Subscribe Via RSSAdults with Hyperlexia
You Mean There’s Two of Us?
Not too much is known about hyperlexia, nor are there many adults who are aware that they may have it. So I was pretty intrigued when I met Codeman38, who he said he already knew about it AND that it described him! He may be the first adult I’ve encoutered besides myself who identifies as hyperlexic.*
What We Have in Common
We’re almost the same age and have noticed some amazing similarities in our gifts as well as our challenges. For example, we both:
- Were spelling bee kids (he was in the National Spelling Bee!)
- Obsess over typefaces and fonts
- Studied/researched linguistics – computational linguistics for him, psycholinguistics for me
- Have auditory processing difficulties and avoid the phone with a passion (Codeman38 has a solution for everything)
- Have difficulties processing depth/distance and the speed of moving objects
I’ve come across quite a few people who claim to have an intense interest in various forms of text and language (such as typefaces and grammar), but I don’t hear about any sensory, motor, and social skills issues that would place them on the autistic spectrum.
The Proofreader’s Hall of Shame
I could go on and on about the amazing things I’ve learned about hyperlexia in real life, but will save them for another post! For a good laugh, check out Codeman38′s Proofreader’s Hall of Shame. People have tried to make me feel guilty for noticing their spelling and grammar mistakes, but it’s good to know I’m not the only one with this ability. And that the world needs people like us! Really, you have to see the immense collection of typos he’s put together. Here’s just one example:
I wear frozen beef panties. Do you?
*As I’ve noted in an earlier post, hyperlexia is a fairly new term (I stand corrected; the word has been around for a few decades – but recognition of the condition is recent) and we were not tested for it as children. I don’t even think they test adults for it as it’s probably not seen as relevant. So adults often self-diagnose hyperlexia retrospectively, although it’s helpful to already have an AS diagnosis. You’ll find more resources on hyperlexia here.
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ETA (5/29/09): I think I failed to emphasize when I originally wrote this post that hyperlexia is more than just an interest in language; it also involves social skills issues. The significant impairment in social functioning is why many people consider hyperlexia part of the autistic spectrum.
It seems that it is possible to receive an “official” adult diagnosis, although given how difficult it is to find a competent doctor to diagnose adult autism/Aspergers, it’s probably safe to say that hyperlexia is still a rare diagnosis in adulthood. Again, I think you’re more likely to receive an Aspergers/HFA diagnosis with those symptoms.
I’ll try to do a post in the near future on strategies to make the best of a hyperlexic learning style.
39 Responses
I have some similar experiences as well, with the exception of studying linguistics. I’m the one everyone asks for help with spelling and grammar, my mom has had me proofread some of her writing for work, I hate the phone with a passion, and I can’t judge the speed of a moving object. I always wait forever to turn onto a busy street and whoever happens to be with me thinks I could have made the turn 5 times by time I find a gap in traffic big enough for me to trust.
I have no idea if I had it as a kid, but then they barely knew anything about ASD round these parts when I was small, I feel like I’m living out in the boonies with the way my city is so devoid of resources for adults with ASD.
Asdquefty’s last blog post..I Went in a Big Pointless Circle… and Pondered
You should definitely check out the links at the end…one of the biggies is how old you were when you started reading. Were you any earlier than usual? Hyperlexia is still a fuzzy concept and even newer than Aspergers, which is why no one knows how to categorize or diagnose it.
Although you’re not studying linguistics, you do work with computer languages if you think about it…
Wow, asdquefty, I’ve never before considered that my inability to make a turn was linked with ASD. I usually won’t pull in front of any car, no matter how far away. I just avoid all left turns, that way I don’t make other drivers angry waiting behind me. Yes, I drive in circles.
Phones are terrible. I never make any calls I don’t absolutely have to. Can’t even talk on the phone with my husband. We were glad when text chatting became easily available.
My husband has always said that Latin and Greek are very similar to computer languages in period and subordination of clauses, but he’s “not ASD–just a cold hearted SOB” (his words, not mine.
