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I experience
Hyperlexia 54%  54%  [ 14 ]
Dyslexia 15%  15%  [ 4 ]
Irlen (Visual distortion) 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
Combination of the above 15%  15%  [ 4 ]
None applicable 15%  15%  [ 4 ]
Total votes : 26

Jenk
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08 Aug 2008, 8:20 pm

Inquisitive as to combinations i.e. omissions and advanced reading age coexisting.

http://www.hyperlexia.org/aha_winter9697.html



Last edited by Jenk on 09 Aug 2008, 10:49 am, edited 1 time in total.

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08 Aug 2008, 8:42 pm

I caught on to reading young and always outpaced the rest of the class. There was one girl in my grade school named Suzanne who ever gave me any real competition in spelling bees, she was really good.



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08 Aug 2008, 9:01 pm

I call myself hyperlexic because my reading always outpaced my comprehension; but because both were ahead of most of my classmates' skills, I may not technically be hyperlexic at all, but just verbally gifted. If you are in the third grade, have been speaking English for a year, are reading at a high school level, and comprehending things a sixth grader could understand, what do they call it? I don't know, and I doubt there's an official definition, especially since my being bilingual (the other language is German) confuses things a bit.

I do have trouble understanding some of the social interactions in stories, and have never enjoyed a story focusing on interpersonal relationships; but this is not a general comprehension deficit, and does not extend across fiction, since I can easily follow (and even write) adventure or mystery stories. Movies, TV, books, etc., which focus on romance, politics, and social interaction bore me--even the classics which are supposed to be good no matter what you usually enjoy, like Pride and Prejudice, which my grandmother recommended to me and I still haven't been able to finish, unlike Little Men, which is much better and I've read twice.


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Jennyfoo
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08 Aug 2008, 9:58 pm

I am hyperlexic and mildly dyslexic too- dyslexia comes out when I'm tired, overwhelmed, stressed. 10 y/o DD and hubby are also hyperlexic. DD tested at 10th rade reading ability and comprehhension in 4th grade. Our problem lies in finding books for her that are age-appropriate in content that suit her interests. School library is useless for that now.



poopylungstuffing
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08 Aug 2008, 10:23 pm

I have been hyperlexic and I am slightly dyslexic....and I have bad eyesight....so the dyslexia wins...



earthmonkey
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08 Aug 2008, 10:40 pm

A recent test indicated my reading as 6th grade level, tested while in 12th grade. The test seemed kind of short and the writing was simplistically written, though.

When I was in 6th grade, I tested as 12th grade reading level - it's kind of hard to tell with these things. I can read advanced stuff, with comprehension lagging, though if I re-read it a bunch, then I'll generally understand it, sometimes to an advanced degree.

I think I might be hyperlexic, considering that, while I have almost always read at an advanced level, I experience the other characteristics associated with dyslexia - for instance, having trouble with phonics, reversing letters and numbers, that sort of thing.

I was terribly frustrated in 1st grade, when they were trying to teach us phonics, and I just didn't get it at all. However, before I'd started school, my dad would show me how to spell words (I remember being fascinated with the word/letter "I").

Whenever I wanted to learn to spell a word, I would ask him to spell it, or I would look at a word and ask my dad what that word was and what it meant. I would've had serious difficulty learning to read if I'd had to rely on phonics, rather than remembering the shapes of words.

This continued through to about age 12, and I barely used a dictionary at all, even fudging 3rd grade classwork by writing definitions for the words from my head instead of looking them up like the assignment called for (I got caught though, unfortunately).


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happypuff
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09 Aug 2008, 12:38 am

Can I ask a question about whether this is hyperlexia or something else, I was searching through google/here last night for things related to this:

I remember in primary school I read a *lot*. My greatest achievement would probably be reading every single book with the 'hard' difficulty for the grade 4s during grade 4.
I remember in grade 1 they let me read proper books (aka no pictures in them), I specifically remember only reading the last few lines on each page to get through the book quicker. Then after about a month of this I experimented with reading a whole chapter and decided it was a bit better that way so I used both methods depending on how good it was :P

The thing is, to me it feels like I've stayed still and everything got harder. Like I do try to read things, but even bloody Harry Potter tested the limits of my patience with words I don't understand and paragraphs I don't get. I try to look up all the words I don't know, a lot of the time I know I fail to get the word because I haven't identified the root word and the suffix when they're not in standard forms. And I can't pronounce words I haven't seen before.
I've found some books I can get them if I try but others I give up on after 20 pages, and generally if they're more than about 100 years old I can't do it.
By give up, I mean I've read through it 3-4 times and it is still not making sense.

Also when I am talking on the internet, I tend to simply delete some words from my sentence without realising it (the, prepositions etc), don't indicate plurals etc.

I can still use English well though, in our year 12 exams last year my score represents being top 1.5ish% of the state for it, and I can structure sentences well and use lots of big words when I have to.

Is it possible I have this hyperlexia thing? Because it feels like I can't learn any more words like I used to



poopylungstuffing
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09 Aug 2008, 5:26 am

i have never quite unsderstood the whole hyperlexia thing.
I recall picking up reading very fast, and reading quite well...above and beyond my age group during the whole time I was in school, but really performing badly in all other subjects...once I figured out that I could read, I became really obsessed with it...we are talking....oh...first grade maybe...I would just read and read and read and read....anything I could get my hands on...always had to have big pile of books with me at all times......

It seems to be alot harder for me now than it once was.



