Not Always A Hyperlexic Kid Is Autistic
25th February 2022
Often considered as ‘Splinter Skill’, Hyperlexia is a special ability and a child having this gift starts reading pretty early and that is beyond their normal range of capabilities. Such a child develops a strong affinity for letters and numbers from a very early age and that is quite surprising. Though not always yet Hyperlexia is often a part of the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) while therapists often use these hyperlexic skills as essential tools for their treatment approaches.
A special school or an inclusive classroom maybe a bunch of hyperlexic students and without knowing their traits, it becomes impossible for a teacher to associate himself/herself with them. Therefore, Online Learning Disabilities Course for Teachers helps teachers in getting more information about Hyperlexia. These courses provide explicit and genuine information about hyperlexia, causes of hyperlexia, patterns, symptoms treatments, and so on.
TYPES OF HYPERLEXIA:
Technically, there are three types of Hyperlexia. While some of the traits disappear with time naturally, others are almost like that of autism.
Hyperlexia 1: This type is a unique one when a child starts learning words and numbers which is beyond the expected level. Generally, other children take quite a bit of time to get along with these things and this condition in a hyperlexic child is temporary. At this stage, there are no other special abilities.
Hyperlexia 2: Now this is quite enchanting as kids have a huge level of affinity towards numbers and letters, and they are pretty obsessed with number books and magnetic letters than other toys. These symptoms are quite visible in autistic kids and they can even remember number plates, license numbers, and so on. They have features similar to that of autistic kids when it comes to social coordination.
Hyperlexia 3: Quite similar to hyperlexia 2 but in this case the symptoms disappear with time. Type 3 hyperlexic kids have an excellent memory, smooth reading comprehension but their verbal abilities lag behind. Unlike typical autistic children, they respond well to social interaction.
SIGNS OF HYPERLEXIA:
It is not always possible to figure out if your kid is a hyperlexic one by observing and not always a kid has to be autistic to have hyperlexia. There are certain signs or symptoms which if observed very minutely, hyperlexia can be diagnosed. A hyperlexic child might figure out how to decrypt a word or spell words very quickly, but not understand or comprehend most of what they’re reading.
- Despite being able to read well, children having hyperlexia display signs of a developmental disorder, as in they are unable to communicate with other kids fluently like kids of their ages.
- Their understanding and learning skills are below average than children who are not hyperlexic. They are attracted to numbers and digits while other tasks like putting together puzzles and figuring out toys and games are a bit tricky to them.
- They’ll learn to read rapidly without much teaching and sometimes even teach themselves how to read.
- Kids with hyperlexia will like books and other reading materials more than playing with other toys and games.
DIAGNOSIS:
To date, no such medical test has been invented to clinically state if a child is hyperlexic or not. Hyperlexia is normally diagnosed based on the behavioral pattern of a kid. Like any learning disorder, the sooner a child receives a perfect diagnosis, the faster they’ll have their needs being catered to.
A hyperlexic kid who is under-diagnosis might be given special tests that are used to find out their understanding of language. Some of these might involve playing with blocks or a puzzle and just having a conversation. The doctor generally will examine a child’s hearing, vision, and reflexes. Sometimes hearing problems can prevent or delay speaking and communication skills.
TREATMENT:
There are various treatments for hyperlexic children so that their social interaction skills and other abilities become smoother.
Speech and language therapy: It can help improve the language and social skills of children with hyperlexia. Their advanced reading abilities are used to help develop and improve their special abilities, which may include social interaction and understanding. Skills on which doctors have main focus are:
- Social skills
- Higher-level language skills
- Understanding spoken language
- Writing and speaking
- Visual methods to support understanding
- Visual schedules and timelines
- Association games to teach word relations
- Social stories
- Cause and effect predictions
- Strategies for parents and teachers
Occupational therapy: This therapy is specialized for each person, but the occupational therapist always works on several areas of difficulty, which may include.
- Sleeping
- Feeding
- Practicing self-care
- Participating in school activities
- Participating in social activities
- Writing
- Responding to sensory stimulation appropriately
So, we hope this information about Hyperlexia will be enough for treating the kid initially. Regular classrooms may be too stimulating for them, and kids may learn better in a one-on-one situation with doctors or special education teachers. All children with hyperlexia will benefit from learning the skills they need through the written language and Online Learning Disabilities Course for Teachers will help every teacher to guide kids with hyperlexia.
