Fact and opinion in educational news
22 Replies
If you’re a reader of Education HQ and expect it to clearly differentiate between fact and opinion, you might have been surprised by its 14 July 2025 article “‘It changed my life’: all students should be screened for Irlen Syndrome, teacher says’“.
The article says Irlen Syndrome is “a disorder that manifests as a cluster of symptoms that occur when the brain has trouble processing light and visual stimuli efficiently”. Sounds like a fact, right? Something Education HQ’s fact-checkers would have thoroughly checked out.
Opthalmologists are vision experts. Their Australian and NZ professional association, RANZCO, says that ‘There is no scientific evidence that Irlen Syndrome exists’. Read all about it here.
The RANZCO position is summarised in 122 words halfway through the 1165 word Education HQ article, but seems to be playing the role of the sceptical* curmudgeon in an epic story about a young person who struggled and overcame significant difficulties after a life-changing discovery, and now wants to help others do the same. Yay, I love those kind of stories! No need to interview any RANZCO curmudgeons, or let scientific evidence (or lack thereof) get in the way.
Other statements in the article which should have set off fact-checking alarms:
- “To receive Irlen Syndrome diagnosis and treatment, you must visit a licensed Irlen diagnostician.” (Yes, and to see the Great Pumpkin rise through the air, you must visit the pumpkin patch at Hallowe’en).
- “One Year 12 student studying physics with Kneeshaw recently found out he too had Irlen Syndrome.” (Hmm, did he also visit the pumpkin patch?).
- “Kneeshaw now knows the genetic origin of her diagnosis.” (Yes, dyslexia runs in families, but Irlen Syndrome doesn’t, because it’s not a Thing. The Placebo Effect, however, is a Thing, but sugar pills don’t cost $700).
I asked ChatGPT to summarise the Education HQ article in 100 words, and got this:
Dr Samantha Kneeshaw, head of science at Ulladulla** High School, advocates universal screening for Irlen Syndrome, a visual processing disorder affecting reading due to light sensitivity. Undiagnosed as a student, she faced humiliation and learning struggles until tinted lenses transformed her reading. The Irlen Method, costing around $700, is disputed by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists, which questions its existence and warns against delaying proven interventions. Kneeshaw, however, has seen dramatic improvements in students and colleagues after diagnosis. She believes early detection could prevent academic underachievement, behavioural issues, and wasted potential, urging schools to implement nationwide screening.
If my googlesleuthing is correct (wow, she survived a bushfire by scuba diving in a swimming pool, as well as getting the last laugh over that mean teacher! She is seriously cool, I’d much rather hang out with her than those RANZCO curmudgeons), Dr Kneeshaw’s expertise is in marine science, not learning difficulties or opthamology. She believes Irlen Syndrome exists, that she has it, and that coloured lenses changed her life. This is an opinion, or what witty Radio National science journalists like to call an “N1 study”. It’s an anecdote. Her reports of other people experiencing the same thing are also anecdotes. Every scientist and journalist should know that the plural of anecdote is not data.
If you were a parent desperate to help your child overcome learning difficulties, would you believe the warnings of the faceless data-waving opthamologists at RANZCO, or Dr Kneeshaw’s wonderful success story? Most people love, believe and want to read great stories. Facts, not so much. But many great stories simply don’t align with scientific evidence, and in the age of Fake News, it’s more important than ever that journalists clearly delineate between fact and opinion. In my opinion (and yes, it is just an opinion) this Education HQ article reads more like an Irlen advertorial than education news.
If you’re in/near Ulladulla, or anywhere in NSW, and worrying about someone’s reading or spelling skills, the excellent folk at SPELD NSW know all about evidence-based assessment and intervention for learning difficulties, and should be able to help.
* Yes, we do spell it as “sceptic” in Australian and UK English, because this word came into English via French sceptique from Latin scepticus, though they got it from Greek skeptikos. For once, I think Noah Webster was right and we should go with the US spelling “skeptic”.
** If you’re not an Aussie and wonder how to pronounce “Ulladulla”, I recommend listening to Gleny Rae Virus’s hilarious parody of the it’s-beaut-to-shoot-roos-in-a-ute genre of Australian country music, “Redneck Lovesong”.
