Reading is one of those developmental areas that parents worry about most, particularly in the run up to big school and in those first few years of junior school. As with everything else children develop in reading at their own pace and while many youngsters just click with reading, others seem to struggle.

This can be due to all manner of reasons from minor vision problems that if caught early can be rectified with or without glasses, to other more long term issues such as dyslexia and ADHD.

Whatever the cause, reading disorders can be serious in terms of how a child gets on at school in general and can unfortunately lead to bullying by other kids and also misunderstanding of a child by teachers who might think they are just being lazy. This can have a profound effect on a child through to adulthood and often for the rest of his or her life.

International expert Helen Irlen, identified a visual perception syndrome, which has been named Irlen Syndrome (also known as Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome or Visual Stress Syndrome) while she was working with adult learners at California State University, Long Beach in the 1980s.

The theory is that some signals from the eye do not get to the brain intact and/or on time. So although the eye might be functioning correctly, the brain receives what is like a double exposed picture where the location of items is confused.

The brain tries to filter out the bad information and so the conscious mind receives a reconstructed image. That image may be of the items moving (the brain constantly changing its best guess of what is there), blurred outcomes (inability to form a view of what is there), gaps in wrong spots, and a variety of other minor errors.

There may also be exhaustion (from the mental effort to unscramble) and sore eyes (from the eyes constantly seeking extra data to aid the process). The problem is worst where different colours do not all give a similar outcome. In nature you get a lot of consistent data but on a man made item (paper, for example) there might be only a limited colour set: the condition does not generate practical problems where there is lots of redundant data for the brain to use.

Helen Irlen says that "struggling readers may actually be suffering from visual perceptual disorders".

"Correct and early identification can reduce frustration, but it may take a team effort from educators, parents and kids alike", says Irlen. "Many children have trouble learning to read, even with extra support or tutoring. As a result, they may suffer from low self-esteem, and tend to give up easily, for fear of making a mistake. They try hard, but simply don't understand why they are falling behind their peers".

According to Irlen, without proper diagnosis, students can face a myriad of challenges. These can include falling behind in school, displaying problem behaviour, dropping out of school, trying drugs, becoming involved in crime or ending up with depression.

But she believes that appropriate action, including screening and intervention from educators, can save young lives.

Helen Irlen is the researcher responsible for discovering the Irlen Method of treating visual-perceptual, reading, attention, and learning disorders. Such disorders are known as Irlen Syndrome, which is caused by sensitivity to particular wavelengths of light, causing distortions of print.

"Children who suffer from Irlen Syndrome may read normally up to year two in school and then start to have difficulties as the vocabulary becomes harder and the print smaller. Once the distortions are removed, most can read", she said.

The Irlen Method uses coloured overlays and spectrally modified filters, worn as glasses, to enable the brain to process visual information accurately. The Method can improve reading fluency, comfort, comprehension, attention and concentration, while reducing light sensitivity.

For those parents whose hearts break as they watch their children struggle to read, Ms. Irlen provided these five top tips:

1. Glasses may not be the cure. Reading glasses for children may not always be the solution. When corrective lenses are prescribed, they may be ineffective in cases where reading difficulties are not due to a vision problem. For the student with a visual perceptual dysfunction, a different approach is called for.
2. Don't jump to conclusions. Standardised tests serve as a warning sign that problems exist. However, make an effort to identify the root cause of readers' struggles before jumping to conclusions. For example, as many as half of the children and adults with perceptual-processing problems are misdiagnosed with dyslexia. They may have Irlen Syndrome and can often be helped with Irlen spectral filters.
3. Keep a close eye. Parents, it is not normal for kids to be tired or to have physical symptoms – like headaches and stomach aches – from reading. Observe your child, and react by partnering with teachers to explore causes.
4. Don't blame. Parents sometimes fear that their child suffers from a reading disorder because they didn't read to him or her enough in formative years. In reality, reading problems are typically hereditary. Just as importantly, don't blame your child for being "dumb", "lazy" or stupid" – and don't let others do so, either.
5. Uncertain? Get your child screened. Parents should ideally screen at-risk children in year two for visual perception disorders. This can eliminate the need for tutoring or serve as an alternative to medication. Today, millions of children use Irlen coloured overlays or filter lenses to manage reading disorders, as well as conditions such as Aspergers, Autism, and ADHD. A qualified Irlen Screener can screen a young child, teenager or adult.

Until described in her book, Reading by the Colours, there was no explanation or treatment for perceptual reading difficulties; many people were misdiagnosed as dyslexic, slow learners or having ADHD.

Today, Helen Irlen's research-based, non-medicated treatment for Irlen Syndrome – the Irlen Method – is considered a groundbreaking solution. The Irlen Method is used in over 44 countries, and there are over 174 Irlen Clinics worldwide. Learn more at www.irlen.com.