18/05/2024
There’s a lot to more consider than the ability to read early.
WHAT IS HYPERLEXIA AND HOW CAN IT AFFECT THE AUTISTIC CHILD'S SCHOOL EXPERIENCE?
A child is considered hyperlexic when they develop a precocious ability to decode words and read well beyond what is expected for their age. Hyperlexia is common in autism (between 6-20% of Autistic children are hyperlexic), and 84% of all hyperlexics are Autistics, according to McGill University. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05057-x
Hyperlexic children often show an intense interest in numbers and letters, and their favourite toys may be magnetic letters they can play with on the fridge door, or felt letters they can arrange on a felt board. They prefer books and these alphabet play letters to more common types of toys.
Parents can be forgiven for thinking their little miracle is gifted when their child starts decoding words and reading fluently at the age of two, three, or four, or five years of age. Well, sometimes they are gifted, but other times--many times—the hyperlexic Autistic student struggles with learning disabilities and executive functioning skills needed for learning.
Let’s take a deeper look at some areas of struggle for hyperlexia Autistic children may experience at school. Keep in mind that not all hyperlexic Autistic children will be reflected in these examples:
COMPREHENSION: Their precocious reading skills may mask the fact that they do not understand what they are reading. They may not understand the meaning of individual words, or comprehend the entirety of the information they are able to read aloud so beautifully. The huge gap between their fluent reading/decoding skills and comprehension can cause problems. It can affect their self-confidence. After all, everyone says they are so smart, but they are not able to pass tests or answer questions related to the reading material. The child may struggle to mask their difficulties as they try to maintain the pride they feel from praise for their reading ability. As well, advanced reading skills can mean the child falls through the cracks. As teachers focus support on children who are learning or struggling to read, the Autistic hyperlexic child struggles alone with their lack of comprehension of the reading material.
LITERAL INTERPRETATION OF LANGUAGE Autistic hyperlexia children, like most Autistic children, understand language in very literal terms. This can mean nuance, humour, metaphors, inference, idioms and turns of phrase used in books are often misunderstood. This can lead to frustration and anxiety. A child may feel they understood the text perfectly well, only to find that are way off the mark when it comes to understanding what happened in a story. This can contribute to them misunderstanding the characters, and not catching on to the themes or plots in the text.
WRITING SKILLS While they demonstrate excellent reading/decoding skills based on their age, the hyperlexic Autistic child can struggle to produce written work. The challenges can be related to retrieving words to express their thoughts, and in organizing their thoughts on paper. Like many Autistic people, they may also have struggles with fine motor skills, where the requirement to print or write by hand is onerous, uncomfortable, and even painful.
CONCRETE THINKING While the hyperlexic Autistic child may be a skilled reader, they may only be motivated to read fact-based, non-fiction books, or books based on their areas of high interest. When asked to read a novel, it may be impossible to sustain attention on a book where nothing is real—it is all made up. Similarly, when required to read three pages of a history book, it may be difficult or impossible to initiate and follow through with that task.
MATH WORD PROBLEMS Just as they may struggle to understand the text they are reading, the hyperlexic Autistic child may have difficulty with word problems in math. While they can read the question beautifully, understanding what the question is asking can be a real challenge.
When the child cannot do the work, the emotional brain may take over (the amygdala/emotional brain from the thinking brain/pre-frontal cortex where executive functioning skills are located (i.e. task initiation, self-regulation, attention, organization, time management). At this point, the child who actually can’t do the work appears to be refusing to do the work.
Their appearance of academic competency leads teachers to believe the student is choosing not to do the work. They miss the reality that the student needs help and attribute it to work refusal, laziness, or inattention.
SOCIAL COMMUNICATION DIFFICULTIES: Many autistic children, including those with hyperlexia, have challenges with social communication and interaction. This can affect their ability to engage in group work, follow social cues, and participate in class discussions, leading to social isolation or misunderstandings with peers and teachers.
SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL IMMATURITY Teaching staff may have difficulty reconciling the advanced reading ability with the child’s everyday struggle to manage their emotions. As expected for their age. When they don’t understand instructions, the hyperlexic Autistic student may be unable to ask for help. Instead, responses such as protracted crying, eloping from the classroom, hiding under their desk to cope or other behaviours that are disruptive to the classroom. These emotional responses are in stark contrast to their age and precocious reading abilities.
Hyperlexic Autistic children benefit from teachers who understand the unique learning needs that can accompany Autism and contrasting strengths and needs of hyperlexia. They must have staff who understand the challenges they may have in expressing their struggles, and who know their reading skills may not reflect comprehension of writing abilities.
Were you hyperlexic? Do you have a hyperlexic Autistic child? Let us know what struggles you have experienced, and what approaches you found helpful.
