As always - I very much appreciate the time you take to answer my questions.
From reading and talking to people at CSLD in Chicago about it I understand that reading comprehension ability is the key differentiation in hyperlexia types.
If a young child decodes well, but has lower IQ (70) and comprehends what he decodes only at the level of his IQ, it is considered true hyperlexia, as in a disability and is much more likely to occur in ASD cases or other developmental disorders. If a young child decodes well and comprehends at his IQ level of 140, then there is no doubt that this is just precious gifted reading. These two outlying cases are pretty clear.
The real question is with the kids who decode well above their chronological age but comprehend at their IQ level, when their IQ level is more typical - 85-125 (like it is probably in my son's case, based on Cogat). Is that still a part of some disability or just a specific advanced ability unrelated to IQ, like music or art skill or sports?
Are advanced math abilities common in hyperlexic kids? There is zip about it in the hyperlexia studies. Nothing at all - everyone just focuses on single word reading. There is one study ("Reading and arithmetic in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders: Peaks and dips in attainment.") that says groups with arithmetic ability peaks and reading ability peaks are mutually exclusive. So is having a 99%ile math ability on top of above-level word decoding differentiates from the hyperlexia as a disability?
Are advanced spelling skills common in hyperlexia? Does spelling require comprehension? Some say yes, some say no.
This is so confusing....
Last edited by Chicagomom; 07/13/16 02:13 PM.
