Whoahh your face isn't flat!
Halloween, pumpkin time of year, traditionally carved out with eyes, nose, mouth in various shapes and sizes and lit from inside with tea-light candles.
This put me in mind of a little girl I screened many years ago. One of the tasks was a pumpkin. Due to the nature of the design many different distortions happen along the way, different things for different people. For this girl the features shot up at her causing her to burst out in a scream and then go very pale.
Flipping the coin with referring still to Irlen syndrome; poor depth perception can cause inability to define contours making a face appear totally flat.
How can you know what a person looks like under these circumstances, I mean really looks like? How many people see a person once, twice, many times and can't recognise them?
Another symptom is a restricted span of focus. This can cause only a small amount of the face to be in focus at a time.
I have seen many who move constantly this could be a learnt strategy in order to catch the whole picture.
Oh where was I? Ah yes…. whilst having a conversation with a man in America he told me that prior to his Irlen diagnosis he had never seen his wife’s face. He had I believe been married for thirty nine years. Can you imagine how amazing a moment that must have been? This can tie in with A.S.D symptoms
sideways glances
poor eye contact,
looking in a series of short glances
inability to read facial expression
Many symptoms co-exist and the root cause could be something other that what it is perceived to be.
Thomas the then six year old I worked with as his teaching assistant was unable to recognise his mum's face when she collected him from school. She always stood in the same place in the playground to help with this.
He could not follow a line of children successfully, i remember coming in from a very sunny sports day, he was clearly struggling to follow the others. His friend in front was wearing a yellow sun hat, I said follow the yellow hat. I will never forget the difference, he suddenly had a course to follow!
Poor depth perception can be extremely stressing and disorientating for so many it does not have to be that way.
