Bouncing Words My experience of Meares - Irlen Syndrome
DOWORDS
RUN
AWAY
WHEN YOU ARE
READING??
by KIRSTY This booklet is printed on lilac paper in a large, clear font so that i can read it. if you have meares-irlen syndrome, it might help you too.
Bounce Jump Around a poem by Kirsty SPIRALING OUT OF CONTROL ARE FLOODS OF COLOURS THAT SEEM TO GLARE AT YOU BOUNCE JUMP AROUND BOUNCE JUMP AROUND READING IS SO FOGGY FLOODS OF COLOURS THAT GLARE AT YOU WALKING, SWERVING AROUND AND AROUND FLICKERING FLASHES PURPLE BLUE WHITE COLOURS JUMP AT YOU BOUNCE JUMP AROUND BOUNCE JUMP AROUND DIRECTION IS LOST WHERE AM I SPINNING AROUND AND AROUND WHERE AM I WHERE AM I BOUNCE JUMP AROUND BOUNCE JUMP AROUND FLOODS OF COLOURS SPINNING AROUND AND AROUND GLARING AT YOU SO GLEAMING AND BRIGHT
hello. my name is kirsty and i have
meares-irlen syndrome as well as austism.
it doesn’t change who i am, but it does mean
i have to do things slightly differently to other people.
I was told that I had Meares-Irlen Syndrome earlier this year and it made a lot of sense to me. I’m 24 years old now and I wish I had been diagnosed when I was at school. It could have really helped me with my learning, which was something I always found very difficult. I’m producing this book, with the help of Fixers, to help others who may be struggling with the same things I was finding difficult. I hope this book will help others understand what Mears-Irlen Syndrome is and maybe it will help other children and young people, who may have the condition, to be diagnosed sooner than I was. Thanks for reading! K :)
MY EXPERIENCE WITH MEAReS-IRLEN... During my school years, I found it difficult to read books. I couldn’t take in what the story was about and I couldn’t follow the words, as they seemed to move around as I was reading them. The words were bright and shiny, which meant I couldn’t read them clearly and it was hard for me to concentrate. The more I read, the more tired I felt and this made it really difficult for me to understand what the book was about. Anything bright would hurt my eyes. One morning, I was woken up by a bright light being switched on. As much as I tried, I couldn’t open my eyes, because it hurt so much. I screamed, ‘TURN THAT LIGHT OFF!’
WHAT HELPED ME... When I first heard about Meares-Irlen, I did some research as it was something that I knew nothing about. I found some information on the internet and joined a support group online, which helped me to figure out my options. I decided to get in touch with someone who would be able to assess me and tell me if I had Meares-Irlen or not. This person was called a diagnostician and the method they used is called the Irlen Method. I was sent a form to fill out based on my autism to see if I also had Meares-Irlen Syndrome and it turns out that I did! I changed all the paper I use to lavender colour, so that I could see the writing more clearly. (This is why I have chosen to make this book a lavender colour!) I also was given overlays for my glasses to help me to read until my proper glasses arrived. I now have proper glasses with lenses that are made up of a combination of colours and they help me to see things more clearly and to read a lot better!
GET SOME HELP!
DO YOU...
Find it hard to follow the words in a book?
fiFind it diffiFicult to understand written things?
Find that bright lights hurt your eyes? Often fiFind that your head hurts when trying to read?
Often have tired eyes?
Find that you see and hear everything?
Feel sick when you’ are trying to read?
Find it easier to read this book because it is black text on a lavender backgrounD? Get upset when you can’’not see things clearly?
These were some of the things that I experienced before I got my special glasses to help me. If you find that you experience the same things, it would be a good idea to tell your teacher, who will then help you contact your doctor. You can also visit one of the websites listed on the back page of this booklet.
TEACHERS... READ ON
WHAT IS MEAReS-IRLEN SYNDROME? Meares-Irlen can also be referred to as Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome. The syndrome tends to alter the way people see things and causes eye problems based on visual perception. The eyes are not the main source of the problem - the problem is caused by the way the brain interprets the signals that are sent from the eyes. Meares-Irlen Syndrome can stop people from being able to read effectively and efficiently. People with the syndrome must make adaptations to compensate for the fact that they see reading material and their wider environment differently to other people. Individuals are often not aware of these adaptations, as to them it feels normal.
*Information from Irlen.org.uk
WHAT TO LOOK FOR... There are some key symptoms you can look out for in your students: Strain working under bright lighting DiFffiIculty FIfinding comfortable lighting Poor concentration• / Lack of attention Strain working at a computer Eye strain Skips words or lines when reading Reads slowly or hesitantly Loses their reading place easily Avoids reading Clumsy Accident prone DiFffiIcultY reading music DiffiFIculty writing on a line Unequal spacing when writing DO they fiFind it easier to read with coloured paper?
*Information from Irlen.org.uk
if you would like some more information or support for
meares-irlen syndrome, try
visiting one of the websites below:
irlen.com/get-tested
irlen.org.uk
specialeducationalneeds.co.uk/
irlen-syndrome-scotopic-sensitivity
These are the views/experiences of a young person and should not be relied upon or substituted for formal medical advice. Fixers is a campaign that helps young people ‘use their past to fix the future’ and is part-funded by the National Lottery through the Big Lottery Fund.