahoma CORE” which will directly link you to the website: www.se.sde.state.ok.us/ses/3-21yrs/accommodationhandout.pdf. I suggest you print this information from the website and keep it for your records.

Washington, USA This may be of interest to you if you are working with adult education or individuals in correctional facilities. The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funds adult education. According to WIA, Irlen materials appear to be a legitimate claim for fund usage. Funds are allocated according to Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment.

Switzerland Dr. Doris Safra has written a book entitled "Interdisziplinares Lehrbuch zur Behandlung von Lern- und Leseschwierigkeiten." This book, which is in German, includes a chapter on Irlen written by Fritz Steiner.

Austria Margit Taubenschmid, Visuelle ahrnehmungsschwäche und Irlen-Syndrom (Visual perception condition and Irlen Syndrome); ISSN 1431-7273; ISBN 3-631-52374-2, a German book edited by Univ. Prof. Dr. Richard Olechowski. The book publishes the research on Irlen Syndrome conducted at Vienna University and gives a short but thorough overview about vision, medical eye conditions, the theory of reading, and the psychological effects of being incapable to meet the criteria of reading performance in class.

In the introduction, Univ. Prof. Dr. Richard Olechowski states that the study on Irlen Syndrome is an “important research result for special and remedial education.” The placebo controlled research study proves the significant advantages in reading rate and reading accuracy using Irlen coloured overlays for children with Irlen Syndrome.

Margit Taubenschmid tested 64 children in grades 3-4 who were about 9 years of age. 32 children were given overlays and a control group of 32 were given the placebo, special exercises, a so-called magical cure for reading difficulties.

The Irlen Centers in German-speaking countries wish to thank you, Helen, for funding the publication. Angelika Koch, Diagnostician

Virginia, USA Bryant Alternative School

Two ALC students used the overlays daily in class, achieving an average of nine months gain in reading rate, a gain of eight months in accuracy, and a gain of eight months in comprehension. The three who used the overlays for just post-testing gained in at least two of the three categories. The average gain for all five students using individually prescribed Irlen Overlays for 1½ to 2 weeks was five months in rate, eight months in accuracy, and six months in comprehension. The more students used the overlays, the better the results. Maxine Jaubert, Clinic Director


Switzerland I am so pleased to announce that Fritz Steiner, Irlen Clinic Director Switzerland, has written an article on Irlen and head injuries. The article has been published in the Journal for Whiplash Injury. If you would like a copy of the article, which is in German, contact the Irlen Institute to send it to you as an attachment. Reference for the article: Fritz Steiner, Schleudertrauma und visuelle Wahrnehmungsstörungen, in Schleudertrauma-Info, Ausgabe 1/2005, S. 22-26, Schleudertraumaverband, Horneggstr. 9, 8008 Zürich, www.schleudertraumaverband.ch Fritz writes, “The contact I had with whiplash patients shows the importance of a disturbed visual perception for this group. In many other publications, these visual problems are mentioned but not one of them indicates any treatment. So the information in my article was quite new for patients and for professionals.”

Vol. XVI, No. 1 AROUND THE WORLD WITH IRLEN

Ohio, USA Clinic Director Elaine Gutowitz conducted a screener training for 15 teachers and administrators in the Ohio prison system with a possibility of doing two more seminars.

North Carolina, USA Brenda Elliott, an Irlen Screener at one of the community colleges, has been testing and providing overlays to her students in GED or Adult High School programs. She has them take the TABE testing without overlays and then with overlays within less than a week. Improvement ranged from 1.5 grade levels to 4.7 grade levels. The mean improvement was 3.4 grade levels. We were really amazed. Sue Youngman, Clinic Director

Australia The Australasian Association of Irlen Consultants (AAIC) Conference, which was held in Melbourne in January, was attended by 57 delegates from all over Australia and New Zealand.

Virginia, USA Fairfax County Public Schools

A five-student investigation was conducted at Bryant Summer School with Middle School students last summer. All showed reading improvement, according to Gray Oral Forms A and B for pre/post testing using Irlen Overlays. Of a group of 25 with pre-test scores ranging from mild to severe on Irlen pre-assessment, 11 volunteered their own comments describing reading difficulties symptomatic of Irlen Syndrome. A positive trend was observed within a week or so for all students in two or more subtests of the Gray. Maxine Jaubert, Clinic Director

Switzerland Dr. Doris Safra and Fritz Steiner presented a lecture to eye doctors regarding a case of Postneuritis optica with problems of reading and walking and the elimination of these problems with Irlen Filters.

