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ASummaryofResearchintotheIrlenMethod(UpdatedJune2014)

IrlenSyndromeisadisorderthatmanypeoplearenotfamiliarwith,andassuch,itoftengoesunidentifiedanduntreated,leavingchildrentostrugglewellintoadulthood.Thisdocumentisintendedtoprovideathoroughbackgroundofthedisorderanditstreatment,offeracurrentandup-to-dateanalysisofthescientificresearchthathasbeenconductedonthedisorderandtheefficacyoftreatmentoverthelast30years,andexplaintheimpactthatthisdisordercanhaveonnotjustschoolsuccess,butfuturejobandlifesuccess,ifleftunidentifiedanduntreated.Withinthisdocument,youwillfindthefollowing:

• AdefinitionofIrlenSyndromeandtheareasoffunctioningitcanimpact

• AnexplanationoftheIrlenMethodofColoredOverlayandSpectralFiltersusedtotreatthedisorder

• Areviewofsomeofthemostcurrentandrelevantscientificresearch,aswellashighlightsfromkeyeducationalpilotstudiesandreportspresentedtoschooldistrictsaroundtheworldthathavechosentoimplementIrlenScreeningmethodsandColoredOverlays

DefiningIrlenSyndrome

IrlenSyndrome(sometimesreferredtointheliteratureasMeares-IrlenSyndrome,ScotopicSensitivitySyndrome,orVisualStress)isaproblemwiththebrain,nottheeye.Itisaperceptualprocessingdisorder,notavisualproblem,afindingthatthemostcurrentbrainimagingresearchsupports.Insimplisticterms,whenanindividualsuffersfromIrlenSyndrome,theirbrainhasdifficultyoraninabilityprocessingcertainwavelengthsoflight.Inthisway,light(especiallybrightandfluorescentlighting)becomesastressoronthebrain.Thisstresscausescertainpartsofthebrain(e.g.,thevisualcortex)tobecomeoveractive.Itisthisover-activityandinabilitytoeffectivelyprocessvisualstimulithatcreatesavarietyofvisual,physical,cognitive,emotional,andneurologicalsymptoms.

Asonemightexpect,symptomsofIrlenSyndromeincludedifficultywithreadingandcomprehension,issueswithstabilityandclarityofprint,anddifficultywithhighcontrast(blackprintonwhitepaper,patterns).ButbecauseIrlenSyndromeinvolvesthebrain’sinabilitytoprocessallvisualinformationitreceives,andthestressonthebraincanhaveacascadingeffectthroughouttheentirebody,itaffectsmuchmorethanjustreading.IrlenSyndromecanalsoresultinsignificantphysicalsymptoms,suchasheadaches,migraines,nausea,fatigueandanxiety,aswellasdifficultieswithmathcomputation,handwriting,copying,readingmusic,depthperception,sportsperformance,listening,attentionandconcentration.

IrlenSyndromeisnotidentifiedbycurrenteducational,psychological,ophthalmological,ormedicaltests.Infact,manyindividualswithIrlenSyndromegounidentifiedwellintoadulthood,simplybeingtoldtheyaredumb,stupid,orlazybecauseallthetestsshowthereisnothingwrongwiththem.Whenleftuntreated,IrlenSyndromecanleadtoschoolfailure,unrealizedadultpotential,and,researchsuggests,evenapathintothecriminaljusticesystem.

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WhoIsAffected?

IrlenSyndromeaffects12-14%ofthegeneralpopulation,approximately50%ofindividualswithreadingdifficulties,dyslexia,andlearningdisabilities,andabout30%ofthosewithADHDandautism.Thesechildrenaremisidentifiedandnotgettingthehelptheyneed.Itisapervasiveproblemthataffectsstudentsofallacademiclevelsfromthelearningdisabledandstrugglingstudenttothegiftedstudent.

WhatCausesIrlenSyndrome?

