VISUAL

This is just the beginning of this page......watch for more in the future.

The Impact of Colour

 As a consultant I look for various symptoms to determine whether I will test for colour:  

- walking/bumping into things and people in an unfamiliar environment 

-difficulty reading (ask if the words move or are blurred)

-dyslexic type responses to letters like b and d, p and g etc.

-difficulty catching balls

-difficulty going up and down stairs, navigating curbs, getting off the bus

-fear or avoidance of heights

-difference in responses over time.......can answer questions on the computer 100% in the beginning and gradually move to more and more mistakes over time (vision has been stressed).

-problems in areas with lighting contrasts; bright sunshine and shadow, etc.

-problems setting puzzles: use touch more than vision to complete it.

and so on..........

 

If these symptoms are showing up, I then suggest colour testing to investigate the matter further. I developed this because the Irlen lens specialist in our area refused to work with non verbal people, in other words, not much help for me. Anyone can do this in their home.

 

A simple and quick test to demonstrate the effect is to throw a marshmallow straight at the face of the child/adult. If it hits them before they respond, you need to investigate further. This is effective because no one actually throws things at a person's face so they are not expecting it, and it won't hurt them. They learn very quickly though so I have found that you cannot do it more than a couple times before they are aware that this is the crazy lady who throws things at my face!

 

To test for colour create a situation in which you can control the lighting, preferably a small room without windows or good curtains that block the light, or do it after dark. Buy four light bulbs (or more depending on the size of your room). one red, one blue, one green and one yellow. They are sold as party lights in Canada, USA and England (the only places I have done this). I expect other countries have them too. Figure out a number of tasks that the person can do....for example: write his name, (for the little ones we use blocks to make their names), draw a house and a person, cut out an object, set a puzzle, colour a picture, read a few lines, play the memory game, throw and catch a ball, walk on a straight line...........the object of these tasks are not to test the person on ability but to compare results between colours. Watch behavior under each colour and if possible ask how the person is feeling, via fc or words......by the way, we call this the colour game so it doesn't "feel" like a test (creates higher anxiety) and often test other members of the family along with the person with autism so it becomes more of a game. They learn more about themselves too!

 

Once you have done the tasks under each colour compare results. If there is a huge difference between the tasks under each colour you will know that further investigation is warranted. The colour under which they do the best can be used in a number of different ways over and above using Irlen type lenses. These include the colour of the curtains on the windows, the clothes worn by people who work with this person, the paper used in school activities, or the font on the paper, the colour on the computer screen that one is typing on and so on. I do refer them on to the Irlen specialists if they can afford them..........or we wander down to the dollar stores and try on coloured sunglasses to see which feel the more comfortable. We have even added tint to regular glasses without further testing when and if the cost of Irlen's are out of reach. Testing in this way gives you an idea of where to start with colour and saves you money in the long run as you don't have to work with the whole spectrum with overlays, etc.