The Effect of Colour Overlays on Reading Achievement among The Children with Irlen Syndrome

Abstract

This study aims to determine the effectiveness of blue colour overlays among children with learning disabilities with Irlen Syndrome symptoms. 20 subjects aged between 7 to 12 years old from Special Need's Class at Sekolah Kebangsaan Dato Haji Musa, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia involved in this study. A quasi-experimental design of pre and post-test was conducted to compare the findings between the application of blue colour overlays and without colour overlays in terms of reading score and reading time. The findings through the paired samples t-test analysis found the significant differences for reading score, t (19) = 3.923, p = 0.001 and reading time t (19) = 4.081, p = 0.001. The findings indicated a significant improvement in reading score and reading time as shown in children with learning disabilities with the symptoms of Irlen Syndrome while using blue colour overlays. This study disclosed that blue colour overlays could help increase reading comfort in children with learning disabilities who experienced Irlen Syndrome symptoms.

Keywords

• colour overlays
• irlen syndrome
• reading achievement
• learning disabilities