22 thoughts on “Fact and opinion in educational news”
Leave a Reply to wendy Cancel reply
The Spelfabet shop has affordable, downloadable spelling teaching resources.
Why do colored overlays “tame the text” of distortions for those of us who report anecdotally?
I don’t know, Ingrid, could it be that an expectation is created that this will happen from the marketing of these products, and people struggling to read are understandably longing for a simple solution, and to please the nice people proposing that this is the solution? The Placebo Effect is real and I know that when I really want something to be true, I’m more inclined to believe it is, and have to ‘ehem’ myself and remember that the truth lies in the data, not the marketing/story. But if someone who is an expert in this field does robust research that shows otherwise, I’m all ears. Only a fool is incapable of changing their mind. Until then, the only sensible thing for professionals to advise parents is that there is no scientific evidence supporting the idea that Irlen Syndrome exists or that coloured lenses work. However, there is a mountain of robust research showing that systematic, explicit teaching about how our writing system works is effective.
White paper and coloured overlays? Here’s the answer from am Australian vision scientist
Loew, Stephen. “Reading Conditions in Schools: A Review of Fluorescent Lighting, Ultra-White Paper, Unexplained Learning Difficulties, and Visual Stress in the Classroom.” Journal of Psychology and Education 12, no. 2 (2017): 85-94.
Hi Wendy, interesting answer. Stephen Loew’s bio on the university website says: “I am a biological scientist whose key research interests focus on the nature of Meares-Irlen/Visual Stress syndrome, the overlap of symptoms with ADHD and other neurological disorders, and the effects of increasingly brighter/bluer lighting upon literacy & learning in general. I have conducted novel studies examining biophysical and genetic factors in Visual Stress (as a researcher who also has the condition). I am interested in openings to expand upon this research in Australia and/or abroad.” So his assumption is that Meares-Irlen/Visual Stress syndrome is a Thing, and he believes he has it, not an especially scientific or objective perspective. He states that the paper is a theoretical one, not a research report.
Alison, Perhaps you might read some, or all of the peer reviewed papers by Loew et al.,?
Loew, Stephen. “Reading Conditions in Schools: A Review of Fluorescent Lighting, Ultra-White Paper, Unexplained Learning Difficulties, and Visual Stress in the Classroom.” Journal of Psychology and Education 12, no. 2 (2017): 85-94.
Loew, Stephen, Graham Jones, and Kenneth Watson. “Meares-Irlen /Visual Stress Syndrome, Classroom Fluorescent Lighting and Reading Difficulties: A Review of the Literature.” Insights on Learning Disabilities 11, no. 2 (2014): 129-69.
Loew, Stephen, Celestino Rodríguez, Nigel Marsh, Graham Jones, Jose Núñez, and Kenneth Watson. “Levels of Visual Stress in Proficient Readers: Effects of Spectral Filtering of Fluorescent Lighting on Reading Discomfort.”. Spanish Journal of Psychology 18, no. e58 (2015): 1-11.
Loew, S. J., N. V. Marsh, C. Rodríguez-Pérez, K. Watson, and G. L. Jones. “Symptoms and Severity of Visual Stress in Nursing Students: Implications for Education and Healthcare Settings.” Revista de Psicología y Educación / Journal of Psychology and Education 16, no. 1 (2021): 75-87.
The statements by RANZCO (on which many people rely) are not peer reviewed.
Asltonville High School, NSW, Students state that paper in a colour which suits them:
” It made the words not go blurry”; ” It stopped reflecting the light”; ” Cut down the glare making it easier to read”; ” Words in the background didn’t move”; Took the glare away and took away the movement a bit”. etc. These comments were collected by the Support Teacher and are published in my book.
Ingrid, there is no scientific method to prove what you or I see on the page. Visual perception = the dynamic interactive process between light/ eye/ brain. Change the lighting and you will change visual perception. Visual perception is situated in the field of psychology, not ophthalmology.