Oregon, USA “My name is Cherie Countryman. I reside in Salem, Oregon. I work at the Juvenile Department. I am a learning specialist in a pilot program for 8-12 year old kids who get into petty trouble, most of whom are having a difficult time with school. Marcia Davis, my coworker, has been testing the children for SSS for one year. In December, I joined Marcia in screening the kids that come into the program. I think we have about 95% Scotopic kids, and many severe.”

Italy The IRPS has been translated into Italian. Many thanks to Clinic Director Fritz Steiner for this translation. This was done in order to continue research at Modena University with Professor Barbolini. Preliminary research results in 6 cases out of 6, with properly selected Irlen lenses, reduce in both eyes the differential amplitude of photopic waves A and B.

Germany Irlen Clinic Director Dorothee Perpeet has an entry in the German Who is Who! She is being acknowledged for being the first German Irlen Diagnostician, plus her broad knowledge about special education. This proves that news about the Irlen Method is spreading and the hours Dorothee invested to make people understand what Irlen Syndrome is are paying off! Angelika Koch, Diagnostician


Vol. XVI, No. 1 AROUND THE WORLD WITH IRLEN

Barbados I have made short presentations to two separate private schools who work with children who have learning problems, and both are interested in screener training. I also found among the staff at least three Irlen individuals who are severe and several more who have some problem. I had an appointment with the chief education officer to discuss possibilities for the public schools. I have networked with a few teachers; and they confirm that there is a definite problem, especially reading, in all schools since they electrified the schools in the late 1960's and most converted to fluorescent lighting! Judy Palapala, Clinic Director

Washington, USA In October I was invited to become an official CE presenter for my state’s professional Opticians group. They have two meetings a year for CE credits. This group was quite interested in Irlen, did not seem to feel threatened by what we do, and seemed open to mutual referrals. Kirstie Lewis, PhD, Clinic Director

South Africa A wonderful opportunity came our way to do an exhibit booth at the Learning Fair and Careers Expo, Cape Town. This is an international conference with around 200,000 people and national television coverage. Martelean Venter, Clinic Director

Australia There is a school in Perth (Singleton Primary School) where I have trained 15 PASS pre-screeners. The principal wants to test all 650 students in the school, then screen all those recommended for overlays. We then want to engage in a longitudinal study using the State’s literacy and numeracy assessments in years 3, 5, and 7. He is keen to prove the improvement in students with Irlen and then bring pressure to bear on the Education Department to introduce this into all schools. This is a really exciting development and one that will yield the results we are after in terms of making it a part of the assessment regime for all students. Steve Stanley, Clinic Director

Canada Our first Canadian school has completely endorsed the Irlen Method AND is paying for assessment and lenses where needed. Parents pay the school back over time. We have branched out to testing the parents and members of the community, further supporting the children wearing tints in the school. Beverley Butt, Clinic Director

Washington, USA The new Washington State University learning pilot study is off and running! I wanted to let you know that my students, who are subjects in this study, have been assessed for Irlen Syndrome. They all are significantly affected and have been provided with the appropriate overlays. I have had some very good feedback from these students already -- and they have yet to begin their computerized software exercises designed to remediate their other learning difficulties (dyslexia, ADD, and memory problems). Bonnie France Morrow, PhD, Adjunct Professor for WSU

California, USA Dr. Drew Yellen has done a few brain scans of individuals with Irlen Syndrome. Initial results showed a 4 standard deviation in hyperexcitability and delayed processing. Overexcitability alters the input which leads to difficulty with visual integration and visual processing. It is exciting to see these initial results, and we look forward to doing more scans. Drew Yellen, PhD, Clinic Director

Arizona, USA LouAnne Johnson, author of the bestselling book that inspired the movie Dangerous Minds, has written another book, Teaching Outside the Box, How to Grab Your Students By Their Brains, Jossey-Bass. As with her last book, The Queen of Education, LouAnne mentions the Irlen Method. The book discusses solutions for the problems mentioned by students who are anti-reading. One of the solutions is the Irlen Method, pg. 195-196. To quote from the book: “In my own experience, about one-half of a given class of remedial readers showed signs of scotopic sensitivity and responded positively and immediately to using overlays to read. Other teachers have reported similar success.”


