Hyperlexia is a syndrome with two main characteristics : on the one hand, it implies that the child has an early ability to read, and on the other hand, that he presents certain difficulties in understanding and using verbal language, which causes problems in social interactions.

In this article we will analyze the difficulties of this syndrome and its relationship with autism. In addition, we will learn about its causes, symptoms, and ideas for promoting learning in these children.

Hyperlexia: what is it?

Hyperlexia is a syndrome characterized by a child’s fascination with letters, numbers, or both. Furthermore, adds an advanced reading ability for the child’s age , compared to children of the same age.

Children with hyperlexia may begin reading words at age 2.

Difficulties in understanding

Even if a child has hyperlexia and can read much earlier than children of the same age, the truth is that also presents certain difficulties in understanding what he reads , or in using oral language correctly. This means that these children do not speak in the same way as other children who have learned to read at normative ages.

How do they learn?

But… how do children with hyperlexia learn to read and speak? They don’t do it by following the usual or considered normal procedure (as used by other children), which consists of learning first the sounds, then the words and finally the sentences.

Hyperlinguistic children, on the other hand, use memory; thus, what they do is memorize the words, phrases, sentences (or even entire conversations) through what they hear or read daily, whether from adults, the media, advertising, books, television, etc.

In this way, when they are able to create sentences, it is because they have previously learned to memorize and dissect what they have read or heard, to later create their own expressions, which are original.

Symptoms

The typical symptoms of hyperlexia are diverse . On the one hand, there is this advanced and early reading ability for the child’s age (compared to other children of the same age), together with a difficulty in understanding and using verbal language.

Another symptom that appears is a very good ability to memorize, along with learning language through it . In addition, they are children who think in a very concrete way and who learn above all through visual stimuli.

As for the difficulties they present, there are problems in processing what has been said verbally, and in answering questions about “who”, “what”, “where”, “when” and “why”. There are also difficulties in social skills (for example, in starting or maintaining conversations, or in respecting speaking turns).

Finally, children with hyperlexia also manifest certain insecurities, related to changes in their routine.

Other characteristics of this syndrome

Children with hyperlexia usually have very good memories, both visual and auditory. This implies that they are able to remember what they see and hear quite easily and very accurately . In addition, they use that memory to facilitate their language learning.

On the other hand, hyperlinguistic children may have echolalia (repeating words or phrases they hear from the speaker, without understanding what it really means). Echolalia can be immediate (repeating the word or phrase at the moment of hearing it) or delayed (repeating it hours, days or even weeks later).

These alterations or particularities in speech can cause them to have problems communicating, and make it difficult for them to start sentences or conversations spontaneously.

Other alterations

In addition, children with hyperlexia may also have other disorders, such as sensory integration dysfunction, attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity (ADD/ADHD), motor dyspraxia, seizure disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and depression, among others.

Causes

The causes of hyperlexia are still unknown. However, it is suspected that its appearance in the context of another developmental disorder (if any), may reflect a different neurological brain organization than the normotype .

Relationship to Autism

Hyperlexia may appear as a symptom of autism. However, we must remember that 75% of children with autism also have an associated intellectual disability (mild, moderate, or severe).

In the case of hyperlexia appearing alongside autism , the symptoms mentioned will continue to manifest themselves alongside those of autism, and will above all imply difficulties in socializing, communicating, expressing oneself, etc.

In addition, symptoms of autism will appear, such as ritualistic behaviors, fixation on objects or parts of objects, language disturbances (e.g., echolalias), restrictive interest patterns, hiccups or hypersensitivities, etc.

Treatment: educational strategies

The treatment of hyperlexia will be focused on solving the difficulties that the child presents in relation to his learning and his way of relating and communicating .

It will be advisable to enhance their strengths, such as memory, and take advantage of them to create tools and materials that can facilitate their learning. For example, since they are usually children who learn best through the visual system, you may choose to use visual material as a support.

Another technique that we can use is to adapt the teaching to his way of learning , that is, since the child learns to read by memorizing, we can choose to break down what he reads or what he says into shorter sentences or words, and explain to him what it means (or help him discover what it means). Gradually, we will remove the aids, so that he can finally generalize the learned procedures and follow his learning in an increasingly autonomous way.

Bibliographic references:

  • Martos, J. and Ayuda, R. (2003). Autism and hyperlexia. Journal of Neurology, V International Refresher Course in Pediatric Neuropediatrics and Child Neuropsychology, 36(1): 57.

  • Roldan, M.J. (2018). What is hyperlexia and how to detect it. Self-help resources.