Dyslexia in Children:

Learning to reading and write is a stressful experience for most children. It is the first time that they have had to undertake real academic study and their well-meaning parents and relatives are also under great social pressure to have a well-performing child. Happily, for at least 90% of children this is a scholastic hurdle that they easily leap but for the other 10% who are dyslexic it is much more difficult. Dyslexia has nothing to do with intelligence (in fact, by definition dyslexics are much more intelligent than can be judged by their reading ability) but it does have a link to how intelligence is judged socially and the ongoing effect on self-esteem and general confidence of the individual when the judgement is wrong.

Sadly, as a society we tend to form an opinion of people's intelligence based on their reading ability. Broadly, if someone is struggling to read aloud what we may regard as very simplistic text the assumption tends to be made that the reader is 'dim'. Of course this is completely incorrect with a dyslexic, but especially if they don't have a formal diagnosis the pressure from teachers and parents, accompanied by their genuine difficulties is unbearable. The effect on a child's self-esteem can be marked and this should never be underestimated once a formal diagnosis has been made. Sadly, suicide is not unknown in children just entering their teenage years and dyslexia is not a kind pressure to be added to a pubescent youngster! Of course suicide is not a common finding amongst dyslexics and parents should not be overly disturbed but it is worthy of serious attention to a young dyslexic and self-esteem is a serious concern that most definitely should be addressed when it is found to be adversely effected in a young dyslexic. It is important for any parent to give emotional support to their children but in a dyslexic's case, perhaps ''praise, praise, praise'' should be the mantra whenever it is legitimately possible!

The Harris Foundation provides special lenses (''Harris Filters'') that are incorporated into spectacles (including a spectacle prescription from an optician where appropriate) but these are simply an aid for reading, NOT a ''cure''. In fact, David Harris, who invented them, is very much against the use of the word ''cure'' for dyslexics as he says that dyslexia isn't an illness so it doesn't need a cure! The other reality is that it isn't guaranteed that every dyslexic will find a dramatic improvement in their reading ability when using the lenses but the practitioner will be able to provide suitable advice from the measurements that are undertaken.

The reality of Harris Filters is that they make reading easier for the wearer and this has a benefit for both the educational achievements of the wearer and also for their self-esteem. The lenses are clinically proven and their origins were in simple coloured lenses (called ''ChromaGen'') and the results from the main clinical trial were published in an American, peer-reviewed journal in 1998 in order to prove that the lenses assisted reading performance.

David Harris went on to use the technology developed for these original lenses to produce new lenses that were not coloured in the conventional sense (they are not like clear glass but have a more neutral type of appearance, rather like sunglasses). These filters retain the clinical benefits of the coloured lenses but have increased in number for the practitioner's diagnostic set so that twice as many lenses are now required to test the patient completely. Additionally, the lenses are known to affect the speed at which information travels down the nerve fibres from the eye to the brain. They always slow it down but the effect is minute and similar to the amount found in any spectacles – the therapeutic effect is thought to be from the combined differential effect between the two eyes and the brain's interpretation of the neurological signals. The two lenses for the right and left eyes are always different but the outward appearance of the lenses for the right and left eye will be very similar so that the cosmetic appearance is not reduced. In order to achieve the maximum benefit the lenses must be prescribed by a practitioner who has been trained to undertake the assessment and then prescribe the appropriate lenses.

In order to carry out an assessment a consultation must be booked where the dyslexic meets the practitioner in an informal, non-clinical setting. There is no problem with a parent or partner being present during the consultation but in order for the dyslexic to maintain concentration (and composure!) they should remain out of sight of the dyslexic and as quiet as possible. In this case, in order to minimise distraction the consultation follows the old adage ''out of sight, out of mind''!)

The consultation will follow a standardised but very simple format where quantitative data in order to prescribe the necessary filters is obtained in an informal setting where the dyslexic is reassured and there is no reason why they should not be relaxed. The practitioner uses a very simple, not stressful test to assess reading performance and this is given at the beginning of the consultation in order to establish a baseline reading. The test used is ''The Wilkins Rate of Reading'' test and this is simply compiled of 15 words, randomly ordered so that they are arranged exactly like text in a book but completely nonsensical when read. The words are repeated so that the total block of text that is read may be in excess of 150 words although these words are only collections of the same 15 words, randomly ordered and repeated when necessary with no new words introduced. The nonsensical arrangement of the words relieves the dyslexic of the pressure of having to read sentences and the words themselves are very simple, having been selected from the most commonly read words by seven-year-olds (''dog, to, for, my'' etc). At the outset of the test the dyslexic is asked to read a simple list of the 15 words that are used in order to establish that they can read all of the words so that the scientific validity of the test remains.

Following direct assessment for the filters, where no reading is involved at all but the dyslexic is simply asked to observe a sheet of randomised text through the filters, a final measurement of reading performance is made, this time when the dyslexic is reading from the Wilkins Rate of Reading test whilst viewing it through the prescribed filters. When this is accomplished a simple comparison can be made with the baseline reading in order to provide a measurement of reading changes produced from the filters and the prescribed Harris Filters may be provided if appropriate. In the same way as normal lenses the filters may incorporate a spectacle prescription (to correct myopia, astigmatism etc) and this may be arranged by the practitioner during the consultation.

Following arrangement of spectacles to incorporate the filters the spectacles, when necessary, are usually supplied in around one week.