Agentwool, I doubt he’s that cold hearted if you’re with him
There’s a certain personality among aspies where we prefer facts, truths, and being honest over making people feel good, but that’s long to say.
Asdquefty’s last blog post..I Went in a Big Pointless Circle… and Pondered
I have to say, my typing was awful in that last comment. I get too nervous leaving comments, typing and grammar go to pot.
agentwool’s last blog post..Syllogisms
i want some frozen beef panties…
Archkittens’s last blog post..Lunch
FWIW, it seems diagnoses of hyperlexia started appearing around 1969-1970. The earliest citation I’ve found is from 1967.
social skills issues that would place them on the autistic spectrum.how would you diagnoise someone with this type of hyperlexia.?
I’m trying to figure out if I have hyperlexia. I am going to see my doctor next week. I’m 32 years old, constantly have trouble communicating with the people closest to me. They say, “you’re so intelligent. I don’t get how you just seem not to care. You’re so lazy!” and things like that. I say back, “I really do care. I just don’t understand what you are saying / asking, please reexplain!” I can’t read nuances, can’t read “between the lines” or comprehend most of what I read (unless it’s a documentary style book or children’s book).
I have to take notes EVERY time I talk to someone about something that lasts for more than 10 seconds or I’ll forget what they’ve said or mix it up with something else. I am amazing at math, particularly algebra and logic.
I am also pretty damn good with grammar. Well, I was… back in school. I’ve since let the internet ruin my grammar skills.
I have failed every reading comprehension test I’ve ever taken. I was the girl who raised my hand a hundred times in class, asking for clarification. I repeat myself constantly, especially if I am stressed or really trying hard to get my point across. I go in circles in my conversation, more for me than for the person I am talking to.
I can read very clearly and very well, but I have no clue WHAT I just read without discussing it with others (in depth). I love movies and shows, but reading is very strenuous for me. I can finish about 2 to 3 books a year, if I try hard! I’ll miss part of the story line.
I am a photographer – my world exists through my technical art. I also LOVE to write and blog. I don’t read many blogs though… I prefer bullet points and outlines.
I’m going to try to learn more about hyperlexia to see if this has been plaguing me since childhood or if it’s something else. I always feel lonely, even when I am with dozens of people. I never feel like anyone understands me, but I feel I understand everyone. Apparently, I don’t.
Learning is really hard for me. I barely made it through college. I enjoy photography, hiking, camping, jewelry design, working with my hands, teaching other people, hanging out with friends, talking about subjects I know well, etc.
I would love to meet some of you!
Arielle
im hoping to be a psyhicologist and whist reading upon hyperlexia and read about it i belive i have been suffering from it all my life becasue one reason i want to become a psyhicologist is to understand why we think how we do or how i do and i just keep goin around in circles and i have a desire into reading into things more closley and i do struggle with remembering things that have just been said to me and didnt really do good at english but i was good at maths and logically work things out but i had a time in the amry where me work things out in a team and organising was pritty much second nature to me becasue for me to function i n need to organised otherwise i just find myself gettin streessed out and thinking over the top theroys and i always anaylising people in the socail aspect and it not not until i came 27 i found i wanted to do this and be who i am and i dont belive i had hyperlexia cuz how my life been and when others explain it sound so simular to mine how we think about things and im always going in circles.
arielle i would like to know more and see if i can still relate and see that im not alone on how i think and work things out so feel free to e-mail cuz in a way 2 heads are better than 1 tryi n to work it out and for others to find out who they are and what i been reading about hyperlexia is it a gift or just a burden on ones life in a struggle to understand.themselves?
Arielle, thanks for stopping by! Out of curiosity, what type of doctor are you seeing? Unless the doctor is very specialized or up to date (which pitifully few are), you might run into some frustration when you bring up hyperlexia.
Were you ever tested for a learning disorder as a child? Did they look into the underlying cause of the reading difficulties?
That’s a good strategy to take notes during conversations. Do you carry a notebook like a Moleskine? Things like that are awesome to have!
What exactly do you mean when you say people accuse you of being lazy or not caring? Are you referring to social skills or difficulty following conversations?
