The Irlen® Institute has announced that Pathway School in Laguna Hills, California, is the newest recipient of the Irlen Syndrome Foundation Pilot School Program Grant. The grant designates Pathway School as an Irlen® Pilot School and will support school-wide screening for Irlen Syndrome along with the implementation of Irlen® interventions for its students.
Pathway School serves neurodivergent students in grades 2 through 8, including students with ADHD, dyslexia, and executive functioning challenges, as well as students on the autism spectrum. Through the grant, the school will integrate Irlen® screening and interventions alongside its existing catalogue of academic and student supports. Those supports include on-site occupational and speech therapy, family therapists, small class sizes, dedicated executive functioning education, and multi-sensory instruction.
Irlen Syndrome, also known as visual stress and scotopic sensitivity, is a perceptual processing condition that can contribute to reading difficulties, headaches, and attention challenges. The condition is addressed through the use of color, including colored overlays and spectral filters worn as glasses. The approach is designed to address the underlying light sensitivity and perceptual processing difficulties associated with the syndrome.
As an Irlen® Pilot School, Pathway School will provide screening across its student population to identify individuals who may benefit from color-based interventions. The screening and interventions will operate in coordination with the school's broader support structure, allowing educators to combine Irlen® strategies with other therapies and instructional methods already in place.
"Placing Irlen® screening directly within a school environment allows students to be identified early and supported in the setting where they learn each day," said Sandra Tosta of the Irlen® Institute. "Pathway School has built a comprehensive framework for neurodivergent learners, and the addition of Irlen® interventions gives its educators another tool to reduce visual stress and improve access to reading and classroom instruction."
The Pilot School Program is administered through the Irlen Syndrome Foundation and is intended to expand access to Irlen® screening within educational settings that serve students facing a range of learning and processing challenges. By establishing pilot schools, the program aims to demonstrate how school-wide screening can be incorporated into existing student support systems.
"Many students who struggle with reading and attention have never been screened for visual processing difficulties," Tosta said. "Working with a school like Pathway, where multi-sensory instruction and individualized support are already central, creates an environment where the effects of Irlen® interventions can be observed alongside other evidence-based practices."
The Irlen® Institute is a global organization that specializes in the use of color to alleviate visual stress and improve quality of life for individuals with light sensitivity and related conditions. The organization identifies and provides intervention for Irlen Syndrome, provides colored overlays and spectral filters, offers self-testing, and trains professionals to become certified diagnosticians and screeners. The Irlen® Institute also conducts research and development in the field of spectral filter color lens technology. The organization maintains certified providers in 46 countries and has assisted adults and children worldwide in addressing light-based visual processing difficulties.
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For more information about The Irlen Institute, contact the company here:
The Irlen Institute
Sandra Tosta
562-496-2550
sandy@irlen.com
5380 E. Village Road
Long Beach, CA 90808