Asisthecasewithmanyeducationalandpsychologicaldisabilities(includingdyslexiaandautism),adefinitivecauseforIrlenSyndromehasyettobedetermined.Whilethereisastronghereditarycomponent,IrlenSyndromecanalsobeacquiredthroughbraininjuryorillness.TherearepresentlytwotheoriesthattrytoexplainthevisualprocessingdeficitsassociatedwithIrlenSyndrome:thetransientvisualsubsystemdeficitandthecorticalhyperexcitabilitytheories.Thefirstsuggeststhatthereareissueswiththemagnocellularpathwaythatbringsinformationtotheprimaryvisualcortex,conveyinginformationaboutmotion.Thesecondproposesthatthereisalackofinhibitionintheorientationcolumnsinthevisualcortex,andthislackofinhibitioncausesexcitationtospreadthroughoutthevisualsystemresultingindifficultyinprocessingvisualInformation.Ineithercase,itissuggestedthatcolorcanimproveperceptualprocessingforindividualsexperiencingdifficulties.

TheTreatment:ColoredOverlaysandPrecision-TintedSpectralFilters

In1983,whileworkingunderafederalresearchgrantattheCaliforniaStateUniversityofLongBeach,HelenIrlendiscoveredthatfilteringthevisualinformationbeforereachingthebrainthroughtheuseofeithercoloredoverlaysorspectralfilters(wornasglasses),couldallowthebraintocorrectlyprocessthevisualinformationitreceived.Indoingso,thesecoloredoverlaysandspectralfilterscouldeliminatesymptomsassociatedwithIrlenSyndromeandimprovereadingfluency,accuracy,andcomprehension,improvinggradesandtestscores.Assuch,atitsoutset,theIrlenMethodwasdesignedtoaddressproblemsassociatedwithreadingdifficulties.Coloredoverlaysinparticularareeffectiveprimarilyforaddressingissuesrelatedtoreading.Inaclassroomsetting,coloredoverlaysareaneasy,inexpensive,andnon-invasiveinterventionthatcancomplementanyotherprogramofremediationandreadinginstruction.Issuesthatgobeyondreading,includingwriting,mathcomputation,copying,listening,depthperception,attentionandconcentrationissuesandheadachesandstomachaches,oftenrespondbettertotheuseofspectralfilters,whichcanbewornasglassestofilterlightfromtheentirevisualfield.

IrlenColoredOverlaysandIrlenSpectralFiltersareusedbymillionsofchildrenandadultsinmorethan45countriesaroundtheworld.Coloredoverlaysand/orcoloredfiltersarerecognizedasastandardaccommodationforstandardizedtestinginmanystatesinAmerica,includingCalifornia,Arkansas,Florida,Oklahoma,Nevada,Massachusetts,NewMexico,andWashington.TheSAT,LSAT,ACT,LearningAlly,IllinoisDepartmentofRehabilitation,IndianaOfficeofVocationalRehabilitation,MichiganRehabilitationServices,TexasCommissionfortheBlind,NevadaVocationalRehabilitationServices,andWisconsinVocationalRehabilitationallofficiallyrecognizeIrlenSyndrome.InAustralia,thefollowingareasamplingofagencieswhichhaveofficiallyrecognizedIrlenSyndrome:DepartmentofEmployment,Education&Training,

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DepartmentsofArmy,Navy,andAirForce,BoardofStudies–NSW,BoardofSecondaryEducation–WA,DepartmentofChildren’sServices–WA,CommonwealthEmploymentService(CES),DepartmentofRehabilitation,GeelongMedicalFund,andTechnicalandFurtherEducation(TAFE).