Hi Roehead, nice to meet you! A lot of this is confusing, to be sure. Maybe it would be helpful if I made a more straightforward version of the information I have (which is really not that much).
Could you tell us what leads you to believe you may have hyperlexia and not another ASD? Maybe we can help you sort this out?
im sorry if its doenst make sense its hard tryin to explain etc as im not really acidemically correct with grammer and writing skills and its just hard because of the way i think its never just one answer i just think dead quick and i get all other possbilitys and its also hard comin up with an example.im sorry again if its all confusing but it is to me lol.but its just how i think and just need help understanding and im not seein any doctors or anythin like it and dont really wish to.as i probley have to deal with a few emotional socail depression with the doctor. but i really would like help and guidence
ok somtimes i know an answer to a maths question without knowin i know and i always turn to music to deal with life traumas and im always reading people and very good at it as im told and i just have a great understanding of peoples feelings and the desire to be a good pyshcologist which i just started studying and this how i came up across hyperlexia and i do relate it to myself and i have an intense interest in socail and sensory issues which i find im really good at but reading people all my life never understood why until now lol i bet i sound mad but im not.just looking for answers and understanding myself
I have similar characteristics (obsessed w/ linguistics, typefaces etc, has excellent spelling etc.), but I definitely wouldn’t make a good proofreader because of my attention disorder…
I just heard about hyperlexia yesterday. Wow, I always knew there was something going on with me, and now I’m pretty darn sure that I’ve found it. I’ve been telling my friends and my fiance that I dont remember learning how to read…and I dont…at ALL. I also have an excellent ability to remember phone numbers, my friends call me the human phone book.
I’ve always read at an advanced level, in 6th grade, my reading level was 12th grade 2nd semester, and in 8th grade I had post-high school reading level. I have also been very good at spelling my entire life. The proof reading comment from above also hit home.
When I was a child I was very “shy” also. And now that I’m older, I do have difficulty talking to family members that I never really got to know and strangers on the phone.
When people ask me how I am, I say, “good.” And I can just tell that theyre expecting me to say more, but my mind goes completely blank, i can not for the life of me think of anything else to say. They generally walk away.
I’ve always been ok around my mom and younger sister and brother, but I’m a little uneasy around my 2 older sisters.
And also there are a few people who wanted to get to know me enough that they stuck with me through the awkwardness, that I am completely at ease with. Them being, my fiance, and my 3 VERY good friends. But, even my very good friends arent immune. If I dont see them in person for quite some time, i get wierd again. I also went through a period in my life, where I WOULDNT/COULDNT go up to a cashier at a store and pay for my items. That drove family and friends CRAZY, hahaha. That had to end when I had kids and moved out of my mom’s place. I still get a little nervous though. Also, to this day, I will not call and order food to be delivered, and I wont get the door when they come and I wont pay them. Someone else has to do it…everytime. I also had alot of ritualistic behaviors (like peeing in cups, etc.) that are way too numerous to speak of. And I also self-stimulated…(embarrassed.)
So, I’m sure there’s alot of stuff that i left out that i’m just not remembering at this time, but that’ll have to do.
Thanx,
Chantelle
(continued)
oh! I too am obsessed with fonts! Just 2 weeks ago, I downloaded like 200+ fonts.
And, when i was young, I HATED fuzzy things. My mom even wrote it in my baby book. To this day, i obsess about what kind of fabrics my clothes, bed sheets, etc. touch me. My most hated fabric is fleece.
My brother could not by any means sit by me at the dinner table, or i would freak out and not eat my food because I believed that he was breathing on it.
I was a loner too. I grew up with 3 sisters, and one brother, but I usually played in my room by myself.
And i remember things from when i was a baby. I’ll be talking about something that i remember from then, and my sisters always say, “you couldnt remember that, you were too young.”
I had a job once at a deli, and it took me FOREVER to remember all the buttons to press on the weighing & pricing computer. I dont have trouble remembering something when i’m truly interested in it, but things that i dont give two poops about but have to learn anyway, take me a long long time to learn.
