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Any advise on hyperlexia?

camden

My son of five appears to have hyperlexia (but no functional language!) and I'm not sure if that's a splinter skill or if he actually just hyperlexic.  He recently made the computer his new best friend and spends long periods of time typing words, some he understands and others he seems to retain as info.

He spells words and types the letters of the alphabet forwards and backwards and at the moment can spell and read well over a hundred words.  He appears to like rather long word (for his age) between 6 to 10 letters long and is completely self motivated. 

How can I stretch this talent and get him to read without pressuring him? Also an advise on experience with hyperlexia would be great. Thanks :)

  •  

    'the teacher used to leave me reading to the whole class when I was 4 while she popped out of the room.  I'd have my peers all sitting on the rug in front of me, with me on a chair reading!'- that's just wonderful and beautiful all at the same time.

    Thanks :)

  • With my youngest, she would memorise whole books from the pictures, and I could tell she wasn't actually reading it - she has a prodigious memory.  But she was still reading young, so it certainly didn't seem to hold her up.  I used to know she was reading from memory and not actually reading because she would substitute the odd word (that meant the same) and because of the speed she "read" at and the fact that I saw her looking at the pictures so she was using a graphic memory to remind her of what it said on the page.  I used to do do phonetic cards with her when teaching her real reading, she just learned so quickly.  I think the interest is there in hyperlexic children so you don't have to pressure yourself about it.  I was called a book-worm as a child and the teacher used to leave me reading to the whole class when I was 4 while she popped out of the room.  I'd have my peers all sitting on the rug in front of me, with me on a chair reading!  It's difficult to advise on your son as every child is an individual, but as long as reading material is available, you talk to him a lot so he can hear how words are used in sentences, and read with him he should be fine.  My daughter is a pretty advanced reader for her age, but she stil mispronounces some new words, I only have to tell her once the correct way they are pronounced though and she will remember it from then onwards.  She's like a little databank!

  • IntenseWorld

    That's my son exactly! He spells the names of authors, words on posters or from books and I'm not sure if he is decoding the words or is this more of a visual memory.  From your experience and your observation of your children, which do you think it is? I ask this as I teach my son objects, people etc through the use of the written words.  I'm trying to figure out if I should teach him how to keep reading in phonetically or should I just give the whole words and he will just retain them as they are?

    Thank you once again for your response...I dont come by direct answers as I do on here...usually me reading endless articles online and then swimming in my own head with all of it :)

  • You will find that hyperlexics naturally read things, as you have found, he is self-motivated.  You could look into online resources for gifted & talented children.  In school you would ask about their programme for the gifted & talented to ensure he was fulfilling his potential.  I was a hyperlexic child and both my girls are too.  The only thing you need to be sure of that I can think of, is understanding of word meanings and using in context as it's easy to memorise words and use them not quite appropriately.