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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?

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

    I don't know that you need to be incredibly articulate to mask verbal communication problems, just ordinarily articulate would probably do. You are probably right that it is a form of masking, though. I could fire an e-mail off that reads, "Hi Bob, Can you send me a copy of the Smith report? Thanks," and I don't have to engage with Bob directly, stare at his mouth instead of his eyes, chat about the kids, etc. and otherwise make life difficult for myself ... and Bob!

    On the other hand, I love reading, words, etymologies, puzzles, etc. just for my own pleasure. If that is hyperlexia, I don't think it is a necessary requirement in order to use written communication as a masking strategy. Just the basics are all that's needed. However, hyperlexia might make someone more likely to prefer written communication (though I have no evidence to support that).

  • I'm a wordy person, I read and get lost in books, I enjoy word puzzles, I'm interested in word meanings and origins. I have a very good vocabulalry and in many ways I do prefer written communication, especially to the phone, but I'm OK face to face and I rarely have a problem getting across my point, although some people have already made up their minds about something and there's no changing them.

  • I think this is where the traits of different conditions gets confusing. I think a lot of autistic adults prefer written communication over verbal communication and that is because we find processing, the intensity of face to face etc so challenging. Writing gives us more time to really think about what we're trying to say and so we are often more articulate in writing. 

    I don't think this alone would make someone hyperlexic. I think it's just a common thing with autism. However paired with a fascination with language and words etc may well suggest hyperlexia. 

    I'm not an expert, that is just my perception.