Hyperlexia is defined as "the combination of advanced reading skills and poor comprehension". Hyperlexic children learn to spell long words before the age of 2 and read sentences before the age of 3. Stating that these children generally have difficulty in understanding the sentences they read and hear, despite their very high word reading ability, Specialist. Dr. Algun Tüfekçi pointed out that hyperlexic children often have difficulties in interacting and socializing appropriately with people.
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Child - Adolescent Psychiatry Specialist Dr. Algun Tüfekçi from Üsküdar University NP Etiler Medical Center gave important information about hyperlexia.
Tüfekçi said, "Hyperlexia is defined as the coexistence of poor comprehension skills and advanced reading skills, the acquisition of reading skills earlier than expected from chronological age without explicit teaching, and a strong orientation towards written material, usually in the context of a neurodevelopmental disorder."
They can read words at 1.5 years old
"Hyperlexic reading acquisition often occurs before the age of 5, when communicative oral language has not yet been seen," said Specialist Dr. Algun Tüfekçi. Dr. Algun Tüfekçi said, "The vast majority of hyperlexic children have the ability to read words at about 1.5 years of age. Some hyperlexic children have learned to spell long words before the age of two and read sentences before the age of three."
Although they have high reading skills, they have difficulty in comprehension
Pointing out that the reading style of hyperlexic children is not communicative, Specialist. Prof. Dr. Algun Tüfekçi said, "Although their word reading skills are very high, hyperlexics often have difficulty understanding the sentences they read and hear. A 2018 meta-analysis study (scientific studies conducted between 1981-2017 were included) showed that children with hyperlexia have difficulty understanding what they listen to and read, despite their good word reading skills. A small number develop reading comprehension and the ability to use spoken language in a communicative way in the period after the onset of hyperlexia.
Rarely, it can also occur in children not on the autism spectrum. In these children, it manifests itself as a reasonable temporary interest in all types of printed material. This interest gradually fades in later ages."
Significant difficulties in understanding spoken language
Uzm. Dr. Algun Tüfekçi said, "It should be remembered that hyperlexia is not a diagnosis in itself. Today, there is no consensus on the definition and criteria of hyperlexia. For this reason, it should not be inferred that all of these symptoms must be present at the same time," he warned, listing the general characteristics of hyperlexia as follows:
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- "Precocious word reading ability, well above what would be expected for his chronological age,
-An intense fascination with letters or numbers,
-Significant difficulties in understanding spoken language,
-Abnormal social skills, difficulties interacting and socializing appropriately with people,
-Normal development up to the age of two and then regression in development,
-Learning expressive language in a strange way - memorizing sentence structure without understanding its meaning,
-Rarely spontaneous initiation of conversations,
-Don't pretend to be deaf,
-Difficulty responding to 5N 1K questions,
-Thinking in a concrete and real sense,
-Having difficulty with abstract concepts,
-An intense need to stick to a routine, difficulty with transitions, ritualistic behaviors,
-Auditory, olfactory or tactile sensitivity,
-Do not show self-stimulating behaviors,
-Having unique, unusual fears,
-Having a strong visual and auditory memory."
Most hyperlexic children are gifted
Child - Adolescent Psychiatry Specialist Dr. Algun Tüfekçi from Üsküdar University NP Etiler Medical Center said, "Most, if not all, hyperlexic children have an above average intelligence level. In most cases, they show superiority in intellectual abilities. They can learn almost anything if the concepts are presented visually, in accordance with their learning style. They are intellectually sharp. Reading, math, geography and astronomy are subjects in which they are often ahead of their peers."
"These children learn primarily through reading, so the therapeutic and educational programs we design for them need to take their reading skills into account. For these children, reading is a powerful tool for learning and developing weak language and social skills. Therefore, it is important to use written language to improve their weaknesses. Once the child with hyperlexia starts to understand spoken language, written language can be gradually reduced and used only when new confusing things come up.
Early intervention increases children's chances of success
Although hyperlexia is a key symptom when describing a learning difference in a child, it is not a diagnosis in itself. Rather, it is a continuum of other disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorders, language disorders and non-verbal learning disorders. For this reason, rehabilitation programs should be created to increase social skills and speech and language therapy should be applied for receptive and expressive language problems. Identifying hyperlexia is important when children are young, as early intervention increases their chances of success. Although symptoms tend to decrease over time, the characteristic learning style remains into adulthood."
