As one of our outstanding tutors was diligently tutoring one of her student’s last week, we will call him Drew; she asked him, “Which letter comes first, the C or the K?” Drew’s response was not what she expected to here….he said, “I can’t tell, they keep moving”.
This is a phenomenon is common among people with dyslexia, but Jess had not personally experienced this; no one in her family and none of my students have ever spoken of this being an issue for them. When Jess’ second oldest son, we will call him Angel, was in school they found overlays to be helpful. Jess assumed that would be beneficial for moving letters as well. When she returned to the office, Jess began doing some research and sure enough, overlays are the suggested remedy for words and letter movement.
Drew, who is 9, quickly wanted to tell the teacher the exciting news! His tutor had to explain to Drew that first, he needs to find out what color works best for him. Interestingly enough, different colors will be beneficial for each person. Blue is commonly, the best color for the majority of people, but for some it is not. If older students and adults are uncomfortable placing overlays on top of their books or computer, another option is special glasses with colored lens. The use of overlays or colored lenses contributes to increased Self-Esteem and independence.
Overlays can help so many people in so many different situations, such as:

• Words moving on the page
• Focusing when reading
• Tired eyes
• Relax tense readers head, neck and shoulders
• Reading Speed
• Improved Comprehension
• Following the Lines
• Correcting Word and Letter Reversals
• Clearer Visions
• Reading for Extended Periods of Time

Here are some good questions to ask, which are helpful when determining if overlays might benefit you or your child before giving them a try:

• Do the letters ever appear to move around?
• Do you get headaches when you read?
• Are the words moving or shaking when you look at them?
• Do you easily forget what you read?
• When you read, do you get tired quickly?
• Do you skip lines sometimes?
• Do you feel sick to your stomach sometimes, when you read?
• Do you read very slowly compared to other people?

An interactive page that will allow you to try out different color overlays and fonts to determine which are most helpful.

One student thoughts regarding overlays:
“Overlays help me concentrate more and focus on one word at a time.” –Anthony, Orange County.

Edit

No two people will exhibit the same signs of dyslexia.  Below you will find some commons signs of dyslexia, if you find that you or your child display  3 or more of the following signs, I encourage you to learn more about dyslexia. Early intervention is the best this to help a dyslexic student succeed.  If you or your child are already older, do not despair, if is never too late to teach "an old dog new tricks"
 
Common Signs of Dyslexia
In Preschool
• delayed speech
• mixing up the sounds and syllables in long words
• chronic ear infections
• stuttering
• constant confusion of left versus right
• late establishing a dominant hand
• difficulty learning to tie shoes
• trouble memorizing their address, phone
number, or the alphabet
• can’t create words that rhyme
• a close relative with dyslexia
 
In Elementary School
• dysgraphia (slow, non-automatic handwriting
that is difficult to read)
• letter or number reversals continuing past the end of
first grade
• extreme difficulty learning cursive
• slow, choppy, inaccurate reading:
- guesses based on shape or context
- skips or misreads prepositions (at, to, of)
- ignores suffixes
- can’t sound out unknown words
• terrible spelling
• often can’t remember sight words (they, were, does)
or homonyms (their, they’re, and there)
• difficulty telling time with a clock with hands
• trouble with math
- memorizing multiplication tables
- memorizing a sequence of steps
- directionality
• when speaking, difficulty finding the correct word
- lots of “whatyamacallits” and “thingies”
- common sayings come out slightly twisted
• extremely messy bedroom, backpack, and desk
• dreads going to school
- complains of stomach aches or headaches
- may have nightmares about school
 
In High School
All of the above symptoms plus:
• limited vocabulary
• extremely poor written expression
- large discrepancy between verbal skills
and written compositions
• unable to master a foreign language
• difficulty reading printed music
• poor grades in many classes
• may drop out of high school
 
In Adults
Education history similar to above, plus:
• slow reader
• may have to read a page 2 or 3 times to
understand it
• terrible speller
• difficulty putting thoughts onto paper
- dreads writing memos or letters
• still has difficulty with right versus left
• often gets lost, even in a familiar city
• sometimes confuses b and d, especially when tired

Copied with permission from Susan Barton

​Perhaps you are wondering, "What are all of these dys'?"  
Well allow me to enlighten you... they are Neurological differences in  the brain that cause people to learn differently than the majority of people learn.  Dyslexia is of course the most known of the 4 cousins, but they are all real. 1 in 5 people have dyslexia, 1 in 10 people have dysgraphia.  All require people to learn differently than how traditional schools teach students to learn. All of these words are of Greek origin. Dys means badly. Lexia mean to write. Calculia is math and praxia are whole coordination systems.

Dyslexia is a language based learning difference. Dyslexia refers to a cluster of symptoms, that result in people having difficulties with specific language skills, particularly reading. Students with dyslexia often experience difficulties with both oral and written other language skills, such as writing, and pronouncing words and writing. Dyslexia affects individuals throughout their lives; however, its impact can change at different stages in a person’s life. It is referred to as a learning disability because dyslexia can make it very difficult for a student to succeed without phonics-based reading instruction that is unavailable in most public schools.. In its more severe forms, a student with dyslexia may qualify for special education with specially designed instruction, and as appropriate, accommodations.  Copied from International Dyslexia Association Dyslexia Research, Education & Advocacy

Dysgraphia is a learning difference that affects writing abilities. It can manifest itself as difficulties with spelling, poor handwriting and trouble putting thoughts on paper. Because writing requires a complex set of motor and information processing skills, saying a student has dysgraphia is not sufficient. A student with disorders in written expression will benefit from specific accommodations in the learning environment, as well as additional practice learning the skills required to be an accomplished writer.  Copied from National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD)

Dyscalculia is a brain-based condition that makes it hard to make sense of numbers and math concepts. Some kids with dyscalculia can’t grasp basic number concepts. They work hard to learn and memorize basic number facts. They may know what to do in math class but don’t understand why they’re doing it. In other words, they miss the logic behind it.Other kids understand the logic behind the math but aren’t sure how and when to apply their knowledge to solving problems. Dyscalculia goes by many names. Some public schools refer to it as a “mathematics learning disability.” Doctors sometimes call it a “mathematics disorder.” Many kids and parents call it “math dyslexia.” Copied from www.understood.org

Dyspraxia can affect planning of movements and co-ordination as a result of brain messages not being accurately transmitted to the body. Individuals with dyspraxia often have language problems, and sometimes a degree of difficulty with thought and perception. Dyspraxia, however, does not affect the person's intelligence, although it can cause learning problems in children.  Dyspraxia is also known as Motor Learning Difficulties, Perceptuo-Motor Dysfunction, and Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). Copied from Medical News Today