Understanding Hyperlexia Syndrome – A Unique Reading Ability and Its Complexities
Children with hyperlexia have an intense interest in reading. They read at an early age and often are better than their peers at spelling and decoding written words. In addition, Bright Tots are fascinated with letters and numbers and enjoy books more than toys and games. They are also more likely to have sensory integration and auditory processing difficulties. Hyperlexia can present a challenge to diagnosis when it is confused with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Despite the overlapping features of these two disorders, it is important to make a clear distinction between the two and to tailor interventions accordingly.
Generally, these children are not diagnosed with ASD, but rather with a hyperlexia-specific language disorder. The literature to date is not of great help in making this distinction. However, based on my clinical experience it appears that the prognosis for these children is quite good.
Understanding Hyperlexia Syndrome: A Unique Reading Ability and Its Complexities
When these children are first seen they often have problems understanding language and are echolalic. Their behavior in some ways may look autistic, and they can develop aloofness or oppositional behaviors. They will often continue to exhibit these behaviors into the teen years, but over time they tend to emerge out of that.
Interestingly, my experience with children with delayed speech mirrors that of my work with these children who read early. The same lessons apply: a label like “autism” is often prematurely and inappropriately applied to these children producing unwarranted stress, burden, and worry on their parents along with mistaken predictions about their prognosis.…