When a year 12 student reports that they see words circling on a page, then I believe them. Refusal to believe what students tell you is epistemic injustice.
Hi! I totally agree on Irlen not working and being a waste of money. However just wanted to say it’s ophthalmologist not opthamologist.
Only messaging because I’m a spelling teacher myself and love Spelfabet!
Warm Regards Jacqui
Hi Jacqui, oops, thank you so much, I think I’ve been saying ‘opthamologist’ forever, and there I thought I was right onto elision of internal consonants!
I first wrote a response to the Irlen Lens information in the 1990s, using an excellent summary of the (lack of) evidence from Macquarie University’s MUSEC papers. Unfortunately, the anecdotal evidence still persists in doing the rounds.
Lay people don’t know the difference between a Doctor in one field or another, so good spot on the FACT that the proponent’s speciality is marine science, not learning difficulties or disabilities.
Much like other unfounded snake oil remedies, Irlen Lens’ longevity seems to prove something to people less sceptical than you and me Alison. I’d like that $700 to provide GOOD literacy programs to the child. No glasses (and multiple replacements) required!
hi Linda, good on you for insisting on evidence-based intervention. The MUSEC papers were great, I put them all on this site after getting permission from the head of MUSEC for this when their centre was shut down, see http://www.spelfabet.com.au/research/caution/musec-briefings. Nomanis published an article about Irlen a while ago, I should have included the link in the blog post, it’s http://www.nomanis.com.au/blog/single-post/papering-over-the-reading-gap. It might be time to write to the universities behind research into Irlen, maybe that’s something we could ask AUSPELD and LDA to do. You’d think universities would be more careful of their reputations.
Yes, Alison. Many articles are behind the paywall. You could ask Dr Loew to send you copies of his articles. You could also ask him to send you references to a selection of papers using objective studies, fMRI analysis; eye- tracking analysis; Genetic DNA analysis.
You could send an email to him via University of New England. Failing that, If you do want to read more research, I could ask his permission to forward you copies.
May I suggest that you ask your town library to purchase a copy of my book? It is based on PhD research at the University of Sydney 2022. This book has many references which you may find useful, and it provides information which you may not have considered, or be aware of. ” Light Sensitivity. Unveiling Policy Inaction, Marginalisation, Discrimination”. ISBN: 9781662944666
eISBN; 9781662944673
Re universities being careful of their reputations. I have attended three Australian universities. Both my Master Degree from UNE and my PhD from University of Sydney were peer reviewed i.e. sent to external examiners.
Both theses are published. Gibson, Wendy E. Mergers in Tertiary Education–an Aspect of Policy Making. A.P.S.A. Monograph. Vol. 20, Bedford Park, S.A.: Australian Political Science Association, 1976.
Johnson, W. E. Light Sensitive Learners: Unveiling Policy Inaction, Marginalisation, Discrimination. Tampa FL: Gatekeeper Press, 2024.
Australian taxpayers paid for my research. Taxpayers deserve the best research and Australian universities ensure that they get it.
Alison, neither the MUSEC statement, nor the Nomanis article were peer reviewed.
“Macquarie University Special Education Centre (MUSEC–now defunct)
publicly disputed the existence of Irlen Syndrome and justified that
opinion by reference to ophthalmologists. MUSEC’s core business
(teaching reading skills) was threatened as were the interests of ophthalmologists
who claim expertise in managing disorders of the eye and the
“visual system”. By “purposive strategizing,” an alliance of institutions
(MUSEC and RANZCO) and disciplines (education and ophthalmology)
was formed and each organisation was a resource for the other.” [ Excerpt from my book: ” Light Sensitive Learners…”]
Linda, a Doctorate in Science would ensure that the scholar is able to read research reports from scientific journals and also other journals too. Multi- disciplinary studies are becoming more common.
What Dr Keenshaw is talking about is neither a learning difficulty, nor a learning disability. The issue is sensitivity to lighting, not a reduced ability to learn. Some of the Professors at U Syd, obviously had no trouble learning, but they could not tolerate the lighting in their offices and kept the lights off. A student in my PhD cohort found out, during her candidature, that light spectrum filters ” made all the difference” for her.
