Are any of my readers Hyperlexic? If so, what was that experience like for you?

Also, if you could go back and tell your childhood teachers and other adults in your life one thing about your Hyperlexia, what would it be?

I would tell them, “I needed more support than they realized“.

If you’ve never heard of Hyperlexia before, it is when a person can read words very, very well (often better than most people). We may also struggle more with understanding the full context of what we read. In addition, many of us who are Hyperlexic often understand what we read more easily than what is said to us out loud.

There are two parts to reading:

1. Decoding (recognizing words/symbols).
2. Comprehension (understanding context, inference, and subtext of what we read).

In Hyperlexia, we tend to be VERY good at decoding, but comprehension (especially of social language) isn’t always as strong.

Hyperlexic people may easily read a difficult book, a news article, or a long document, but we might miss the hidden meanings that are not clearly spelled out. This means that, especially when we are younger, we might not get jokes or sarcasm, or we may take phrases like “it’s raining cats and dogs” literally.

Many people who are hyperlexic in school read far above the expected grade level.

For example, in the first grade, my reading level was tested, and I was found to be reading at grade level 12+, which was as high as the test could score, so my reading level was literally off the charts.

With Hyperlexic children: We might teach ourselves to read before age 3 (I taught myself to read at age 1.5, which surprised the adults in my life), and we may understand the words we are reading, but struggle to answer questions about the context of what we read, like “Why is the character sad?”

With Hyperlexic adults: We can often read complex work reports or college textbooks, but we may still struggle to understand what our boss really means in an email (if it isn’t clearly spelled out).

Hyperlexic adults may also have a strong preference for written communication, finding written instructions and information much easier to digest and comprehend than spoken instructions and information.

In both kids and adults, Hyperlexia and Autism are often linked (though there are Hyperlexic people who are not Autistic and Autistic people who are not Hyperlexic).

According to the Cleveland Clinic, approximately 84% of Hyperlexic children are Autistic, but only 6% to 14% of Autistic children are Hyperlexic.

In my case, Hyperlexia was one of the biggest (missed) signs that I was Autistic.

I was reading Stephen King and Anne Rice in elementary school, but at the same time, I struggled with other academic subjects (like math and science).

Also, due to my unidentified ADHD and unmet sensory needs, I struggled with impulse control and staying seated and quiet in class. However, because I could read at such a high level, my areas of weakness weren’t recognized as such (instead, they were seen as laziness, missed potential, and willful noncompliance).

For me, language is texture, syllables are patterns, and grammar and sentence structure are a logical puzzle I love to solve.

Because I could decode complex words early, adults assumed I understood the world around me more than I actually did. I was labeled “gifted,” and once this label was placed upon me, my struggles were labeled as “boredom” and “not being challenged enough,” so no one looked closer.

People thought I was “wise beyond my years.” In reality, I was just an Autistic kid who figured out that if I used big words, adults would speak to me in a more respectful way (instead of using baby talk) or they would leave me alone with my books, but the reality was much more complicated…

Books and the written words were my first obsession.

I wasn’t just reading words. I was collecting them. I wanted to “catch them all” (like Pokémon).

I was a word hoarder who didn’t just read early. I read to understand a world that never came with a user manual.

I was the kid who would read dictionaries and encyclopedias for fun, memorizing the words and definitions one by one. These books were orderly and made sense (unlike the chaos among my classmates).

I was collecting language like data points to survive. I memorized phrases and mimicked tone. I used big words to buy myself time to figure out what people actually meant.

Hyperlexia wasn’t a reading superpower (though the adults around me sure seemed to think it was). Yes, it did bring me skills and pleasure, but it was also a double-edged sword.

It was my first coping mechanism. It got me praised, but it also got me overlooked.

I was an expert at reading the words on the page. However, I needed extra help understanding the deeper meaning behind those words and using them in daily life (extra help nobody offered me because I was assumed to be more competent than I actually was).

Hyperlexic adults: Anyone relate?

Do you prefer texting over phone calls because you comprehend better when you can ‘see‘ and process the words visually?

Do you still process written words faster than spoken ones? (Like, if you read a menu, you’re fine, but if the waiter lists the specials, your brain buffers?)

#Hyperlexia #LateDiagnosedAutistic #TwiceExceptional #ActuallyAutistic #NeuroAffirming #Hyperlexic #AutisticJoy #AutisticAdult #Neurodivergent

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This post was written with the assistance of Focused Space (a sponsor of the Neurodivergent Rebel blog).

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Focused Space is an ADHD-focused, Neurodiversity affirming, goal‑setting, and online co‑working / body‑doubling platform designed to help people prioritize, stay motivated, and bust through procrastination (and it is something I believe in and personally use every day).

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Learn more about how I use it here!

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