Colour tinted glasses

[Daisydot]

I just had to share this with the forum, as its something really positive which has happened to us recently.

 

My son (age 9), ASD, has always had a ? whether he is dyslexic. The LEA assessed him, and said he was not. Anyway, the LEA have recently been having a bit of a campaign going round schools giving children coloured overlays to help with their reading. My son was given one about a year ago, which did help his reading quite well.

 

However, recently the LEA revisited him and recommended that he go to The Insititute of Optometry to be further assessed for colour tinted specs. We did this. We had to pay for it all as its all private.

 

The glasses arrived (he was prescribed a combination of green and yellow tints). They arrived with the early morning post. He put them on and stood and read "Horrible Histories" to me! I nearly passed out in my porridge ! Here is a boy who has NEVER read voluntarily reading a quite difficult book to me. He has read everything now. It's really fantastic !

 

Basically, scoptic sensitivity (or Irlens Syndrome) is where words move about or bend on a page. Apparently, most dyslexics benefit from these glasses, although just because you benefit from the glasses does not mean you are dyslexic (if you see what I mean).

 

I have also read that it helps ASDs too. Definitely worth trying its not a scam treatment or miracle cure but it does make a difference.

 

Daisydot

[phasmid]

That must have been a wonderful moment for the pair of you Daisy. A huge thrill.

 

The overlays are a good starting point for reading but are impossible to use for written work and would involve holding them in front of you to read of a whiteboard with - hardly pactical. I have seen first hand the difference these lenses can make for Irlens with a friends son who was able to do similar things with a book as your son has just done Daisy. Yet he had really struggled with the same book only days before. His confidence levels generaly went through the roof after that - there was no stopping him. There is much more to this whole area though as plenty of forum members will be able to tell you.

[Zemanski]

Com and Dot have both been through overlays, irlen lenses and finally orthoscopic lenses.

Each has led to a marked improvement - for Dot, with her dyslexia (no more headaches since she got he green lenses :clap ) and for Com with his prosopagnosia (face blindness) and depth vision.

 

The orthoscopic lenses are by far the most effective for both of my kids and they have made a huge difference to their lives

 

Zemanski

[TheNeil]

I saw something about this (I think it was on a documentary about Luke Jackson) and the difference it made to him was amazing. In his case, if I remember correctly, it stopped/reduced the visual 'buzzing' that the strip lighting was giving off so he was able to concentrate more. The specialist who prescribed them also mentioned that the same coloured lenses made a marked difference when used in prisons - calmed a lot of people down enormously so it could be that they're acting as some sort of filter and removing 'trigger' lights or colours. As you've seen for yourself though, it certainly makes a difference

[Zemanski]

That was Ian Jordan, who treated Com. He is absolutely fantastic and well worth PMing if you think you may have visual perceptual differences associated with AS or dyslexia. I think he is the only optician actively working with people on the spectrum with prosopagnosia

 

if you do a search for prosopagnosia on this site you will come up with a lot of discussion about it and lenses

 

Z

[col]

I'm taking my middle child for assessment next week. (Let's hope all the tube's are working and that the weather is not hot. )

[PinkSapphireAngel]

We are being told by the LEA and O.T that our nearly 9 year old ds who we also think is dyslexic needs to be seen by these private people (Infact O.T were on about it again this morning when I dropped my eldest off for a preparing for secondary school thing)

 

Can you please pm me with any details (price, what they do etc) he has been seen by hospital but O.T say it needs to be these private people.