SummaryoftheScientificResearchThereiscurrentlyabodyofresearchrelatedtoIrlenSyndrome,ColoredOverlaysandColoredFiltersthatspansmorethan30years.TheIrlenMethodandtheefficacyofcoloredoverlaysandcoloredlenseshasbeenthesubjectofover200researchstudiesencompassingthedisciplinesofeducation,psychology,andmedicine.Todate,morethan100ofthesestudiessupportingtheuseofcoloredoverlaysandlensestotreattheperceptualprocessingdifficultiesassociatedwithIrlenSyndromearepublishedinpeer-reviewedacademicandscientificjournals,includingtheJournalofLearningDisabilities,AustralianJournalofSpecialEducation,PerceptualandMotorSkills,AustralianJournalofLearningDisabilities,JournalofClinical&ExperimentalNeuropsychology,JournalofResearchinReading,BehavioralOptometry,andOphthalmologicalandBehavioralOptics,amongothers.Thisresearchhasestablishedahereditarycomponentofthedisorder(Loew&Watson,2012;Robinson,Foreman,&Dear,2000;Robinson,Foreman,Dear&Sparkes,2004),anumberofbiochemicalmarkersforproblemsassociatedwithIrlenSyndrome(Robinson,Roberts,McGregor,Dunstan,&Butt,1999;Robinson,McGregor,Roberts,Dunstan&Butt,2001;Sparkes,Robinson,Dunstan,&Roberts,2003),anddifferencesbetweenboththeanatomyandfunctioningofbrainsofindividualswithIrlenSyndrome(Chouinard,Zhou,Hrybousky,Kim,&Commine,2012;Huang,Zong,Wilkins,Jenkins,Bozoki,&Cao,2011;Lewine,Davis,Provencal,Edgar,&Orrison,1997;Riddell,Wilkins,&Hainline,2006;Yellen&Schweller,2009).Theresearchhasrepeatedlydocumentedefficacyofbothcoloredoverlaysandspectralfilters,asmeasuredbyimprovementsinavarietyofreadingskills(Bouldoukian,Wilkins,&Evans,2002;Nobel,Orton,Irlen&Robinson,2004;Park,Kim,Cho,Joo,2012;Robinson&Foreman,1999;Tyrrell,Holland,Dennis,&Wilkins,1995;Williams,LeCluyse,&RockFaucheux,1992;Wilkins,Evans,Brown,Busby,Wingfield,Jeanes&Bald,1994),reductioninphysicalsymptomsthatincludeheadaches,migraines,eyestrain,fatigue,andlightsensitivity(Barbolini,Lazzerini,Pini,Steiner,DelCecchio,Migaldi,&Cavallini,2009;Bulmer,1994;Chronicle&Wilkins,1991;Huangetal.,2011;Wilkins&Wilkinson,1991),andimprovedfunctioningandsuccessinbothacademiaandtheworkplace(Bulmer,1994;Irlen&Robinson,1996;Robinson&Conway,1994;Robinson&Conway,2000;Whiting&Robinson,1988;Whiting,Robinson,&Parrot,1994).

Notably,themostcurrentresearchonIrlenSyndromeandtheuseofcolorutilizesadvancedbrain-mappingtechnologytoshowactualchangesandnormalizationofbrainfunctioningthatisnotachievedthroughophthalmologicaltreatments(plainlenses,prisms,orvisiontherapy).Researchershaveutilizedfunctionalmagneticresonanceimaging(fMRI),visualevokedresponses(VER),andsinglephotonemissioncomputedtomography(SPECT)scanstoobjectivelydocumenttheprofoundeffectsofvisualsensoryoverloadonthebrainandthenormalizationofbrainactivitywhenindividually-prescribed,precision-tintedcoloredfiltersare

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worn.InonestudybyAmenandcolleagues,comparingthebrainsof42peoplewithIrlensyndrometo200age-matchedindividualswithoutanyevidenceofIrlensyndrome,SPECTscansshowedincreasedactivityinthebrain’semotionalandvisualprocessingcentersanddecreasedactivityinthecerebellum(anareathathelpstointegratecoordinationandnewinformation).WITHOUTIRLENSPECTRALFILTERS WITHIRLENSPECTRALFILTERSOveractiveBrain CalmBrainwithNormalFunction

SPECTscanscourtesyoftheAmenClinic

YellenandSchweller(2009)utilizedstate-of-the-artVisualEvokedResponses(VER),aportionoftheircomprehensiveneuroelectricalevaluationofpatientscalledtheDESA®,anddiscoveredthatindividualswithIrlenSyndromehaveearlyhyperreactivitytovisualstimulisomewherebetween30-60milliseconds,anditis3-9standarddeviationsabovenormal(theYellen-SchwellerEffect).IrlenSpectralFiltersreducethestandarddeviationabnormalitiesoftheYellen-SchwellerEffect,lesseningofthedelayofthebraincomingback“online”andallowingittoclearsooner.

