A: We rarely use only colored overlays (transparencies) with the Autistic population because most individuals with Autism experience severe problems seeing their environment. The colored overlays are only helpful to stop the distortions on the page that occur during reading. Some individuals with Autism learn to read early and have advanced … Continue reading
Q: Can you explain perceptual overload?
A: Any sensation can be overwhelming: touch, smell, hearing, or vision. Touch, instead of feeling good, hurts. Smells can make an individual feel sick. Sounds can be perceived as too loud or painful. Of course, an individual can be bothered by more than one of these senses. If an individual has … Continue reading
Q: Instead of changing the color of the environment using light bulbs, how about having the person wear different colored sunglasses?
A: Sunglasses will not produce the same changes unless they are the right color. The color of most sunglasses is gray, brown, or green; and these colors are not useful since they only make things darker. These colors do not alter the light spectrum.
Q: I understand that you have developed a checklist which parents can complete to determine who may be helped by your program?
A: Every method should have a way to predetermine which individuals can be helped with their treatment. We have created two methods. We have a questionnaire which asks about sensitivity to lights and fine or gross motor problems related to perceptual difficulties. Then we can determine if the individual is using … Continue reading
Q: How do you help individuals using the Irlen Method?
A: The ability to determine which wave lengths of light are creating a problem is the key to the success of the Irlen Method. We have a unique diagnostic method for determining which colors of the light spectrum need to be filtered. The appropriate colors are worn as glasses. Each individual … Continue reading
Q: Do all Autistic individuals need the Irlen Method?
A: Absolutely not. I want to be very clear about the fact that the Irlen Method cannot cure Autism, nor do all individuals with Autism have difficulty seeing accurately. The Irlen Method reduces perceptual difficulties, physical symptoms, and sensitivity to such things as light, colors, and patterns. The Irlen Method is … Continue reading
Q: Did you actually assess her?
A: Yes, she was assessed by an Irlen Diagnostician in England where she presently lives. Soon afterwards, a number of adults diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome came to similar conclusions and were tested at the Irlen Institute in California. These individuals educated us about the benefits of the Irlen Method for individuals … Continue reading
Q: How did you decide to apply the Irlen Method to help individuals with autism?
A: An individual with Asperger Syndrome heard about the Irlen Method in 1990. She contacted a certified Irlen Diagnostician because she felt that the distortions described in my book, Reading By The Colors, were very similar to what she saw in her environment. She hoped that the Irlen Method might stop her … Continue reading