What do the Experts Say About the Irlen Method?
“I have repeatedly seen dramatic, instantaneous response to using Irlen Filters and other transparent overlays; I am now convinced that Scotopic Sensitivity does exist and that it may be responsible for many of the so-called learning disabilities in our schools. I also believe that screening for Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome should be a regular part of every school health program.”
LouAnne Johnson, author of the best selling book The Queen of Education, Rules for Making Schools Work, which inspired the movie Dangerous Minds
“When I first learned about SSS, I was skeptical. I never heard about it in my psychiatry training program. Yet, over time I had friends and family members who benefited from the treatment. Remarkably, when people obtain benefit from the treatment, it helps to balance brain function. One of the factors that drew me to SSS and the Irlen treatment is its simplicity and effectiveness.”
Daniel Amen, M.D., Amen Clinics, Newport Beach, CA
“All of us who have labored to help dyslexics conquer reading disability have groped our way, trying to find techniques to reduce the perceptual handicap seen for more than 80 years in the dyslexic population. Helen Irlen’s color procedure has given us a dramatic solution to this age-old problem. Seeing is believing! This method is an answer to a prayer for the dyslexic population.”
Dale Jordan, Ph.D., author of Overcoming Dyslexia in Children, Adolescents, and Adults and Attention Deficit Disorder
“Scotopic Sensitivity (Irlen) Syndrome is a most significant piece in the jigsaw puzzle of dyslexia, and the Irlen solution can resolve several apparently intractable problems for dyslexia sufferers.”
Felicity Craig, author of Conquering Dyslexia
“The relative simplicity of wearing Irlen Filters or using plastic sheets to correct colour sensitivities that interfere with reading and the dramatic effects Irlen Filters have had on some individuals have made this a popular choice of treatment.”
Lorraine Hammond, author of When Bright Kids Fail
“I have watched a generation of adults and youngsters weep with joy as the Irlen procedure has stopped moving print and cleared smudged lines to let strugglers perceive printed information clearly for the first time.”
Dr. Laurence D. Martel, author of The 7 Secrets of Learning Revealed
“… without her (Helen Irlen) initiative and perseverance, the discovery would have been submerged in a swamp of skepticism and might have sunk without a trace.” Reading Through Colours byArnold Wilkins, BSc, DPhil, CPsychol, FBPsS Professor. Contact Details Room 2.708 Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK.
“Many children experience visual distortions which grossly affect their functioning. .What is quite remarkable is how a non-invasive intervention (Irlen Method) can remove distortions in an instant for many people.”
Lisa Blakemore-Brown, author of The Autistic Tapestry
“There is so much evidence that Irlen coloured filters can literally transform a child’s outlook on life that it makes sense to offer Irlen overlays or glasses to every child who needs them.”
Felicity Craig, author of Conquering Dyslexia
“Autistic individuals who have benefited from the Irlen Method report seeing better, feeling more relaxed, less sensitive to bright lights, having fewer perceptual distortions, and better small and gross motor coordination.”
Olga Bogdashina, author of Sensory Perceptual Issues in Autism and Asperger Syndrome
“Thank you for discovering SSS. It has changed my life and the lives of many around me. Thank you for having the intelligence to understand what you were seeing when you first discovered that overlays made a difference.”
Carolyn Lampman Brubaker, author of LD From the Inside Out
“My son was diagnosed with Scotopic Sensitivity/Irlen Syndrome which was affecting his reading, test taking, and attention span. He received a pair of miracle Irlen colored lenses that allowed him to read with ease for the first time in 12 years.”
Lou Dean, author of the article entitled “Promises to Keep” in the October 1, 2004 issue of Family Circle
“During a 15-month period, I evaluated 460 patients, including both adults and children. Using questions that would uncover problems related to light sensitivity and reading difficulties, I found 122 patients. Many were treated with (Irlen) tinted lenses and were enthusiastic about their improvement. For these patients, Irlen Syndrome is an authentic diagnosis.