Coloured overlays and their effects on reading speed: a review

Wilkins A, Visual Perception Unit, University of Essex, Colchester, UK. Ophthal. Physiol. Opt. 2002; 22: 448-454. Coloured overlays can reduce symptoms of visual stress and improve reading speed. These benefits are reliable and are not attributable simply to placebo effects. Five percent of children in mainstream education read at least 25% more quickly with an overlay, provided they have chosen the colour. The suboptimal design of children’s text and the high level of classroom lighting may be partly responsible.

RESEARCH The relationship between

dyslexia and Irlen Syndrome Isla Kriss, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK, and Bruce J.W. Evans, Institute of Optometry/City University, UK, Journal of Research in Reading, ISSN 0141-0423, Volume 23, Issue 3, 2005, pp 350-364. This published study compared a group of 32 dyslexic with 32 control children aged 7 - 12 years, matched for age, gender, and socio-economic background. Rate of reading was tested using the WRRT with and without their preferred overlay. The study concluded that Irlen Syndrome is prevalent in the general population and possibly a little more common in dyslexia. Children with dyslexia seem to benefit more from coloured overlays than non-dyslexic children. Irlen Syndrome and dyslexia are separate entities and are detected and treated in different ways. The study states, "It is recommended that education professionals as well as eye-care professionals are alert to the symptoms of Irlen Syndrome and that children are screened for

The Journal of the American Optometric Association The Journal of Learning Disabilities The Australian Journal of Special Education Clinical and Experimental Optometry Ophthalmological and Physiological Optics Perceptual and Motor Skills The Australian Journal of Learning Disabilities Behavioral Optometry Optometry and Vision Science

Where Have Articles Been Published?

Studies on the Irlen Method have been published in numerous well-respected academic and medical journals, including but not limited to those below.

The Australian Journal of Remedial Education Journal of Correctional Education Vision Research Journal of Behavioral Optometry Education Neuropsychology Bulletin for Learning Disabilities The Australian Journal of Psychology Journal of Research in Reading


Vol. XV, No. 2 JUNE 2005

Special Recognition for Distinguished Service Special Recognition for Distinguished Service Special Recognition for Distinguished Service

The Irlen Institute would like to acknowledge those individuals from across the nation and around the world who work tirelessly to help those with Irlen Syndrome. These individuals come from all walks of life – some are Irlen Screeners, some are parents, and others are professionals who work in the field of education. The following people deserve special recognition and special thanks:

Brianna Medal is in 5th grade and has been wearing Irlen Filters for a year. When using her overlay before she received her filters, she went from 2.2 to 4.0 in reading in a two month period. Since wearing her Irlen Filters, she has been chosen Student of the Month, received a Certificate of Achievement, and won first place in the science fair with a display about Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome.

Fran Morin, screener, was one of the first to respond as a leader to organize the screeners in her area and arrange monthly meetings. She is developing a growing contact list of educational organizations which are invited to her monthly information sessions. Her team had an Irlen display at a booth for five days at the Barrie Fair.

Darlene Passingham was trained last February as a screener. Darlene is an instructor for the Home Schooling Programme and has been developing awareness of Irlen in the Home Schooling Association in the London, Ontario (Canada), area.

Sharon Kelly is a screener/teacher from Owen Sound (Canada) who was also one of the first screeners to respond to our Awareness Campaign and held three very successful information sessions at the Irlen Centre that included many health practitioners.

Nola Stigings, one of our most active screeners from Alberta (Canada), is offering leadership to a number of screeners in isolated communities. Nola has participated in a number of presentations about Irlen over the years.

Simon Francis. We would like you to recognize Simon for establishing a centre to provide regular testing, training, and cluster meetings. Simon has also been instrumental in establishing a weekly Hot-Conference on the internet for screeners. This weekly communication was instrumental in helping to maintain the momentum of our Irlen Awareness Campaign last spring.

Julie and John Stirling, through Learning Links, have created a strong Irlen presence in the Red Deer, Alberta (Canada), community and surrounding communities. The strength of their commitment to Irlen in connection with the Learning Disability Association has resulted in financial commitment to screen and to test students for Irlen Syndrome by the Reading Literacy Programme. Irlen would like to recognize their commitment to the Irlen method by their perseverance to obtain government funding to support students who otherwise would be unable to access Irlen screening and tinted filters.

