I am grateful to you, a Cheann Comhairle, for allowing me to raise this matter on the Adjournment and to the Minister for being present in the House to reply.
Scotopic sensitivity syndrome is a visual, perceptual dysfunction which affects people's ability to read and write. Those affected are unable to read as well as people with normal eyesight and are hampered by headaches, tiredness, discomfort, sore eyes and an inability to concentrate on the work at hand. People suffering from SSS misread words, skip lines, have poor hand writing and little or no co-ordination. Children with this disorder have been referred to as lazy, dumb, stupid or thick. The Minister should take serious note of this problem which affects many children. It is estimated that up to 30 per cent of children with reading difficulties in remedial classes suffer from SSS. This estimate is based on assessments carried out in schools where there is provision for screening. However, as the Minister is aware, there is no provision for screening in many schools. A comprehensive investigation into this syndrome is urgently required as figures to hand are somewhat incomplete.
The SSS treatment developed by Helen Irlen consists of altering problem light waves by using coloured filters or coloured overlays. The Irlen Clinic for learning disabilities is helping to treat the syndrome by providing coloured lenses which have been of benefit to many children to date. However, these glasses cost approximately £200 and are beyond the means of many parents. Research into this syndrome is advancing at a steady pace, proving beyond doubt the success of the Irlen filters as a method of treatment for SSS. However, screening procedures must be incorporated into the support structures available and it is in this area that a positive response from the Minister would be most beneficial.
Remedial teachers, in conjunction with psychologists, should be in a position to carry out the necessary screening as part of their normal remit. This is not happening at present. It is of the utmost importance that the Department of Education, the body charged with overall responsibility for design, lighting and textbook production, would be sensitive to the needs of these children. Much is made in the Green Paper on Education of the need to cater for disadvantaged school children. Children suffering from SSS are seriously disadvantaged in comparison to their classmates. It is clear that children suffering from SSS cannot achieve their full potential because their ability to read is adversely affected. Without the benefit of treatment many school children will go through the educational system grossly disadvantaged and will continue to underperform in spite of remedial teaching.
I should like an assurance that the Minister and her colleague, the Minister for Health, will work together to devise a strategy to help these children as a matter of urgency. In conclusion, I want to quote from a poem written by a child suffering from SSS:
Bs and Ds look the same to me
And so do Ps and Qs.
Ns and Us I always confuse.
And Ms and Ws.
The page is bright, it hurts my eyes.
The words they jump about.
Like little worms they wriggle and squirm.
They make me want to shout.
The teachers tell me I must try.
I try, I try, I try.
It hurts my head, it hurts, it hurts
And then I start to cry.
An urgent response by the Minister to this problem is necessary.
