Hyperlexia in autistic adults

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
  • Not sure if criteria would be met but my mum who is most likely also autistic taught herself to read by age 3 and could read perfectly by then. I didn’t learn that early but my reading ability was also very good for my age at school and I used to read a lot- at times a book per day even during school weeks - I hate writing though. I’m also autistic. 

Reply
  • Not sure if criteria would be met but my mum who is most likely also autistic taught herself to read by age 3 and could read perfectly by then. I didn’t learn that early but my reading ability was also very good for my age at school and I used to read a lot- at times a book per day even during school weeks - I hate writing though. I’m also autistic. 

Children
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