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Lewineetal.(1997)utilizedmagnetoencephalography(MEG)tocharacterizevisualresponsesinconditionswithandwithoutlenses.Inallcases,theevokedmagneticsignalreflectedacomplicatedpatternofbilateralactivationofmultiplecorticalgenerators.Amajordifferenceinwithandwithoutlensconditionswasseenbetween170and200msecpost-stimulus.ThedatasuggestthatthecoloredIrlenlensesprovidefornormalizationandcrystallizationofvisualinformationprocessinginindividualswithIrlenSyndrome.

Lewine(1997)

Chouinardetal.(2011)comparedtheneurologicalcharacteristicsofapersonwithIrlenSyndromewithcontrolsubjectswhowereparticipatinginalanguage.ThedescriptiveresultsindicatedthattherearenumeroussignificantdifferencesinmanyareasofthebraincortexbetweenthecontrolsubjectsandtheindividualwithIrlenSyndrome,providingevidenceofaneurobiologicalfoundationtoIrlenSyndrome.

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Huangetal.(2011)usedfMRItoinvestigatedifferencesbetweenindividualssufferingvisualstressandcontrolsinrelationtomigraineandtodeterminetheeffectivenessofprecision-tintedcoloredfiltersforindividualssufferingfromvisualstress.Theresearchshowedanormalizationofcorticalactivationandspatialfrequencytuninginthemigraineursbyprecisiontintedfiltersthatsuggestsaneurologicalbasisforthetherapeuticeffectoftheselensesinreducingvisualcorticalhyperactivationinmigraine.

HighlightsFromSchoolDistrictReportsandPilotStudies

Inadditiontocurrentbrainresearch,andahistoryofeducationalresearchpublishedinscientificjournalsthatdocumentsthebenefitsofIrlenColoredOverlaysandSpectralFiltersforadultsandchildrenfromavarietyofpopulations,therehavebeenalargenumberofinformaleducationalreportssubmittedtoadministratorsanddecision-makingpersonnelinschooldistrictsaroundtheworldthatdocumenttheimpactofimplementingIrlenTestingandColoredOverlayswithintheschoolsystem.Belowwedetailhighlightsfromafewkeyreports.Asexpected,thesereportsandthedatatheypresentarenotsubjecttothescrutinyofthescientificjournalreviewprocess,buttheseresultshavebeenusedtomakebudgetary,staffing,andcurriculumdecisionswithintheschooldistrictandhighlightrealresultsfromrealschoolsaroundtheworld.Inallcases,studentsusingcoloredoverlaysshowedsignificantimprovements,andrecommendationsweretocontinueusingcoloredoverlayswithintheschools.Belowareselectionspulleddirectlyfromthesereports.

2006PilotProject:StoddardElementarySchool,AnaheimCitySchoolDistrict,California,USA.All4th,5th,and6thgradersintheschoolwerescreenedforIrlenSyndrome.Twenty-fivepercentofstudentstestedweredeterminedtohaveIrlenSyndromeandweregiventheirpreferredIrlenColoredOverlaytousebothatschoolandathome.StudentswhoweregivenoverlayswereabletousethemontheCaliforniaStateTest(STAR).Results:Testscoresfortheschoolwentupby25%.ThebiggestgainfortheoverlaystudentswasattheProficientLevel(gradelevel).OfthestudentsscoringProficientin2005,54%ofthestudentsusingoverlaysmoveduptothe“advanced”(abovegradelevel),whileonly17%ofthegroupnotusingoverlaysmovedupto“advanced”onthe2006tests.

