Hyperlexia in Children – What It is & How to Identify It

“Hyper” means “better than” or “above”, and “Lexia” means reading. Therefore, hyperlexia is the ability to read exceptionally early without age-appropriate speech and language skills. It is a learning disability that is often accompanied by language deficits. While these children may excel in decoding written words, they might struggle with comprehension and social communication. Though precocious reading may seem like a very good thing, hyperlexia in children could be a sign of an autism-like or autism syndrome, especially when the child has delayed speaking abilities. Identifying its signs early can help parents and educators provide the right support to foster a child’s development.

Keep reading to learn more about hyperlexia and how you can recognise it in children.

What Is Hyperlexia?

The presence of advanced reading skills in very little children is the hyperlexia definition. Hyperlexia is unexpected and precocious reading skills and abilities in little children at a very young age. Children with hyperlexia also have a significant difficulty understanding and using normal verbal language like other children. They might have significant difficulties with social interactions as well (2).

Types of Hyperlexia

Hyperlexia is generally categorised into three types (5):

1. Hyperlexia I

Though this is relatively rare, Hyperlexia I is diagnosed when ordinary children are able to read at a very early stage. This means that as they enter kindergarten, they will be able to read at a seventh-grade level.

2. Hyperlexia II

When kids on the autistic spectrum are hyperlexic, it is categorised into Hyperlexia 2. These children will be obsessed with numbers and letters, arranging them together endlessly. They will likely take magnetic tablets of letters and numbers to bed instead of stuffed animals and toys. They may also be obsessed with memorising birthdays, license plate numbers, GPS-like trip directions, or the solar system. These children may also show a few other signs of autism, such as avoidance of eye contact, isolation, being adverse in receiving or giving attention, and may also be sensitive to any other forms of sensory overload. They are also likely to read very early.

3. Hyperlexia III

Children with Hyperlexia 3 also read very early and for a short period. They are likely to show autistic symptoms, which usually fade away. Other Hyperlexia type-3 symptoms include impressive memories of movies or music, and while reading, verbal language may be delayed for some time while comprehension can be remarkable. Moreover, they have no problem maintaining eye contact, giving and seeking attention, and will be socially comfortable, especially around adults.

Causes of Hyperlexia

Though many studies and research have been conducted, the reasons for hyperlexia in children are still unknown. Some researchers think that the reason for hyperlexia at a very young age is the result of deliberate or obsessive reading practices. For examples, there are a few anecdotes of children:

• Becoming very attached to certain books and alphabets and reading them every day, continuously.
• Becoming very compulsive readers at the expense of other forms of communication.
• Having obsessive interests in number and letter blocks.
• Reading numbers and letters from the number of plates on the parking lots.
• Reading every bit of print, they see around them (e.g. Books, manuals, signs, and notices).

Signs of Hyperlexia

There are a few other hyperlexia symptoms you may notice in your children, and a few of these are similar to autism, such as (3):

• Difficulty in answering “Wh-“questions, like “What”, “Who”, “Where”, “Why”, and “when”.
• An extreme fascination with maps, letters, numbers, or other visual patterns.
• Memorisation of sentence structure or sentences, without understanding the meaning of those sentences.
• Echolalia, meaningless repetition of words spoken by a person nearby, usually done by a kid just learning to talk.
• Unsocial or Awkward social skills.
• Rarely starting or continuing a conversation.
• Difficulty interacting with people around, including parents or other close adults.
• Difficulty coping with transitions due to the intense need for monotony.
• An extreme need for uniformity and to keep routines or ritualistic behaviours.
• Very unusual or specific fears.
• Only thinking in concrete and very literal terms, and difficulty with concepts that are abstract.
• Sensitive sensory capabilities.
• Selective listening skills, and may reach a point that they seem deaf to most people.
• Strong visual and auditory memory skills.
• Self-stimulatory behaviour, such as rocking, jumping up and down, hand clapping, or flapping.
• A normal development or growth until around 18-24 months, and then a regression.

Reading and Communication Skills of a Hyperlexia Affected Kid

Hyperlexia is characterised by an extreme fascination with numbers or letters and an advanced reading ability. Hyperlexic children have reading skills far beyond what is expected at that age. These children may start reading at a very young age, even at two, without reading instruction. Children with hyperlexia have incredible auditory and visual memories and may also remember everything they hear and see without even effort. They will often also show echolalia, yet this exceptional memory will not help with understanding or speaking language. Despite extreme reading skills, they have limited communication and vocabulary difficulties (4).

Children with hyperlexia do not learn to speak the way other children do. Most children develop language skills by listening to sounds and learning how to make them while understanding the meaning of their words. Children then normally advance to using complete words and sentences. However, children with hyperlexia learn to speak in a very different way. They may memorise sentences, phrases, or conversations from books, movies, and television.

Hyperlexic children rarely take part in interactive conversations or initiate them. In order to express what they have in their minds and create original expressions, the child must be able to dissect what they have previously memorised, which hyperlexic children find it really hard to do.

Diagnosis of Hyperlexia

Hyperlexia is diagnosed based on a child’s reading skills and certain behaviours. Here’s how the different types are identified:

1. Hyperlexia I

No diagnosis is needed as these children can read early without other developmental concerns.

