How Irlen Filters Can Dramatically Improve Reading.

This is a video of one of my students who has Irlen syndrome. I diagnosed her about 12 months ago and since then she has been wearing her filters and attending for tuition in my phonics-based reading program. Her mother does a round trip of 160 km each week to bring her to me. Have a look at the difference that wearing her filters makes to her ability to read.

Irlen syndrome affects about one in five people. The vast majority of children with Irlen syndrome go undiagnosed and as a consequence can experience great difficulty with reading and general learning at school. This can lead to continued failure, low self-esteem, emotional and psychological problems and trauma.

Unfortunately the education system, generally, remains unaware of this condition and in some cases personnel in schools will actively deny its existence and specifically dissuade parents of children who are experiencing learning difficulties from exploring this possibility. They will sometimes say that there is no research on Irlen syndrome. The fact is that there is peer reviewed research. Fortunately there are some schools where teachers' parents and students have seen for themselves how Irlen filters can change the lives of children and fortunately the teachers do everything that they can to enhance the learning of these children.

Have a look at the video and see for yourself.

About Bill    

                    

The Spooner family has been a part of the Cairns community for fifty five years. At Bill Spooner's you will find caring, warm family people who will listen to you and your children.

Bill grew up in the Cairns of the 1960's. His father, Bob Spooner, deciding that Sydney was no place to bring up children moved the family north in January 1960. Bob Spooner was Cairns' first specialist physician and a pioneer in many areas of tropical medicine.

In 1973 Bill graduated from the Queensland College of Art and completed a Post Graduate Diploma of Teaching in 1975. 

Bill taught secondary art at local Tablelands and Cairns high schools. During this time he was a specialist advisory teacher to the remote community schools of Cape York Peninsula and the Torres Strait. 

In the early 1990's he left the classroom and began to work regionally, across Far Northern Schools, firstly in Careers Education, then as the Senior Schooling Education Advisor to Cairns high schools. 

He then worked as a Regional Curriculum Co-ordinator of the 140 schools of the Peninsula Region of Education Queensland. This gave Bill the opportunity to broaden his educational interests and to work at the cutting edge of education at a state, national and international level.

Bill has written two publications, both held in the National Library of Australia: Escape Artists: Modernists in Tropics, and Ilan Pasin (this is our way): Torres Strait Art. These are educational resources for Australian teachers. 

He has been actively involved as a leader in many professional and community associations and projects, all designed to further the cause of education and to further the ties between schools, parents and the business community. 

In 1997 his career saw a major change when he resigned from Education Queensland and in 1998 set up Bill Spooner's Coaching Academy, having decided that he could make a greater contribution to children and their parents by working in the private arena. Bill has a passion for motivating children to learn, to achieve success and happiness.