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Hyperlexia in autistic adults

Lotus

Recently the subject of hyperlexia came up on another thread where I briefly discussed it, but I've since been wondering if it can help mask autism.

Hyperlexia in children is categorized by word reading ability well above what would be expected for their age, and an intense fascination for written material from an early age. It is now thought that there are three types of hyperlexia, and type 2 occurs in children with autism - they often prefer books and magnetic letters over other toys, and frequently remember important numbers like license plates and birth dates.

In adults, hyperlexia includes preferring written communication over verbal conversation, feeling more comfortable writing than speaking, a love of language, patterns & wordplay, and getting lost in a book. Here is a link to a fuller description:

https://www.sagebrushcounseling.com/blog/hyperlexia-in-adults

I'm wondering if an ability to be incredibly articulate in writing helps mask verbal communication problems?

Parents

  • Thank you to   and   for your interesting replies.

    I think it is true that autistic people often prefer written communication to verbal, due to processing and sensory problems and because writing gives us time to think about responses. So it can be difficult to identify whether certain traits are due to autism, hyperlexia, or both.

    However maybe hyperlexia can help an autistic person mask more because reading lots of fiction novels gives the reader an insight into the thoughts and feelings of the characters and how they respond to situations and issues, which might cause them to act the same way to blend in. Also, in the workplace an autistic hyperlexic person can appear confident in a situation such as giving a presentation, because they are working from a written script they are familiar with.

    What I have realised is that I actually understand the written word better than the spoken word. Even when I'm relaxed at home and not having to deal with people socially, I have found that using subtitles on TV and movies gives me more clarity. I can understand written instructions better than verbal ones, even if the verbal instructions are on a recording and I don't have the issue of being face to face with someone.

    I'm wondering if it was an autistic/hyperlexic person who invented writing?

Reply

  • Thank you to   and   for your interesting replies.

    I think it is true that autistic people often prefer written communication to verbal, due to processing and sensory problems and because writing gives us time to think about responses. So it can be difficult to identify whether certain traits are due to autism, hyperlexia, or both.

    However maybe hyperlexia can help an autistic person mask more because reading lots of fiction novels gives the reader an insight into the thoughts and feelings of the characters and how they respond to situations and issues, which might cause them to act the same way to blend in. Also, in the workplace an autistic hyperlexic person can appear confident in a situation such as giving a presentation, because they are working from a written script they are familiar with.

    What I have realised is that I actually understand the written word better than the spoken word. Even when I'm relaxed at home and not having to deal with people socially, I have found that using subtitles on TV and movies gives me more clarity. I can understand written instructions better than verbal ones, even if the verbal instructions are on a recording and I don't have the issue of being face to face with someone.

    I'm wondering if it was an autistic/hyperlexic person who invented writing?

Children
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