Ennette Anderson is a screener who has been a regular writer of articles on Irlen in the “Homeschool Newsletter.” As a result, there is a growing awareness of Irlen within this community.

Beth Griffin, experienced screener and now a retired teacher from Windsor Ontario (Canada), was responsible for the CBC documentary, 1999 on Irlen Syndrome. This six minute documentary. is most frequently used by screeners for presentations.

Gayla Freitag, a Master Screener/retired Educational Consultant, has been instrumental in maintaining a strong Irlen presence in the Northern (Lakehead) regions of Ontario (Canada). Along with several other screeners, she has arranged for the presentation of information on Irlen Syndrome at the Lakehead Literacy Conference in Thunder Bay. She is currently assisting in the organization of a parents' support group.

Patti Collins, a screener/educator in Guelph, Ontario (Canada), has participated on a Ministry of Education Committee that was responsible for modifications to the current provincial testing. As a result of Patti's influence, students may request coloured paper and/or coloured overlays when writing the tests.

Sara Francis, a screener in Halifax, Nova Scotia, had arranged for an information booth at the Maritime Learning Disabilities Conference which resulted in educators being trained as screeners. Sara has arranged to have an Irlen presence at the Health and Wellness Fair in Halifax.


THE EFFECTS OF SCOTOPIC SENSITIVITY/IRLEN SYNDROME ON EVALUATING ATTENTION DEFICIT WITH STANDARDIZED TESTING

By Andrew G. Yellen, Ph.D.

Due to the nature of IS, various subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fourth Edition (WISC-IV), and of the Woodcock-Johnson Pyschoeducational Battery, Third Edition, Cognitive and Achievement (WJ-R) are adversely affected. In addition, continuous performance tasks reliant on visual processing, such as the Test of Variables of Attention-Visual (TOVA-Visual), are also negatively impacted and may, in some cases, produce false positives for ADHD. Irlen lenses may bring the standard scores into the Average range with no other intervention, thus those suspected of ADHD should be screened for IS and, if appropriate, tinted prior to administration of such visual tasks.

Those not yet done in formalized research, empirical evidence suggests that standard scores may be as much as one and one-half standard deviations higher when individuals with IS utilized Irlen lenses. The more heavily reliant a task is upon visual processing, the greater the improvement once the SSS has been appropriately addressed. Specifically, caution should be taken before concluding that a diagnosis of ADHD is accurate when the assessments are heavily dependent upon visual processing and a screening for IS has not been performed.

LATE EMERGING STRUGGLING

STUDENTS

The news from a national testing program, multi-state reading and math tests, showed a small improvement in math but flat in reading for junior high students. High school students actually dropped a bit in both. The same pattern appears on a wide variety of assessments. U.S. high school students test in the mediocre-to-dismal range in international comparisons on math, science, and reading; eighth graders also score below average. L.A. Times, July 26, 2005.

Something is going on. Middle and high schools have been all but ignored in most state, national, and local reform efforts. Elementary schools have received extra money for smaller class size, and IDEA and NCLB center attention on early intervention. Students and teachers in middle and high schools are left to struggle. What is being done for these students who are “late emerging” struggling readers? What are we doing to address their problems? Irlen needs to be an important part of middle and high school agendas. Irlen needs to be a key piece in targeting educational failures. There is no single solution. It is clear, though, that the current focus on high schools is ignoring a group of students that needs more attention and more help.

IN MEMORIAM IN MEMORIAM Karen SolinKaren SolinKaren Solin In July of 1988, Karen began her work with Irlen - first as a screener and then as a diagnostician. Karen was co-director with Dale Gelbard of the Irlen Clinic of Manhattan and Westchester, New York, USA. Unfortunately, in the very same month and year, she began her long hard battle with breast cancer. For the past 17 years, Karen has been dedicated to her Irlen work while she continued to fight her illness. It is with great sadness that we report that Karen lost her battle with cancer and passed away in May, 2005. She will be missed by her fam-ily, her friends, the Irlen family, and all of those who knew her. Dale Gelbard, Clinic Director John Stirling John Stirling John Stirling John Stirling, husband of Julie Stirling, both screeners at Learning Links in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, died from a heart attack on November 17. The screeners associated with The Irlen Centre have made a donation for Irlen Testing, at Julie's request, in lieu of flowers. John was a great promoter of the Irlen method and has been responsible for setting up the regular Irlen testing sessions in Red Deer. Julie and John have been re-sponsible for introducing the Irlen activity in Red Deer and the nearby communities. Their two daughters and two granddaughters all wear Irlen Filters. We will miss John. He was a counselor with amazing skills. Adel Francis, Clinic Director


