Visual Stress, Irlen Syndrome and Dyslexia: Deciphering the differences and supporting students through their difficulties
Steph Larner
Teacher of English
Visual Stress, Irlen Syndrome and Dyslexia
Irlen syndrome, sometimes called Meares Irlen Syndrome is a visual processing disorder in which an individual has a sensitivity to patterns and finds the perception of anything with closely ordered patterns (such as lines of writing) challenging to look at. Dyslexia is a learning disorder that involves difficulty reading due to problems identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words (decoding). Dyslexia affects areas of the brain that process language. Children and adults with Dyslexia commonly have Irlen syndrome, but the two conditions can occur in isolation. It is, however, more common to have Irlen syndrome without Dyslexia than it is to have Dyslexia without Irlen syndrome. The difficulties with perceiving the world seen in both conditions may then be referred to as visual stress. Neither condition affects the intellectual ability of students.
How to Recognise Visual Stress
It is important that as adults, we are able to recognise the signs of visual stress, and only a few of these symptoms may be present in order to indicate a student needs assessment or support. Students – even those who are older – may be unable to recognise and discuss that they have a need in this area. As a result, many high-achieving students with this condition may go unnoticed.
They’re falling behind in their reading age
They complain the print hurts their eyes
Feeling tired easily when reading, or they rub their eyes whilst reading
They’re fidgety and unwilling to sit down and read
They may have behavioural issues – linked to the discomfort of reading and be oppositional when asked to read
Movement of the printed text
Patterns in the print (described as rivers or worms)
Migraine
Frustration and low self-esteem (sometimes commenting “I can’t read!”)
Empowering Students to Advocate for Their Own Needs
There is a need to empower them to advocate for their own needs in a constructive way. We can only do this by making them into experts in their own condition – educating them about strategies they can employ and allowing them to make choices on how and when they are supported. Empowering students in this way can be instrumental in improving achievement, as students often report that support measures (such as overlays, coloured glasses and targeted interventions) introduced without prior discussion and the explanation as to the reasons for these interventions leave students feeling behind their peers or anxious that they are being treated differently.
Students report a deep dislike of being perceived as getting ‘extra help’ in comparison to their peers, whereas a sensitive discussion makes it clear to students that they are, in fact, only allowing their access to learning to be moved in line with their peers. When students are able to articulate this, they are able to educate not only their peers, but adults around them who are unfamiliar with visual stress. Therefore, raising their self-esteem and improving the effectiveness of the support measures. Furthermore, should their needs change or they wish to trial different support strategies, then being able to discuss their condition can be particularly useful.
Strategies for the Classroom
One of the biggest things we can do as teachers supporting students with visual processing disorders is to reduce the cognitive load. Pare down the brightly coloured PowerPoints with reams of text, get rid of unnecessary images, avoid gifs at all costs! Many students – particularly those with Irlen Syndrome may use coloured overlays or paper to support them with reading and writing. It is important to note that the specific colour of these overlays has been worked out using advanced colorimetry in which Optometrists use a machine to calculate the colour the student finds easiest to read and write from. Therefore, using an overlay in their specified colour is the absolute best support we can give them. However, if they do not have their own coloured overlay – such as when it has been misplaced or forgotten at home – any colour overlay will work to reduce visual stress. It can therefore be particularly helpful to keep a few A4 coloured overlays in a drawer for such occasions. Finally, when reading a text or producing a longer piece of writing, it can be helpful for students to take frequent breaks as this allows their eyes time to focus on things that are not as close up or patterned as a page of text would be. When taking these pauses or breaks (of around 20-30 seconds), it can be particularly helpful to encourage students to stare at a point in the distance so their eyes have time to focus on a point much further away. This reduces the strain on eye muscles.