There is an in depth discussion about ” learning difficulties” and ” learning disabilities in my book.
Think about those with low vision or who are blind, would you say that they have a ‘learning difficulty’ or a ” learning disability’? Some one who experiences visual perceptual distortions has a visual perceptual problem, and not a difficulty learning.
Spelfabet, if interested in research, may I suggest my PhD research (Uni. Of Sydney, 2022) which is now in book form? ” Light Sensitive Learners. Unveiling Policy Inaction, Marginalisation, Discrimination” ISBN: 9781662944666
eISBN: 9781662944673
Hi Wendy, I have a pile of books based on robust scientific research I have yet to find time to read, so if you’d like to send me a copy, great, I searched for it in my local library but got ‘No results found’.
Reading now on Kindle…
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DNVGYNYR1li/?igsh=bXY5N295NDJtenZ6
Just saw this and wondered if it might relate to the anecdotal evidence??? A sensitivity to light/contrast and a personal preference (comfort) for certain background colours…
Hi Jem, I have no idea, maybe it is just personal preference. Maybe we should all be working with white text on black backgrounds rather than the reverse, it might consume less energy, and cause less global warming, apart from anything else. Maybe the black print on white screen is just a hangover from black print on white paper. I’m old so I still remember DOS computers and word processors that all had pale print on a black screen. Alison
Some science:
White paper, Women school principals recognised in 1908 that white paper made reading difficult.
In the 2020s: “… the addition of Optical Brightening Agents (OBAs), also known as Fluorescent Whitening Agents (FWAs), whichare fluorescing chemicals designed to absorb light from the non-visible range (ultra-violet)and re-emit it back to the reader’s eyes asadditional light in the visible spectrum (mostly) blue)….Thus, under typical
fluorescent lighting, a brand of paper with a CIE 160 (i.e. ‘Reflex Ultra-White’) can now
not only appear to be 60% whiter than the maximum level of whiteness possible (CIE
100), it will also reflect back more visible lightto the eyes of the reader than that actually
received from the light source shining upon it! : Loew, “Reading conditions in schools…”
Jem
Thanks for this link: It’s very useful for my research.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DNVGYNYR1li/?igsh=bXY5N295NDJtenZ6
Precisely: his eyes are sensitive to light and he doesn’t like reading on white paper. This is why you can have NAPLAN paper in a colour which suits you. This is why The Human Rights Commission facilitators posted this on the Conciliation Register.
“2003. Accommodation of vision impairment in school tests
A mother of a boy who has a vision impairment (scotopic sensitivity syndrome) complained that his disability was not being accommodated in sitting a statewide test for year 5 students. The complaint was settled when the education authority agreed (within one month of the complaint being received by HREOC) to the test being provided to the boy on non-glossy blue paper in 24 point type as requested.”
Jem and Alison,
The impact of paper in an appropriate colour: Statements by Alstonville High School, NSW Students. Information collected by the Support teacher Peter Lino (cited in my book ” Light Sensitive Learners…”)
Question: In what ways did the provisions help? (Number
in brackets indicates number of students giving this
response)
Easier to read (8)
Placed less stress on me so I could think
Paper doesn’t reflect as much
Helped my eyes not to go blurry.
Definitely helped, made it look better
Helped me understand the questions (3)
Helped with words I couldn’t read (2)
Made the writing bigger
It was a lot easier to see
It didn’t get smaller
It made the words not go blurry
Helped me think better
It stopped the reflecting light
I had more time to read the questions
Helped me read and understand
I get better results
Can finish exams in time
Easier to concentrateEasier to read. I don’t wander off
Cut down glare making it easier to read
It wasn’t glary (2)
Made my reading better
My eyes did not strain
Words in the background didn’t move
Helped me read better
Didn’t hurt my eyes
I could read it more clearly
I can read and see better and it’s easier to understand
Took the glare away and took away the movement a bit
White hurts my eyes after about 5 minutes
It wasn’t as loud and there were no distractions
I improved my marks and comprehension of questions
I was able to finish the exams in time and I didn’t get headaches (2)