New Screeners

AUSTRALIA: Sharryn Benson, Joan Brien, Barbara Butterfield, Jennifer Cartwright, Libby Evans, Jo Fischer, Kay Freeth, Susan Grayson, Allan Greenbank, Mary Heneghan, Patricia Killen, Jenny O’Neill, Gail Paterson, Kristie Pohl, Linda Saywell-Smith, Linda Sherwin, Jo-Ann Slater, Lianne Steven, Georgette Visser / BELGIUM: Marjan Debee, Dieryckx Karlien, Sergeant Kelly, Devos Tine, Sarah Vercruysse / CANADA: Gerri Barber, Laura Kerpel, David McQuaid, Michelle Thibault, Patricia Vass / ENGLAND: Julie Ackroyd, Susan Ash, Debby Ballard, Andrea Barkaway, Linda Barling, Nicola Beswick, Lesley Bolton, Neil Boulton, Dominic Patrick Boyle, Charlotte Bray, Karen Brown, Pamela Ann Brown, Tynan Campbell-Burns, Carole Burtonwood, Amanda Chalk, Ina Chantry, Lesley Clinning, Janet Clayworth, Amanda Corcoran, Dennis Czech, Theresa Davies, Teresa Davison, Mary Donnelly, Christina England, Jill Fisher, Chris Halpin, Susan Hamilton, Sylvia Hardy, Kathleen Heathcotc, Helen Herries, Colin Hickson, Andrea Jamieson, Stephen Nigel Kendrick, Clare Kent, Nicola D. B. Kettle, Amanda D. Hale, Jill Lang, Andrea Claire Lindley, Colin Martin, Catrina Menzel, Lyndsey Mills, Pauline Mills, Tina Moriey, Pat Muddyman, Diane Pattison, Lynne Pell, Joanna Powell, June Rawden, Beverley Reid, Jo Skabara, Jill Rendell, Valeria Richardson, Annette Roche, Debra Sargent, Emma Louise Seaton, Diane Shaw, Dominique Simpson, Beatrice Troeger, Kush Vanja, Christine Ward, Helen Ward, Victoria Wyatt, Marian Webb, Jean Wiles / HUNGARY: Bret Andarson, Marcia Joyce, / JORDON: Leila Suleiman Belbeisi, Rania Adnan Radwan Bader, Faten Ali Al Falayleh, Lina Shebly Abd-Samad, Niveen Jubrael Yacoub Al-Ifat, Zein Hani Khalifeh, Bushra Zaki Altarawneh, Sameera Mohammed Abdulwahab, Tagrid Adel Karkesh, Lana Faisal Zawati / NEW ZEALAND: Karen Blundell, Gaye Openshaw-Clark, Carike van der Merwe, Valeria Meihana, Katrina Donnelly, Ellen Collie, Donna Herd / SCOTLAND: Noelle Balley, Evelyn Butchard, Helen Dougall, Yvonne Fraser, Joyce Gorman, Irene Grant, Jan McGinley, Kirsteen McLean, Susan McDermott, Maggie Neill, Julia O’Carroll, Alison Ross, Rhoda Ross, Dorothy Sutton, Janis Williamson, Alison Wood / SWITZERLAND: Gabriella Noseda / USA: ARIZONA: Carolyn Wilson / CALIFORNIA: Heidi Baldassare, Jane Bates, Linda Bauld, Cindy Carlson, Karen Chandler, Madge Desmond, Barbara Fralick, Lori Eastman, Nanette Prince Egetter, Tamara Garcia, Colleen Glenn, Mimi Gransden, Dorolyn Groshens, Jeanine Haines, Deborah Henslet, Bett Huffaker, Sharon Kearney, Debra Hertel Knight, Deborah Kresal, Robin Liedtke, Daphne MacNeil, Simone Malboeuf, Darleen McKinney, Jill Moorman, Michelle Neville, Carolyn Nuyens, Sarah O’Conner, Joy Padden, Cynthia Perales, Orli Peter PhD, Tracy Peyton, Georgina Rettinger PhD, Joni Richards, Catherine Saldaña, Michelle Selber, Anne Shirako, Marlene Tatum PhD, Ginny Therriault, D’Anne Weitzman, Sindy Wilkinson / COLORADO: Judith Albright, Bonnie