Hyperlexia
Hyperlexia is advanced and unexpected reading skills and abilities in children way beyond their chronological age. It is a fairly recently named condition (1967) although earlier descriptions of precocious reading do exist. The early reading itself is often preceded by intense and obsessive interest in letters and numbers as an infant.
Is hyperlexia considered an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?
While many books, articles or websites indicate that hyperlexia always is a sign or symptom of autism or some other developmental disorder, our studies, and studies of some others, find that not always the case.
What Types of Hyperlexia Exist?
SSM Health Treffert Center has received many emails from parents inquiring about possible savant skills in their child. After analyzing several hundred such emails from parents whose child was an early reader three types of hyperlexia have been identified.
These are neurotypical children who simply read early. The ability is attention-getting because of its early onset compared to their peer group. Hearing a nursery school child reading books to his or her classmates is quite astonishing. Usually that reading ability is accompanied by comprehension.
It has been recognized for many years that some children with autism or related conditions have an excessive interest in letters and numbers. These children spend many hours obsessively arranging or re-arranging magnetic letters on the refrigerator or any other surface, or perhaps writing or re-writing them anywhere convenient, including the walls or sidewalk. This is accompanied by unusual memorization of these letters or numbers. Often this obsessive preoccupation extends to arranging and re-arranging toy cars, puzzle pieces or other such objects.
Eventually this number/letter obsessiveness morphs to early reading ability in jarring juxtaposition to other developmental limitations. Very often an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis has already been applied, or other diagnoses such as PDD/NOS, Asperger’s, behavior disorder, language disorder, learning disorder or gifted have been used.
These children comprise the Hyperlexia 2 group. The early reading ability is indeed a part of an autistic spectrum condition as often described in some books, articles or web sites. In these children the hyperlexia is accompanied by other cognitive, learning or social skill difficulties usually seen in ASD including some symptoms or behaviors such as echolalia, withdrawal, stimming, insistence on sameness, poor eye contact, repetitive behaviors and resistance to both giving and receiving affection, for example. They often have difficulty with auditory processing and sensory integration as well.
These children show the same preoccupation with letters and numbers very early as infants and later begin to read. They too show many of the characteristic signs, behaviors and symptoms of ASD as seen in hyperlexia 2. Like children with hyperlexia 3 they often have difficulty with auditory processing, sensory integration and social delays. But unlike children with hyperlexia 2, the “autistic-like” behaviors in hyperlexia 3 children fade over time with very positive outcomes and little or no autistic residual.
The fact that the “autistic-like” features and behaviors fade over time does not mean that happens all by itself. Often those “autistic-like” symptoms, communication difficulties, sensory integration disorders and social awkwardness require the same interventions, for a time, as in hyperlexia 2 individuals considering the learning style of all children with hyperlexia.
Typically, parents often describe these children as much less withdrawn and more engaged, particularly with adults, than is often the case with ASD children. There is much more eye contact and involvement in both giving and receiving affection. Overall, they tend to be more socially comfortable and the maladaptive behaviors are less intense and less frequent than seen in more classic “autism”. Hence the term “autistic-like”.
Learn more about the three forms of hyperlexia and how they can present with “autistic-like” symptoms, traits and behaviors as well as how they should be differentiated from Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
What significance do these types of hyperlexia have from a diagnostic standpoint?
Hyperlexia 1 is not a disorder as such and really does not require nor warrant a diagnosis. The differences in intervention strategies, educational placements, outcomes and long-term implications of an ASD diagnosis warrants caution when applying to a child who reads early or speaks late.
While early diagnosis and early intervention are to be applauded in all children with developmental delays, if the child has hyperlexia as a presenting symptom and ASD is a possibility, a differential diagnosis approach should be considered before applying a definitive diagnosis of ASD. A period of watchful expectation will reveal whether the hyperlexia falls into type 2 or type 3.
What are the most appropriate interventions to help a child with hyperlexia 2 or 3?
There are three interventions that have been reported to be especially helpful in children with hyperlexia 2 or 3. Those include:
- Speech and language therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Play based ABA (applied behavioral analysis)
A sound treatment program using the child’s strengths and interests to help with areas of weakness is vital to success. Finding the right people to implement the child’s treatment plan is critical to success.
The most important thing to remember is to use written language to help teach the child the skills they need. When in doubt, write it out. This empowers the child by building confidence and reducing stress as they stay within their comfort zone during the learning process.
The main, critical difference in intervention between children with hyperlexia 3, as opposed to hyperlexia 2, has to do with education placement.
Hyperlexia 2 children most often benefit from alternative placement in special education classrooms because mainstream classrooms may be too over-stimulating and course material may be better taught and learned in more relaxed one on one arrangements.
Hyperlexia 3 children benefit from being fully integrated into their classroom with same age peers. Alternative placements usually provide few appropriate communication partners and less opportunity to engage in social communication.