I’m still trying to decide whether I think that “hyperlexia” is really just autism with a remarkable (savant) reading ability, or whether it is truly a stand-alone condition, as some people insist. You be the judge.
What is hyperlexia?
Hyperlexics are said to almost always be boys, and their ability to spell, read, and pronounce words is markedly advanced for their age. Usually these kids have easily mastered letters and numbers by the age of two, and by three can read many words. They seem to have a far greater capacity for reading than for spontaneous speech. They may eventually even read and pronounce words at a college level, yet have a difficult time comprehending the meaning of the words, or how to use them in the right context. You might say these kids are master decoders, but poor interpreters. For example, they might read a Harry Potter book with ease, but have great difficulty answering “why” (abstract) questions about the book. “Why was Harry Potter afraid of Snape?” They love books, words, and may find word play entertaining. However, they find spoken language hard to understand.
Is it a subgroup of autism?
In some of my research, I have seen Hyperlexia described as though it were a condition separate from autism, yet many classic autistic symptoms are listed as part of the diagnostic picture. Most notable are the social problems, like difficulty making friends, difficulty interpreting the non-verbal signals of others, ritualistic behaviors, and anxiety. Language problems are also seen, like repetitive speech, trouble with pragmatic language, echolalia, and peculiar prosody, or rhythm, of speech. So as I read the diagnostic description I thought, “this is just another way to classify high-functioning autistic kids and confuse parents.” And some parents who receive this diagnosis for their child may not be prompted to start early intervention therapy, seeing the term “hyperlexic” only as evidence that their child is gifted. It’s a “superability” instead of a “disability.” And some parents insist that their hyperlexic child has symptoms more like ADHD or hyperactivity than autism.
Obviously not all children with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) have the striking ability to recognize and decode words, so it has been suggested that hyperlexia is a branch off the autism tree, if you will. It’s a particular type of autism. Yet others say that the term “autism” is being spread too thin, covering all kinds of different disorders which should have their own name. So they reject autism as a blanket diagnosis. Renee Montero Kovach, in her article “Hyperlexia vs. Autism,” says, “To say that any child with autistic-like tendencies has autism is ludicrous. It seems, however, that a child with any communicative disorder that can’t be clearly labeled gets classified autistic.”
Treatment
Treatment of hyperlexia should focus on reading comprehension and langugage-building exercises, where the child practices answering simple questions about what he has read, or works on conversational language skills. Utilizing social stories would be a good idea, because the child can use his reading skills to better recognize appropriate social behaviors. Peer tutors can help these children stay on task and provide a model for friendship.
Do you have a child with the diagnosis of “hyperlexia?” What is your opinion about the diagnosis?
Kristyn Crow is the author of this blog. Visit her website by clicking here. Some links on this blog may have been generated by outside sources are not necessarily endorsed by Kristyn Crow.
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What is Semantic-Pragmatic Language Disorder?
Play “Dumb” and Encourage Your Child’s Language Development