Blackburn, Valerie Cooper, Lori Kogan PhD, Vickie Villone / ILLINOIS: Karen Walle, Patricia Kirkpatrick, INDIANA: Katherine Yoder, Lettie Von Allmen, / KENTUCKY: Suzanne Boyd, Kathy Witherup / LOUISIANA: Stephanie-Darbonne, Ann Bergen, Edith Schneider / MARYLAND: Donna Bonebrake / MASSACHUSETTS: Ellen Adams, Elsie Aldrich, Nancy Amaral, Susan Bernstein, Donna DesRosiers EdD, Nicole Devlin, Betsy Dinger, Melissa Diodati, Mary Escher, Virginia Giovanello, Gayle Golas, Nancy Harrington, Joanna Hughes, Kevin Kelly, Betty Marple, Joyce Mehaffey PhD, Susan Morgan, Susan Murphy, Carol Rusielewicz, Ellen Schour, Patricia Taurasi / MICHIGAN: Gerard Evanski Ed.D., Mary Fisher, Carol Nevels-Fleming, Lisa Hendricks, Arlene Hicks, Dana Marino, Pamela Snow, Lori Whitfield / MISSISSIPPI: Catherine Biggs, David Lovelace / MISSOURI: Dan Kern, Karen Stayton, Susan Vandergriff / MONTANA: Brenda Fischer, Jacqueline Goldhahn, Helen Leonard / NEVADA: Betty Boggs, Anna Braithwaite, Amanda Guthrie / NEW JERSEY: Violet Gregg / NEW MEXICO: Elizabeth Deardorff, Barbara Flores, June Hardison, Michelle Meeks, Lauren Sittnick / NEW YORK: Judene Anderson, Holly Cadwallader Ed.D., Teresa McKillip, Cheryl Silverman / NORTH CAROLINA: Barbara Avent, Roni Barrow, Patricia Bartholomew, Brenda Brown, Judith Byrd, Patricia Dwyer, Suzanne Eller, Brenda Elliott, Susan Ellis, Gail Freeman, Claire Friedenberg, Christina Gibson, Myrtle Grimes, Judith Graves, Virginia Hawken, Jill Jobert, Cynthia Krider, Cynthia Lewis, Audrey Parker, Cynthia Phillips, Pat Phillips, Sue Tobin / NORTH DAKOTA: LaDonna Bannach, Ava Duus-Hintz / OHIO: Heather Hamker, Diane Rudowicz / OKLAHOMA: Susan Green, Carla Kennedy, Sherrilyn Malaby, Carrie Stout / TEXAS: Jennifer Abernathy, Crystal Bill, Paula Boatman-Jankowski, Kelly Brewster, Melanie Cooper, Lori Chaney, Patty Christensen, Kathryn Davis, Shanon Denison, Kimberly Dobrava, Sandra Emmert, Jennie Fazio, Jana Garnett, Mary Goodenow, Peggy Graves, Bonnie Greer, JoAnn Handy, Kristina Henry, Staci Hiberd, Tina Hintz, Ruth Hutcheson, Anita Jones, Marilyn Kampen, Caroline Kazda, Phyllis Kilpatrick, Maria Ladera, Tina Lerch, Donna Massey, Gayle McVey, Cecilia Mitchell, Lucy Montez, Heidi Oates, Kathleen Olson, Michelle Parker, Ruthann Pechulis, Amy Phillips, Hollye Phillips-Hughes, Linda Porter, Linda Ramirez, Charlotte Rogers, Sharon Scheffler, Mary Sheperd, Mishel Smith, Catherine Struble, Tara Sublette, Sharon Summers, Kathy Tait, Cordelia Thompson, Robin Tucker, Maudella Ulmer, Janice Utsler, Susan Wasiak, Leilani Weber, Beth Williams, Jana Woodhouse / UTAH: Dixie Allen, Cynthia Haacke, David Petersen / VIRGINIA: Buffy Allgood, Carolyn Bynum, Judith Dodson, Lauren Edwards Ellington, Kathy Havens, David Matlock, Crystal Taylor, Cheryl Terry, Sanders Thompson, Amanda Turner, Chelsea Washington, / WASHINGTON: Kristine Cisneros, Katrina Dohn, Mike Davis, Pamela Davies, Susan Willoughby / WISCONSIN: Karen Denkert / WYOMING: Lori Cetak

