Special notice:
8/6/2004: The AHA is currently inactive. AHA is a volunteer run organization of parents of hyperlexic children. With the demands of life and raising a special needs child, we currently lack the organizational leadership and volunteers needed to publish newsletters, answer inquiries, and maintain the web site. I will continue to host this site at this address so you can have access to the valuable materials contained herein, however the site will not be maintained until further notice. Unfortuately, I will also have to disconnect the guestbook feature because malicious people seem to like to write rude and offensive things, and I'm frankly tired of receiving hate mail from well-meaning visitors complaining to me about what these rude people post there.
Please feel free to use, copy, and print any content on the web site. These have been of great value in raising my own son. I hope they continue to help those parents who continue to discover this syndrome, seeking help understanding and remediating the unique challenges this adventure brings.
October 2005: Hyperlexia Listserv at St. Johns has moved to Yahoo. Click here to subscribe.
Ted Whaley
Use navigator menu in the left-hand frame to locate information.
Hyperlexia is a syndrome observed in children who have the following
characteristics:
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A precocious ability to read words, far above what would be expected at their
chronological age or an intense fascination with letters or numbers.
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Significant difficulty in understanding verbal language
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Abnormal social skills, difficulty in socializing and interacting appropriately
with people
In addition, some children who are hyperlexic may exhibit the following
characteristics:
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Learn expressive language in a peculiar way, echo ro memorize the sentence
structure without understanding the meaning (echolalia), reverse pronouns
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Rarely initiates conversations
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An intense need to keep routines, difficulty with transitions, ritualistic
behavior
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Auditory, olfactory and / or tactile sensitivity
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Self-stimulatory behavior
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specific, unusual fears
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Normal development until 18-24 months, then regression
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strong auditory and visual memory
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Difficulty answering "Wh--" questions, such as "what," "where," "who," and "why"
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Think in concrete and literal terms, difficulty with abstract concepts
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Listen selectively, appear to be deaf
Why identify children with hyperlexia across diagnostic categories?
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to understand the common way in which they process language
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to understand the common way in which they learn
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to assess strengths in visual processing and reading
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to devise effective therapeutic and educational programs
This Hyperlexia Network Site is owned by Ted and Julie Whaley.