Although, my reading comprehension is very good, I know you can have something, without having all the symptoms. And that being the only symptom i dont have, I’d say there is an excellent chance the i am Hyperlexic.
OK, that’s all for now……AGAIN.
Yes, I am so “wordy, wordy, wordy!” I always have been and can edit something to death!
I don’t know the answer to your number question. I have Dyscalculia. Again, I go for words. Math truly is a foreign language to me! That’s what Dyscalculia is all about! I also have Dysgraphia which is a complete insult for someone who loves words!!!
That Proofreader’s Hall of Shame! I just took one look…aaahhh! That is hilarious and I love sites like that! I am seriously putting that one on my blog! Way to go codeman38!
Oh, dear. I need to answer your numerical, value “thingie,” don’t I? Alright…deep breath. Think, PA. Think. You can do it…
Hey! I think I’ve got the answer! W00t! Let’s see if I do and then my comment shows up!
patientanonymous´s last blog ..Brain Rant!
I definitely am a self-diagnosed hyperlexic. I wasn’t aware that this was unusual, actually! My self-diagnosis of Asperger’s came about two years ago, with an official recognition currently in the works, and I’ve been using the term ‘hyperlexic’ in my advocacy for an official diagnosis. I meet the basic childhood criterion (extreme early reading–I was reading at about 18 months and writing at 30 months); I also meet many of your shared characteristics (all but the spelling bee, actually). I’ll do just about any linguistics, but my favourite branches are etymologies and politicolinguistics. My auditory processing difficulties are not strong enough for any diagnosis in that direction, but more just general and associated with the Asperger’s–difficulties following a conversation with a lot of background noise to the point that it feels like my hearing is fluctuating, and so forth.
Ali´s last blog ..when I was a child
Ali,
I have been self-diagnosed as well. How did you deal with it in oral directions and relationships? Hyperlexia is a high-performing Autism, from what I read. Usually people with it have problems with understanding social ques and the concept of give and take in relationships. Let me know how you dealt with it. Others are welcome to respond to this as well.
Scott
Hey Scott,
I’d love to know your source for hyperlexia as a form of autism. It fits in with a lot of my thoughts and research about the spectrum, but I’m a pedant and need source materials.
Oral directions are okay, as long as they’re simple. While this was never discussed when I was a kid, my family sees in retrospect that they tended to give me one to three step directions, and not more complicated multi-step ones that I theoretically should have been able to handle given I was a smart kid. I responded better to simpler sets, so that was what I was given.
Relationships are a sticking point due to AS, but I’m in therapy to better be able to identify my emotions and plan better how to deal with them–the same sort of therapy all kids on the spectrum should get, just as an adult.
Ali,
What kind of therapy are you getting? I would like to know.
I have no trouble with simple directions, but throughout college and in my computer science career, I was given complex directions orally and that was a huge obstacle for me. Back then, I would write down what they said and ask to repeat it again if I didn’t get everything, but I still did not get everything they said becuase I would only get a few things from that conversation… but what I do now that is very helpful is record conversations/directions using a recorder every important conversation and oral instruction. That has done me very well and has changed my life.
I would also write scripts to myself in Word or on paper before I talk to an important employer before interviewing on the phone or an imporant relationship matter. I would get my father to proofread or others that are close to make sure that my grammar and wording is correct. This has done me really well too.
Let me know what therapy you go to. Also for relationships, are yours getting better from this therapy? Can you see a difference in your social skills? Thanks for your input.
Scott
I just go to plain old talk therapy with a LCSW. I don’t consider hyperlexia to be a separate, meaningful diagnosis, so we don’t address it. We’ve spent our time working on my identification of emotions, as that’s a primary Asperger’s defecit for me. I haven’t noticed any change in my relationships.
I am a mother of a 4 year old. After 2 years of searching for an answer, we discovered Hyperlexia. It is almost a perfect fit. By the way I am feeling really insecure about my grammer right now.
I was super relieved to see comments from adults who have Hyperlexia.
My biggest fears are how will he be treated in elementary school, and will he be alone when others are married?
I realize that i am pretty emotional. I realize none of you can tell me what his future will be like. But maybe just hearing about the way some of you live will help me have more hope.