PRST STD U.S. Postage

PAID Anaheim, CA Permit No. 34

New School District Screeners (Training funded by and conducted on-site at school districts)

BONNER SPRINGS USD 204, Kansas: Karen Borg, Tammy Chladny, Amy Hamilton, Jacci Leib, Whitney McMahan, Patricia Matthews, Ruth Moon, Rhonda Newton, Linda Orangkhadivi, Pam Stewart, Margaret Wienberg, Kathryn Van Keuren / CLARK COUNTY SD, Nevada: Cathy Cravens, Katie Ensign, Wendy Gregory, Deborah Kalameja, Jeffrey Howard, Michelle Levy, LaVona Gaston-Lewis, Michele Maloney, Kimberly Marquez, Christina McCollum, Catherine McGarry, Michelle McOmber, Kamille Mixon, Danielle Mossman, Teddy Pederson, Lee Segalla, Mark Storm, Cory Villiatora, EL PASO ISD, Texas: Cynthia Artalejo, Brenda Boyd, Irma Cano, Susan Cash, Glenna Cuevas, William Duran, Martha Fowler, Roxanne Franco, Denise Grissom, Hilda Guzman, Robert Hemphill, Courtney Higgins, Cherie Laird, Monica Lara, Evelina Licon, Carmen Martinez, Pati McCaig, Elizabeth Mitchell, Terry Montes, Valerie Navarro, Maureen Nosdale, Margarita Olivas, Tomas Ornelas, Lilia Ortega, JoAnn Parkins, Anne Potts-Dufour, Eloisa Reay, Lorina Santiago, Rachel Torres, Maria Tovar, Sandra Uribe, Lee Valerio / LAKE ELSINORE USD, California: Cindee Adams, Ann Anderson, Wendy Callahan, Judy deSchepper, Sandra Hasal, Kelly Hendley, Cindy Holmes, Karen Jones, Patti Kramer-Yates, Susan Lockhart, Valerie Murray, Judith Reising, Valerie Rogers, Terri Selvaggio, Kathryn Sielig-Dampier, Heather Tobler, Cinday Whritenour, Brent Wigand / MARSHALLTOWN COMM. SD, Iowa: Kathleen Bentley, Sondra Dubbs, Sheri Edwards, Cynthia Eggers, Stephanie Goos, Linda Kaplan, Diane Lewis, Shirley Mann, Terri McGraw, Rebecca Mounsdon, Barbara Perry, Karen Roessler, Debra Vos, Penny Weatherly, Lisa Wymore / REGION 4 ESC, Texas: Jane Balsam, Laura Batson, Jill Bradley, Mary Brewster, Catherine Burgan, Christine Butler, Mary Caves, Sharon Dalton, Rusha Davis, Shawna Dennis, Jennifer England, Michael File, Edna Fraser, Tracy Gilbert, Callum Hiller, Christine Hook, Emily Horton, Syandra Ingram, Pamela Jones, Jan Krametbauer, Lesa Leeney, Kathryn Little, Sue McGeary, Linda Miller, Andrea Meyer, Mary Moncatch, Robert Peek, Susan Pinto, Vasudha Punj, Cindy Smith, Kay Tatum, Judy White, Kimberly Wilson, Deborah Wirag, Ann Zamora / SANTA MARIA BONITA SD, California: Lynn Bettag-Shrogin, Susan Billinger, Sandee Bryant, Mary Cullen, Terri Hidle, Nancy Iarossi, Antoinette Kelly, Jennifer Kersey, Beverley Larsen, Brian Lutes, Janet Marsalek, Maureen Staunton, Connie Sutter, Debra Ugalde /

Irlen Institute International Headquarters 5380 Village Road • Long Beach, CA 90808 (562) 496-2550 • Fax (562) 429-8699 www.irlen.com• [email protected] Change Service Requested

Upcoming

Irlen Conferences

Irlen Southern California Conference

Long Beach, California, USA

May 20, 2006

Irlen International Conference

Auckland, New Zealand

January 3-6, 2007

Irlen North American Conference

Houston, Texas, USA

July, 2008

Documents

Vol. XVI, No. 1 Irlen North American Conference · Irlen North American Conference Excerpts from EEG Newsletter.com Volume 3, Issue 28, July 28, 2005 We just attended the annual conference