A
syndrome found in
young children that resembles
autism. It is characterized by a
significant difficulty in understanding
verbal language, and
social interaction, but an ability to
read words at a level
far above what one would
expect at their age. The sources I found on it gave no
information on how it is
caused, but I found a few
symptoms:
- ritualistic behavior, and an obsessive need for routine
- strong visual memory and auditory memory.
- Difficulty with abstract concepts
- Difficulty answering who/what/when/where/why questions.
- Selective listening, and the appearance of being deaf
Children with hyperlexia tend to develop normally until they are 18-24 months old. An old
boss of mine had a 6-year old hyperlexic child, who I met once. He seemed
shy and
withdrawn, and
preoccupied with the
office plants, to the extent of '
watering' one.
Hyperlexia is treated by taking the child to a therapist, who will help the child work out ways to fit in with other people. One therapist outlines nine major points of hyperlexia treatment:
- Use written and visual models.
- Use patterned language.
- Use open ended sentences.
- Generate Rules.
- Use examples rather than explanations.
- Use rote learning.
- Teach one way, then reverse the procedure.
- Teach specific pragmatic rules.
- Use parents a co-therapists.
If treatment goes well, hyperlexic
children should be able to function as shy
kindergarteners, and later as
gifted students who are able to figure out their own ways to
overcome or
take advantage of their condition.
Thanks to www.hyperlexia.org for the info.