A4 Aqua Blue Overlay
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A4 overlays can be preferable to the smaller, Reading
Rulers in a number of cases. In addition, it may be
preferable when reading pages of music, factual information
sheets etc. to be able to see the whole page. Overlays can
easily be cut in half to use with smaller pages.
Price: $7 per single overlay
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Visual Stress
Visual Stress is a reality for about 20% of the population. It
can cause headaches, migraines, reading discomfort and
distortion of text that can vary from mild to so severe that
reading is seriously impaired or even prevented. Therefore, a
significant proportion of the population would benefit from the
use of a coloured overlay.
Visual Stress can be experienced by people with dyslexia
(perceptual dyslexia), but is a separate and distinct
condition. Apparent movement and distortion of text, headaches
and sore eyes are common symptoms of visual stress.
The effects of Visual Stress can often be easily and
inexpensively remedied by the use of coloured overlays. They
have been found to help many adults and children with specific
learning difficulties such as dyslexia and autism. However,
they can also help children and adults who have to do a lot of
reading, particularly if this is black ink on white paper.
Research and experience has proved conclusively that the use of
a coloured overlay of the correct colour can significantly
increase the reading speed and comprehension for many children
and adults. It can also make reading a far more pleasurable
experience and eliminate headaches and migraines.
*Please note the colour shown in the picture may not be an
exact representation of the colour in real life.
By experimenting with different combinations it is usually
possible to meet individual needs, although there may be a
small number of individuals who would benefit from a tint that
cannot be produced.
*Please note the colours shown in the picture may not be an
exact representation of the colour in real life and can only be
used as an estimate.
The Difference an Overlay can make:
As part of my dyslexia assessment I test the use of coloured
overlays with my clients. I always ask whether teach colour in
turn makes the print easier to see, harder to see or makes no
difference when compared with words written in black ink on a
white background:
One little boy of eight said that none of the
overlays made any difference until we tried the green. He
immediately did a double take and ran to show his mum. He said,
‘Look mum, without the green all of the words stick together,
but with the green there are gaps!” And all this time he had
had to work out when one word ended and the next began!
One woman was amazed when we tried the pink
overlay as without it the lines of text moved up and down, with
the overlay they stayed still and the difference in her ability
to read the page of text was significant.
Additional Information:
Many children with specific learning difficulties such as
dyslexia and autistic spectrum disorders have specific
difficulties with reading, spelling and writing that have a
negative impact on their performance in the classroom and their
ability to learn.
The British Dyslexia Association says that around 35-40% of
people with dyslexic difficulties are estimated to experience
visual disturbance or discomfort when reading print.
These children and adults may experience one or several of the
following:
- Blurred/fuzzy letters or words which go out of focus.
- Letters which move, shimmer, whirl or move off the pager or present with back to front appearance.
- Headaches or migraines as a result of reading.
- Find whiteboards difficult to read or copy from
- Constantly rub or blink their eyes to help bring the print back into focus
- Find it easier to read large, widely spaced print, than small and crowded.
- Difficulty with tracking across the page, omitting words or lines of text.
- Upset by glare on the page or oversensitive to bright lights. Students in school or adults in offices will find fluorescent lights particularly difficult.
All of this makes reading a difficult activity.
Unfortunately, children and indeed sometimes adults don’t tell
us that they are experiencing these difficulties as they think
it is the same for everyone.
This condition may be due to a visual-perceptual disorder
or simply Visual Stress. In many cases, this particular
condition can be remedied by a very simple and inexpensive
intervention: reading through a coloured overlay that changes
the colour of the page.
Coloured Overlays or Tinted Lenses?
References
2.
3. Jeanes, R., Busby, A., Martin, J., Lewis, E., Stevenson, N., Pointon, D., and
Wilkins A.J. (1997). Prolonged use of coloured overlays for classroom reading.
British Journal of Psychology, 88, 531-548.