I am really interested in the moving objects. Meaning the depth/distance processing?
I will be anxiously waiting to hear from you. (Sorry for the pressure)
Thank you,
D
If you hold your mouse over any of the names in the replies to this post, you’ll find some of us have links to our own blogs. That might be a good way to start reading–many people keep personal blogs about their experiences on the autism spectrum and with hyperlexia, often with science to back them up. Also, it might be wise to ask your child’s school in the next year or two to do a formal psych evaluation; this should include an IQ test and other tests to determine both the child’s strengths and weaknesses. There’s a lot of overlap in the mild to moderate impairment end of the autism spectrum and not-quite-traditional “autism” diagnoses like Nonverbal Learning Disorder and hyperlexia– they all have very similar features (intelligence, facility with language, social skills defecits, and, often, physical clumsiness) but different final criteria that place importance on one area of skill or another (hyperlexia, as a diagnosis, values the reading skills of such children; NVLD values the verbal vs performance IQ gap that is common [but not universal!]; Asperger’s values the social skills defecits and stereotyped interests). A thorough evaluation will help tease out where your child fits in and which services will be most beneficial.
I’m am married and just had my third child in June. I was a late bloomer and dated a little later than my friends did. But when it’s hard to be in public places and talk to people you don’t know, I think that should be expected. Everything turned out great though and I’m happy now. I still get nervous in public places and talking to people I don’t know, it’s just not such a big deal anymore. =)=)=)
Thank you all for the fast reply. Chantelle it is great to hear that you have three kids and are married. Not that i feel everyone should be married with children. I only want to know my son will have great friendships and be satisfied with himself.
Right now he has a “fixation” with blue and the number 5. This started when he started preschool 2 months ago. I do not want to scold him, or in any way, be negative toward him. However, at school he won’t do the art project if it is not blue. This is a small example. Can anyone relate, or remember this behavior in childhood. Can anyone offer tips on how best to approach him.
Ali,I am in the process of getting a complete evaluation. We have had wonderful speech and lanuage therapy for the past year. Thank you for the ideas.
I have one more question. I read that Hyperlexia is a diagnosis that is not a part of the Autism spectrum, rather it has behaviors like Autism. I was also told by our doctor that a Speech Pathologist can make the diagnosis, whereas with Autism you need a neurologist. Any ideas?
Thank you again,
D
It’s not currently considered part of the official autism spectrum, no (that is the limited group of autism, Asperger’s, and pdd-nos). However, a lot of kids with hyperlexia exhibit traits of the autism spectrum and it’s sometimes considered a subgroup in pdd-nos (nonverbal learning disorder is treated much the same).
http://www.hyperlexia.org/gordy001.html
This might help you get an idea of how hyperlexia fits into the autism spectrum, though I found it to be somewhat out of date. I meet the criteria for Asperger’s, but had hyperlexic traits as a kid. Your doc was somewhat right; it’s common to see a SLP or neurologist for a hyperlexia diagnosis specifically, but a neurologist or child psychologist is the usual route to an autism spectrum diganosis. The important thing is to make sure that whomever you see is familiar with hyperlexia and the autism spectrum; if they are only familiar with one or the other they may overlook important features and only provide some of the support needed (the potential for dual diagnosis is pretty common, I suspect, but a lot of autism experts aren’t familiar with hyperlexia). You may also want to check out some easy pervasive developmental disorder (it sound so much scarier than it is!) checklists–I find this one to be particularly easy to use:
http://www.childbrain.com/pddassess.html
Frankly, for now, I’d just speak to his teachers, explain that he’s being evaluated, but that he’s fixated on this colour and could they perhaps try to accomodate it?
Chantelle,
How did you deal with your problems with Hyperlexia. I would like to know.
Scott
SCOTT,
I just had to deal with it. People always thought I was a weird kid and they still think so as an adult. I’m a very quiet person around people I don’t know well. When I was younger it was considered being, “shy.”