2. Hyperlexia II

It is diagnosed through signs such as (6):

• Advanced reading skills beyond their age
• Obsession with letters and numbers
• Learning by repetition or rote memorisation
• Other behavioural issues

3. Hyperlexia III

It can be difficult to diagnose due to “autistic-like” behaviours, which may include:

• Exceptional memory and advanced abilities
• Sensory sensitivities
• Strong resistance to change
• Phobias and specific fears
• Repetitive behaviours like stacking or lining up objects
• Pronoun reversals (referring to themselves as “he,” “she,” or by their own name)

Difference Between Hyperlexia and Autism

Hyperlexia and Autism are not the same, although these conditions have many overlapping traits and characteristics, and many children are diagnosed with both together. The main difference between the two conditions is the precocious self-taught reading capability.

Autism is a developmental disorder characterised by difficulty in communication and behavioural problems. Sometimes, autistic children may show above-average abilities in one or even more certain aspects of learning (7).

Hyperlexia in children may come with autism, and hyperlexia can be one of the first signs of autism in children that parents notice. Autism is a clinical diagnosis, and this means that there is no single test to diagnose the condition that excludes or confirms the condition in little children.

A few common characteristics shown by children with autism are:

• Ritualistic behaviour.
• Self-stimulatory behaviour.
• Literal and concrete thinking.
• Difficulty understanding abstract concepts.
• Normal developments until 18-24 months, followed by regression.
• Obsessed with routines.
• Sensitivity to smells, touch, and sounds.
• Difficulty changing from one activity to another.
• Uncommon fears.
• Selective listening.

However, it is essential to note that not all autistic children are hyperlexic, and not all hyperlexic children are autistic.

How to Help a Child With Hyperlexia?

Hyperlexia treatment depends on the type they have and their specific needs. Children with Hyperlexia I do not require any special treatment as they develop fine in other areas (6).

For children with Hyperlexia II and Hyperlexia III, various treatments can improve their social and language skills (1):

1. Speech and Language Therapy

This therapy uses the child’s advanced reading skills to build language understanding, social interaction, and higher-level communication. Treatment may focus on:

• Social skills
• Understanding spoken language
• Writing and speaking

Therapists often use visual methods, visual timelines, social stories, and association games to help children learn language connections.

2. Occupational Therapy

This therapy helps children with daily life skills and participation. Areas of focus might include:

• Sleeping and feeding routines
• Self-care and school activities
• Sensory response and writing skills

Children with Hyperlexia II may benefit more from special education classrooms that provide one-on-one attention and less stimulation. Whereas, children with Hyperlexia III thrive in regular classrooms, where they have opportunities for social interaction with classmates.

FAQs

1. How common is hyperlexia?

Somewhere between 5-10% of children with autism are believed to be hyperlexic as well. Therefore, it is relatively rare.

2. If a child has all the signs/traits of hyperlexia but isn’t reading, is it still hyperlexia?

The simple answer is no. However, some children who cannot read at the ages of 2 and 3 may still develop sight-reading or decoding at the ages of 4 or 5, and this may be diagnosed with hyperlexia.

3. Is hyperlexia a stand-alone diagnosis?

No, hyperlexia is not currently a stand-alone diagnosis. It is often given as a label along with autism. It does not appear as an official diagnosis in psychological and psychiatric diagnostic manuals; instead, it is a practice label.

4. Does hyperlexia ever go away or fade?

It’s crucial to understand that hyperlexia is a lifelong condition. Once a child is hyperlexic, they will always be hyperlexic. However, their intense fascination with letters and numbers may lessen over time, and their interests may shift.

5. Is hyperlexia hereditary?

While there isn’t strong evidence linking hyperlexia directly to genetics, it often occurs in families with a history of learning differences or developmental disorders.

Accurate and early identification of hyperlexia can be beneficial for the child. Children with Hyperlexia are often very intelligent and highly gifted. They have an extreme interest and curiosity in learning, and older children with hyperlexia may often be academically gifted and highly verbal. At times, these gifts may be so obvious that you will need to give very little attention to the language difficulties of hyperlexia or the very nature of the learning style.

References/Resources:

1. How is Hyperlexia in Children Treated?; California Scottish Rite Foundation; https://www.casrf.org/post/how-is-hyperlexia-in-children-treated

2. Ostrolenk. A, d’Arc Forgeot. B, Jelenic. P, et al.; Hyperlexia: Systematic review, neurocognitive modelling, and outcome; Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S014976341630639X

3. HYPERLEXIA; The University of Arizona; https://slhs.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/Hyperlexia_2016.pdf

4. Lamônica. D. A, Gejão. M. G, Prado. L. M, et al.; Reading skills in children diagnosed with hyperlexia: case reports; PubMed; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24408490/

5. Treffert. D. A; Hyperlexia III: Separating ‘Autistic-like’ Behaviors from Autistic Disorder; Assessing Children who Read Early or Speak Late; Wisconsin Medical Journal; https://wmjonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/110/6/281.pdf

6. Recognizing the Signs of Hyperlexia in Children; California Scottish Rite Foundation;
https://www.casrf.org/post/recognizing-the-signs-of-hyperlexia-in-children

7. Autism; WHO; https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/autism-spectrum-disorders

Also Read:

Dyslexia in Kids
ADHD in Children
Developmental Delay in Kids
Intellectual Disability (Mental Retardation) in Children