Overlays Help!

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.