Hyperlexia
"WHAT IS HYPERLEXIA?"
Hyperlexia is an exceptional ability to read, not necessarily with any understanding of what you are reading.
Hyperlexia has characteristics similar to Autism, behaviour disorder, language disorder, emotional disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Hearing Impairment, giftedness or, paradoxically, learning difficulties.
"WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?"
Hyperlexia is a syndrome observed in children who have the following characteristics:
In addition, some children who are hyperlexic may exhibit the following characteristics:
Everything for a hyperlexic child is black and white. They make a set of standards that they hold everyone to, including themselves. When these standards are not met, the child becomes very upset. Because hyperlexics are such perfectionists, they do not do well in competitive situations, such as games, nor do they do well taking tests. To a hyperlexic, you are either a saint for doing good, or you are the devil for doing bad. Once you have been labelled as being bad, it is hard for you to gain their cooperation in any aspect.
"WHAT CAN BE DONE?"
To develop effective teaching strategies and more typical childhood development, it is important to differentiate Hyperlexia from other disorders. Thorough psychological evaluation by a psychologist who is familiar with the syndrome of Hyperlexia is a crucial first step. Hearing, neurological, psychiatric, blood chemistry, speech and language and genetic evaluations can be performed to rule out other disorders but are not needed to identify Hyperlexia.
The future of a hyperlexic child depends on developing his / her language expression and comprehension skills. Intensive speech and language therapy and early intervention programs can help achieve this objective. The child's reading skills should be used as a primary means of developing language.
It is important to teach the child appropriate social skills. Providing opportunities for the child to interact with children whose behavior is more socially appropriate is one way to accomplish this. Parents, teachers and other professionals should work together to develop programs for each child to reach his /her fullest potential.
Hyperlexia is an exceptional ability to read, not necessarily with any understanding of what you are reading.
Hyperlexia has characteristics similar to Autism, behaviour disorder, language disorder, emotional disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Hearing Impairment, giftedness or, paradoxically, learning difficulties.
"WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?"
Hyperlexia is a syndrome observed in children who have the following characteristics:
- A precocious ability to read words, far above what would be expected at their chronological age or an intense fascination with letters or numbers.
- Significant difficulty in understanding verbal language
- Abnormal social skills, difficulty in socialising and interacting appropriately with people
In addition, some children who are hyperlexic may exhibit the following characteristics:
- Learn expressive language in a peculiar way, echo or memorize the sentence structure without understanding the meaning (Echolalia), reverse pronouns.
- Rarely initiate conversations.
- An intense need to keep routines, difficulty with transitions, ritualistic behaviour.
- Auditory, olfactory and / or tactile sensitivity.
- Self-stimulatory behaviour.
- Specific, unusual fears.
- Normal development until 18-24 months, then regression.
- Strong auditory and visual memory.
- Difficulty answering "Wh--" questions, such as "what," "where," "who," and "why".
- Think in concrete and literal terms, difficulty with abstract concepts.
- Listen selectively, appear to be deaf.
Everything for a hyperlexic child is black and white. They make a set of standards that they hold everyone to, including themselves. When these standards are not met, the child becomes very upset. Because hyperlexics are such perfectionists, they do not do well in competitive situations, such as games, nor do they do well taking tests. To a hyperlexic, you are either a saint for doing good, or you are the devil for doing bad. Once you have been labelled as being bad, it is hard for you to gain their cooperation in any aspect.
"WHAT CAN BE DONE?"
To develop effective teaching strategies and more typical childhood development, it is important to differentiate Hyperlexia from other disorders. Thorough psychological evaluation by a psychologist who is familiar with the syndrome of Hyperlexia is a crucial first step. Hearing, neurological, psychiatric, blood chemistry, speech and language and genetic evaluations can be performed to rule out other disorders but are not needed to identify Hyperlexia.
The future of a hyperlexic child depends on developing his / her language expression and comprehension skills. Intensive speech and language therapy and early intervention programs can help achieve this objective. The child's reading skills should be used as a primary means of developing language.
It is important to teach the child appropriate social skills. Providing opportunities for the child to interact with children whose behavior is more socially appropriate is one way to accomplish this. Parents, teachers and other professionals should work together to develop programs for each child to reach his /her fullest potential.
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This information is meant to be helpful but Douglas Silas Solicitors cannot be responsible for any loss caused by reliance upon it. If you have concerns about your child, please seek professional educational/healthcare advice. Should you find anything which you believe to be inaccurate please Contact Us as soon as possible.
