The majority of all reading disabilities can be attributed to Dyslexia or Irlen Syndrome. Sadly, Dyslexia and Irlen Syndrome are not addressed in most public or private schools in the US.
Dyslexia affects an estimated 15-20% of the world's population. There has been an enormous amount of research done on Dyslexia by Harvard and Yale universities and various other agencies. It is not a general or catch-all term, but a specific condition that is able to be diagnosed and the reading skills remediated and accommodated. Dyslexia is a genetic trait that ranges from mild to profound. It is an information processing difference that is unrelated to intelligence or eyesight. Dyslexics tend to be bright, articulate, creative, social, entrepreneurial and sometimes very athletic. There are many famous dyslexics: Albert Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell, Orlando Bloom, Harry Belafonte, Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Jay Leno, Keanu Reeves, Henry Winkler, Leonardo Da Vinci, Pablo Picasso, Auguste Rodin, Stonewall Jackson, George Patton, Cher, Magic Johnson, Tim Tebow, Nolan Ryan, Nelson Rockefeller, Tom Cruise, Woodrow Wilson, George Washington, Richard Branson, Henry Ford, Charles Schwab, Ted Turner, Hans Christian Andersen, Agatha Christie, Suze Orman, Jennifer Aniston, Channing Tatum, and John Lennon, just to name a few!
Most individuals with Dyslexia can read a little bit or even a decent amount, but not enough to thrive with reading. Their mistakes with language seem irregular & puzzling. Some dyslexics can not read at all.
Also, an estimated 12% of the population has Irlen Syndrome, otherwise known as Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome: the printed letters on a white page seem to dance, blink, flip, blur, swirl, change shape or otherwise change or move. Like Dyslexia, it ranges from mild to profound. Bright light, especially fluorescent, is bothersome to incapacitating for people with Irlen Syndrome. In severe cases, Irlen Syndrome can cause headaches, nausea, vomiting, a poor sense of balance, and/or extreme inhibitions. It is a visual processing disorder that takes place in the brain, not the eyes, and is also unrelated to intelligence.
Both Dyslexia & Irlen Syndrome affect reading. Some individuals have both. Sadly, many people with Dyslexia or Irlen Syndrome are thought to be lazy, stupid, crazy, rebellious, stubborn, or unmotivated - simply because they can not read well, despite their apparent intelligence. Because of their inability to read well, write well, or comprehend some forms of instruction, the resulting inattention often results in individuals with Dyslexia and Irlen Syndrome being misdiagnosed with ADD or ADHD and mistakenly placed on medication.
"Although help for these reading problems has been around for years, many seem unaware that the hope to be able to read, for them or their loved ones, even exists. It is a real joy to bring HOPE FOR READING to my own neighborhood and to others through this website - born out of the struggle to help my own two dyslexic sons learn to read."
-Teresa, owner of HFR
The Reading Problems...
VIDEO : What is dyslexia?
- Kelli Sandman-Hurley
click here
VIDEO : What is Irlen Sydrome?
- ABC World News
click here
VIDEO : What are some childhood clues to Dyslexia?
click here
What are the signs of Dyslexia?
Click here for a list.
What are the clues to Irlen Syndrome?
Click here for a list.
New Page: Eye strain?
Click HERE for help!