2000BoydSchool,Colorado,USA.AllstaffatBoydSchoolweretrainedintheIrlenMethodtoidentifyandreferstudentsforIrlenTesting.Ofthetotalpopulationof207thirdgraders,10%wereidentifiedashavingIrlenSyndromeandweregivenIrlenColoredOverlaystouse.50%ofthestudentsusingColoredOverlaysmadesignificantgainsinreading.Thestudentswerepre/posttestedusingthefollowingassessmenttools:NorthWestEducationAssessment,ColoradoStudentAssessmentProgram,QuantitativeReadingInventory-II,andanindividuallyadministered45-minutereadingperformanceassessment.Results:AdefinitecorrelationwasshownbetweenidentificationofIrlenSyndrome,consistentuseofcoloredoverlays,andadvancementinreading.Manystudentsshowedgainsofovertwogradelevels.

1999PioneerValleyPilotProject,Massachusetts,USA.AstudyfundedbytheMassachusettsStateLegislatureandtheMassachusettsDepartmentofEducationwasconductedtotesttheeffectivenessofusingcoloredoverlaysasaninterventionforincreasingreadingperformanceforstudentsidentifiedwithIrlenSyndrome.All4thgraders(172children)intheSouthHadleySchoolDistrictwerescreenedforIrlenSyndrome.Twenty-sevenpercentwereidentifiedashavingmoderatetoseveresymptomsandtestedtodeterminetheirappropriatecoloredoverlay.Ofthisgroup,30mettheadditionalcriteriaofhavingaminimumofasecondgrade

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wordattackskillsandlackedmultiplelayersofproblems.Fifteenofthestudentswerereceivingspecialeducationservices.All30studentswerepre/posttestedusingtheRosnerTestofAuditoryAnalysisSkills,theWoodcock-JohnsonTestsofAchievementFormB,andtheGrayOralReadingTest-3FormA&B.Posttestingwasdonetwoweeksafterandagainthreemonthsafterthechildrenweregiventheircorrectcoloredoverlays.Results:100%ofthestudentsdemonstratedstatisticallysignificantimprovementinaccuracyand/orcomprehension.Meanincreaseswere2.6yearsinaccuracyand2.3yearsincomprehension.83%ofstudentsreadingbelowgradelevelincreasedtheirscoresby9monthsto4.1yearsinaccuracy.97%ofstudentsgainedatleastoneyearinonekeyreadingskill:rate,accuracy,comprehensionorpassagefluency.90%ofstudentsgainedoneyearintwokeyreadingskills.73%ofstudentsgainedatleastoneyearinthreekeyreadingskills.67%ofstudentsimprovedatleastoneyearinallfourreadingskillareastested.

1994TheeffectofIrlencoloredoverlaysonimprovingstudentreadingachievement.ReporttoDistrict25Queens:NewYorkCity,BoardofBoardofAdministrationStudies,NewYork,USA.Thestudentsofreadingteachersandresourceroomteachersinthreeelementaryandthreejuniorhighschoolswerescreened.Onehundredfifty-onestudentswhoshowedevidenceofreadingstrainordifficultyonapre-assessmentquestionnaireparticipatedinthestudy.Fifty-fiveofthosestudentsusedtheIrlencoloredoverlayonthe1993standardizedcitywidereadingtest.Results:Therewasasignificantdifferenceingainscoresfrom1992to1993forthosewhousedtheoverlays.Thosestudentswhousedtheoverlaysalsoreportedgreatereasewhenreading.Staffwiththesamereadingstrainofdifficultyproblemswhohadsufferedfrom“readingrelated”headachesnolongerhadheadacheswhentheyusedtheoverlaysorfilters(tintedlenses).

1990AnInterventionforStudentswithLowReadingAchievement:AReportfortheNewYorkCitySchools,NewYork,USA.Twenty-sixstudentsidentifiedashavingIrlenSyndromewererandomlyassignedtoeithertheexperimentalorcontrolgroup.TheexperimentalgroupwasgivenandusedtheirselectedColoredOverlayfor4monthsintheirreadingremediationclass,whenreadingathome,andwhenreadinginclass.Thecontrolgrouponlyreceived4monthsofreadingremediation.Allstudentswerepre/posttestedusingtheGORT-R(GrayOralReadingTest)andtwosubtestsoftheWRMT-R(WoodcockReadingMasteryTests)wordidentificationandpassagecomprehension.Results:Theuseofcoloredoverlaysincreasedreadingachievementincomprehension,speedanderrorefficiencyonboththeGORT-RreadingtestandWRMT-Rreadingachievementsubtests.Allresultswerestatisticallysignificant.Studentsinthecontrolgroupwhowerenotgiveacoloredoverlaydidnotshowanygrowthincomprehension,speedorefficiency,evenwithanintensivereadinginterventionprogram.

