Dyslexic Breakthrough

Amongst the various Medical and Educational Research communities there is no single "agreed upon" definition of Dyslexia.

The word Dyslexia is a term used since the 1880's and refers to difficulties in reading, writing and mentally processing language information. As each person is unique, so is the combination of various symptoms unique to the individual sufferer.

Dyslexia is not an indication of intelligence level. On the contrary, people with dyslexia have at least the minimum of average intelligence (frequently higher). They have trouble performing specific types of skills or completing tasks especially when taught in conventional ways. With the right support and intervention however, people with dyslexia can succeed in school and go on to successful, often distinguished careers later in life.

Research has shown that there is frequently a genetic link so family members may also suffer similar problems.

The part of the brain that processes written language is also linked to balance, awareness of the distance of surrounding objects and hand-to-eye co-ordination.

How light affects people has been a recurring subject that has fascinated scientists down the ages. Amongst the first observations were those made by the Greek philosopher, Aristotle (384BC-322BC). Since then regular research has been undertaken to explain what effect light has on us and the environment.

Our eyes have evolved to allow us to perceive not only differences in light intensity (what we see as brightness), but also differences in wavelength (what we see as colour).

To read and write effectively requires a list of complex requirements apart from a well-lit room.

There are several areas of the brain that often function very differently in dyslexic readers of English than in typical readers of English
1. The part of the brain that processes sound (phonological information)
2. The part (of the brain) that processes written language (orthographic information) that is then translated into:

Sounds->Words->Meaning

Research is still ongoing for the cause of this disparity although some solutions and techniques have been discovered that help to alleviate many of the dyslexic symptoms. One of these is used successfully by us.

Simply put, the visual environment is critical in how we process information, how the senses respond and integrate, how planning/execution of movement are determined and how we make sense of the world.

The visual environment consists of luminance (light) and reflected information - Objects have different colors because they reflect different wavelengths of light. The leaf of a plant appears green because it reflects green light, and absorbs all others. The Spectral Power Distribution (SPD) of an object is the amount of light of each wavelength that that particular object reflects. The colours we see associated with different wavelengths are not contained in the light itself, they are created by our perceptual system in response to the wavelengths.

Luminance may be determined as colour (hue), brightness, saturation and flicker (modulation and frequency).

Through funding from the Medical Research Association the DTI gave the Millenium Award to the first instrument that can accurately produce the full range of luminance to enable assessment to take place: the Orthoscopics "Read-Eye". The science of testing using the Orthoscopics "Read Eye" is to CIE standards and is well accepted.

The "Read-Eye" was designed and developed by Ian Jordan an Optician and Researcher with a particular interest in Visual Perception problems and Dyslexia.The effects of intervention can be measured in a variety of ways, neurological, optometric, educational and medical. Tests have also been devised to analyze visual perceptual problems which do not involve reading. Therefore it has become possible to differentiate learning difficulties from visual processing difficulties.

We feel strongly that "if you can't see it, you can't read it". If you can't read it - you underachieve, not just in terms of educational results, but in every aspect of your life.

For many years a significant proportion of children and adults have complained about visual processing difficulties with reading text, visio-spatial awareness and sensory integration. Optometric examinations are necessary to check for underlying health conditions and refractive problems (long or short sight) they do not address the visual perceptual difficulties.

Teachers, psychologists, occupational therapists and other professions cannot address many of the symptoms. Consequently any person with visual perceptual problems receives little or no appropriate help.

Education has tried expensive one- to- one teaching and other methods such as using coloured overlays which have obvious limitations. The result of this is unnecessary educational underachievement.

In tests undertaken by Prof Yuri Kropotov and Tony Steffert, real time measurements of brain arousal levels of pupils with recognized dyslexic symptoms were undertaken using an MRI while reading both with prescribed coloured lenses and without.

The coloured lenses used in the trial were through assessments by the "Read-Eye" and individually prescribed tints given by Ian Jordan who was part of the Cambridge Research Team.

These show conclusively that concentration and ability to process information is adversely affected in susceptible individuals i.e. those with reading problems.

It would be impossible for any teacher to be able to address this problem.

Every scientific test has shown that educational performance requires good visual processing.

Simple interventions such as overlays, rulers or block-down will virtually always be unsuitable for the medium to worst cases of visual processing disorder and should now be considered as obsolete. The science has moved on.

Luckily, the assessment we carry out using the "Read Eye" machine is non-invasive, straightforward and takes around 30-40 minutes depending on the participant.

We encourage everyone to take their time as this is an important step and they can re-do it as often as they wish. As each person is unique, so is the coloured tint chosen by them with our help to counteract their specific visual problems.

The following is not a definitive list but gives a good idea of the type of problems suffered that we can usually treat with successful outcomes.

Dyslexia Breakthrough

Welcome to the Dyslexia Breakthrough website.