Reading with colours

Coloured overlays are sheets of coloured plastic film suitable for placing over a page of text when reading. There are several sets on the market. For example, a set is manufactured by i.O.O. Sales (NB Not 100 Sales) and another by Cerium Visual Technologies. Overlays with a small number of colours are insufficient. It is necessary to obtain overlays that sample a large number of colours systematically and efficiently, for example, as in figure 1:








The effects of coloured overlays on reading fluency are reviewed elsewhere, and a review of recent studies is available.



Teachers and others involved in the assessment of children using overlays may find additional instructions helpful. The beneficial effects of the overlays on reading fluency can be assessed using the Rate of Reading Test, also available from i.O.O. Sales and Cerium Visual Technologies.



The IOO overlays have been shown to be of benefit to about 20% of primary school children. They can be cut down to suit the size of the text.



You may wish to check the answers to frequently asked questions concerning overlays and visual stress.



Figure shows the spectral reflectances of the Intuitive Overlays, together with their chromaticities (inner ring of points) and the chromaticities of two overlays superimposed (outer ring of points). (The spokes connect the chromaticites of the single overlays with those of two identically coloured overlays superimposed, and the interstitial points the chromaticites of two overlays having neighbouring chromaticity.)