1995SpecialNeedsStudentsinKent,England.TwentyspecialneedsstudentswithmoderatetosevereIrlenSyndromeweredividedinto3groups:givencorrectIrlenSpectralFilters,givencorrectIrlenColoredOverlay,givenaclearoverlay.AgroupofspecialneedsstudentswhodidnothaveIrlenSyndromewereusedasacontrolgroupandgivenaclearoverlay.AllstudentswereadministeredtherevisedBritishversionoftheNealeAnalysisofReadingComprehensionandAccuracy.FormsAandBwereusedforpre/posttestingwhichwasdonelessthanamonthaparttoeliminateanypossibilitythatgrowthcouldbeattributedtoinstruction.Results:showedstatisticallysignificantimprovementsinreadingcomprehensionandaccuracyforonlythosestudentsusingthecorrectIrlenSpectralFiltersandIrlenColoredOverlays.Allstudentsweremonitoredaftercompletionoftheproject,andallstudentsidentifiedashaving

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IrlenSyndromecontinuetousetheirIrlenSpectralFiltersorIrlenColoredOverlay.Someofthestudentshavenowbeenabletoberemovedfromspecialeducationandplacedinregulareducation,savingtheeducationauthoritymoney.

1991-1992DioceseofPalmBeachPilotStudy,PalmBeach,Florida,USA.Studentsintwoelementaryschoolsandonehighschoolwerechosenforthestudy.Studentswerepre-screenedforIrlenSyndrome,andidentifiedstudentswereindividuallytestedandprescribedacoloredoverlay.Pre/posttestingwasdonetwoweeksapartusingtheWoodcockReadingMasteryTestintheelementaryschoolsandtheSkim-ScanSubtestsoftheStanfordDiagnosticReadingComprehensionTestinthehighschool.Results:inthehighschooltherewasameanaverageimprovementinscoreof19percentilesintwoweeks.Resultsintheelementaryschoolsshowedameanaverageimprovementof11+monthswithintwoweeks.

1992LasCrucesPublicSchools,NewMexico,USA.Thirty-ninelearningdisabledstudentswerescreenedforIrlenSyndrome.Twenty-TwowereidentifiedashavingIrlenSyndromeandweregiventheirpreferredIrlenColoredOverlaytouse.Studentswerepre/posttestedusingtheWoodcockJohnsonPsycho-educationalBattery–Revised(achievementandreadingsubtests).Studentsweredividedintothreegroupsdependingonwhethertheyhadusedtheiroverlaysmostofthetime,occasionally,ornever.Results:themorethestudentsusedtheiroverlays,thegreaterthegaininreading,withthoseusingtheiroverlaysmostofthetimeshowinggainsof1yearand2months.Asaresultoftheproject,demandforIrlenScreeningincreasedacrossthedistrict,withmostoftheeducationaldiagnosticiansinthedistrictultimatelygettingtrainedtoadministerthepre-assessmentandincorporatingitintotheirstandardevaluationprocess.

InConclusion

IrlenSyndromeisarealcondition,withsevereconsequecesifleftundiagnosed.Sadly,thedisorderispoorlyunderstood,andregularlyleftuntreated,ormistakenforotherproblems.Ironically,itisquickandeasytoscreenfor,diagnose,andtreatwithnon-invasive,inexpensivecoloredoverlayandspectralfiltertechnology.Reliefandimprovementareimmediate,therbyallowingstudentstotakefulladvantageofstandardinstructionandremediationofferedtothem.MoreinformationaboutIrlenSyndromeandtheIrlenMethodcanbefoundatwww.irlen.com.

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