Robert Dobrin, M.D., F.A.A.P.
“Children with autism need sensitivities reduced. I have now seen numerous children who suffered from perceptual sensitivities that were immediately relieved when they used an overlay or Irlen lenses.”
Lisa Blakemore-Brown, author of The Autistic Tapestry
“Sensitivity to aspects of light,. is an invisible barrier to physical comfort and reading success. If ignored, it can become catastrophic for a child whose self-esteem and self-worth are shaped by school failure. Color filtration used as (Irlen) colored overlays or worn as glasses is a way to address sensitivity to aspects of light.”
Rhonda Stone, author of The Light Barrier: Understanding the Mystery of Irlen Syndrome and Light-Based Reading Difficulties
“The use of colored overlays and filters may provide the fighting chance many at-risk readers deserve.”
Rickelman & Henk, “Colored Overlays and Tinted Lens Filters,” The Reading Teacher, 1990
“After one week those. that received the correct colored transparencies,. gained 6.6 months in reading accuracy and 19.35 months in reading comprehension.”
O’Connor, Sofo, Kendall, & Olsen, “Reading Disabilities and the Effects of Colored filters,” Journal of Learning Disabilities
“In experimenting with Colored Filters, a prominent university research found that reading through specific filters made many children read better.”
Sandra Blakeslee, “Study Ties Dyslexia to Brain Flaw Affecting Vision and Other Senses,” The New York Times
“Colored plastic overlays. used on books, can produce immediate and dramatic effect on the reading performance of children who are specifically reading disabled or dyslexic.”
The Baltimore Sun
“…our feeling as disinterested outsiders is that the technique developed by Helen Irlen addresses a severe, unmet need in the community, has promise, and has benefited many individuals but requires further validation. We look forward to seeing the results of further work in this fascinating area.”
David M. Hailey & Anthony R. Lea, Health Technology Division, Australian Institute of Health
“Should reading educators support an approach that works for some children without knowing why it does? At the risk of sounding scientifically premature, we think they should … The use of (Irlen) colored overlays and filters may provide the fighting chance many at-risk readers deserve.”
William Henk, EdD., Associate Professor of Education and Reading, Pennsylvania State University, Robert J Rickelman, Millersville University
“It is the single most important advance in the treatment of reading difficulties I’ve ever seen.”
John Bald, Literacy Expert, Consultant-National Curriculum Council, writer-The Mail
“This work has added a much needed therapeutic dimension to the treatment of dyslexics or learning disabled while high-lighting the underlying perceptual vs. linguistic origins. (Irlen) Colored lenses may significantly compensate for visual overloading and the destabilizing effects that result. They facilitate fixation and tracking by adding color to sharpen foreground/background relationships.”
Harold N. Levinson, M.D., author of Smart but Feeling Dumb
“I have had a wonderful time with SSS screening, dazzled by the brilliance of your discovery. I can’t get over my own obtuseness in never having picked up the distortions in the thousands of children and adolescents I have seen — even though they were staring me in the face.”
Margie Golick, Ph.D., Chief Psychologist, McGill-Montreal Children Is Hospital Learning Centre, Canada
“We are excited about the potential the Irlen Method holds for the offender/ex-“I feel that physicians should have open minds and consider all avenues to creating successful students. The Irlen Filters may not be the answer for everyone; but for those who have reading difficulties of a specific perceptual nature, they do help. They give students a tool to use for better education.”
Robert Stuart, M.D., Long Beach, California
“Individuals come to us for help with a variety of learning difficulties. Most show difficulty in decoding/spelling or comprehension, but diagnosing the underlying cause of that difficulty requires sifting through many specific symptoms. We find it helpful to be aware of the particular symptoms Helen Irlen has identified for Scotopic Sensitivity, since that particular “layer” of difficulty is relatively easy to screen for and to resolve. And resolving any difficulty with visually handling a page of print can make it easier to develop other processes such as phonemic awareness or concept imagery.”
Phyllis Lindamood, Director, Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes, California