I also have/had trouble with people not taking me seriously. I don’t know if anyone else on this page does or not, but I always have. I’m telling people things exactly the way they are, and I’m guessing, that they think I’m talking just to hear myself. Oooh, that bugs me to no end! Just because I don’t speak much, doesn’t mean that whenever I do I don’t know what I’m saying or talking about…when I say something, it’s because I know it as fact. I’m not just taking guesses.
Anyway Scott, I just had to keep on keepin’ on…lol!
Sorry if I didnt answer your question to your satisfaction…I really don’t know how to answer it. I just lived my life…it was hard, but not impossible…
Ali,
Thank you again. We had enrolled our son in a program at the university in our neighborhood. It was designed to give speech and language therapy in a preschool setting. The program lasted 3 months. During that time we saw a neurologist.
The neuro basically said, “no pdd-nos, or any spectrum. Your child has language delay, and idiosyncratic personality traits.”
The University recommended we need no longer come. But that we need to enroll him in a regular preschool so that he can gain social skills.
When school started 2 months ago it was all downhill. These teachers can not deal with him not understanding directions at circle time. They can not understand his favorite color blue, or the great reading skills.
We are frustrated with their lack of education. It’s not like kids are clones. Why don’t these teachers know about different learning methods? I feel like i am in a 1950′s time freeze.
We will go where he will be understood, praised and supported. But it is not easy to find that atmosphere. That is really hard to accept.
I took that questionnaire/checklist on Childbrain. I took it several times last year and several times this year. It is great!
My appologies if i am abusing this blog.
I value all your time and advice!
D
To me, just based on what you’ve said, it really does sound like something autismy. Perhaps a pediatric psychologist?
Dani-
My 2.5 year old son was just diagnosed with hyperlexia. I am beyond panicked about many of the same things you are: what will his future look like? How will people treat him in school? Will he be happy? He is obsessed with numbers and letters and loves/needs to name everything. He only speaks in scripts he has memorized- strange to find that my son’s inner voice is, well, me. He sometimes seems to be “selectively deaf,” only hearing questions he wants to/can answer, and often not looking when I call his name. He is becoming more and more frustrated, and my sweet, beautiful boy is becoming more and more distant and difficult. Are you experiencing any of this? Do you have any other children? My son has a twin sister who is very social and is beginning to notice the differences between them… We are in the midst of getting more evaluations (fancy SLP, medical diagnostic team through early intervention, separate developmental pediatrician) but I am so worried about him at this point I don’t know what to do with myself. If his behavior continues to get stranger and more difficult to deal with, I’m not sure how I’ll manage.
Everyone,
Do you know if there is a group for Hyperlexia in Denver, CO? I am trying to figure out how others dealt with it so I can get some ideas on how to deal with this myself. Thanks everyone for your input.
Scott
Susan feel free to call, we can talk more. Here is an email address you can contact me at. We can exchange numbers than
Dani
Oh yeah the address is pilence@hotmail.com
Yep I think I have hyperlexia too and pretty much everything you and codeman38 have in common applies to me. I have a BA in linguistics and ancient languages, and an MA in linguistics (forensic linguistics and classical philology) too. I was a state spelling bee champion. I have auditory processing difficulties and visual processing difficulties. The only thing is I don’t pay much attention to fonts on the computer but I did spend a lot of type developing different styles of cursive writing and writing out words I found pretty when I was a kid. But I didn’t have access to computers till high school even though everyone else my age did because my parents are a bit technophobic. I also love license plates and cubed numbers.
I have always known how to read- although I didn’t know my alphabet when I started school. Many of the comments on here hit home with me- the phone phobia, being called weird, and picky about fonts. It is nice to know I am not so different after all.
I’ve got hyperlexia, I’ve been tested. I read fluently at 2 and had reading age of 15 off the scale.
Ihave photographic memory for numbers letters, lists. hence I have good spelling but bad organisation abilities
I have auditory processing problems,,and social phobia, can’t answer the door or the phone.
I have excellent research skills
Unfortunately now though I have the addition of symtpoms of fluoride poisoing from ssri drugs seroxat,which I overdosed on, which has made auditory processsing worse and given me CFS/ME