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09 Aug 2008, 9:13 am

I think I'm hyperlexic because I taught myself to read when I was three. So while all the other first graders were still reading picture books and learning how to spell "tail" and "dog" and "juice", I was reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.


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09 Aug 2008, 9:37 am

I'm pretty sure I'm hyperlexic. Even at a young age, I had a very extensive vocabulary. I can usually correctly guess what a word I don't know means by the context in which it is used. I always had a reading age far ahead of my actual age.



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09 Aug 2008, 9:52 am

corroonb wrote:
I'm pretty sure I'm hyperlexic. Even at a young age, I had a very extensive vocabulary. I can usually correctly guess what a word I don't know means by the context in which it is used.


Somewhat opposite here, and also considered hyperlexic: I have a wide expressive vocabulary, and can usually correctly guess how to use a word from context I've seen it in, but can't guess what it means. (Even now, with a good receptive vocabulary comparatively, I only understand 80% of the words I use.)

I checked a combination because:

1. Hyperlexia
2. Reading errors of numbers and words in unfamiliar languages more similar to dyslexia
3. What has been called Irlen's syndrome although I don't like that shorthand (when I can remember to avoid it) because it implies something special about a particular patented money-making technique that I don't want to appear to support (although I have bought glasses from them a few times, and they've worked well for me, I can also choose my own tints and have that work well too -- also should note I have had the tester at their place attempt several times to trick me into picking a different color, and I always pick the exact same one, not even a little difference in shading, even if he mixes up the order and tries to convince me that something else is what I picked).


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Jenk
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09 Aug 2008, 10:14 am

earthmonkey wrote:
I think I might be hyperlexic, considering that, while I have almost always read at an advanced level, I experience the other characteristics associated with dyslexia - for instance, having trouble with phonics, reversing letters and numbers, that sort of thing.

I was terribly frustrated in 1st grade, when they were trying to teach us phonics, and I just didn't get it at all. However, before I'd started school, my dad would show me how to spell words (I remember being fascinated with the word/letter "I").

Whenever I wanted to learn to spell a word, I would ask him to spell it, or I would look at a word and ask my dad what that word was and what it meant. I would've had serious difficulty learning to read if I'd had to rely on phonics, rather than remembering the shapes of words


Perhaps these apply... Think I fall under hyperlexic visio-spacial disordered. I make omissions and have number/letter reversals, though I could read beyond my years aloud. Couldn't comprehend what I had read due to focusing upon sounding out the words. Also needed the meaning explaining so I could match it to the word, though I didn't tend to ask which lead to amusing trial and error for my family. Here are the two categories I found from that previously posted link, I doubt they are exhaustive, but enough to steer me away from an expensive Dyslexia assessment and start this thread to see if anyone relates...

1 Hyperlexic Language Disorder
Definition - Expressive language deficit, despite good rote memory skills. Language is delayed, echolalic and perserverative. Problems in understanding overall meaning beyond rote recall. Autistic like symptoms.
Symptoms - Problems with reading comprehension may not show up in the early grades because of good memory. Make tangential associations, which produce offbeat responses. Immature, unaware of other's reactions, does not consider consequences of behaviour. Distractible and impulsive, but this may be related as a language deficit. Processing speed is a problem. Autistic symptoms drop off as language improves.
Remediation - Needs intensive language therapy. As language improves, integrate language and social skills training. Allow more time; slow down the speed of tests. De-emphasize oral reading ability and work on reading for meaning.

2 Hyperlexic Visual-Spatial Disorder
Definition - Visual spatial and/or motor delay of disorder. Language pragmatic deficit in expressing and interpreting experiential aspects of language and environment. Asperger-like symptoms.
Symptoms - May have letter and word reversals but reading comprehension fair. Difficulty with worksheets and copying problems from the blackboard or book. Unorganised and impulsive. Social imperceptions, problems reading nonverbal cues. Does not learn from experience and continues to make same mistakes.
Remediation - Avoid purely visual approaches; use strength in verbal reading. Talk through perceptual tasks. Avoid copying from blackboard. Allow child to answer orally or tape record when possible. Use cognitive behaviour modification to reduce impulsivity. Needs social training to increase social perception.

In terms of Irlen or visual stress, which these don't seem to account for, I too found it beneficial to choose the exact shade of glasses to eliminate bright river patterns and the Irlen quality of colour is somehow supirior to Specsavers with the colorometer. I bought two pairs, Purple UV for spatial awareness sunglasses (Reduces glare) and Two parts Turquoise one part light Green worked for reading (Too intense for for general use.) What was your colour Anbuend? I am curious as to whether there is any specific relation between spectral hue elimination (I.e Turquoise screens out Red and Yellow, as does Purple to a lesser degree) and benefiting each reading difference.



Last edited by Jenk on 09 Aug 2008, 1:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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09 Aug 2008, 12:30 pm

I can relate to hyperlexia, but I spoke on time so it shouldn't be hyperlexia.

I 'read' early. Family calls it reading, because I was reading out loud and could spell extremely good (visually).

But I didn't understand what I was reading, even most simple sentences of only just a few words. I started to understand at the end of 1st grade. At that time, I also already understood about half of what all people said. So I could talk, understand a lot of speech but not read.

I asked professionals about it and they don't know. It was suggested that maybe I focussed on reading letters too much but would have been able to read perfectly fine. I don't think that's it.

I could pronounce whole sentences, write words easily and I had big issues with identifying letters outside of words. When someone would ask me to read any unfamiliar word with an 'h' in it I could do it easily, but if someone asked what letter is 'h' I didn't know. And I never understood what I read until 1st grade, not just sometimes but always.


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earthmonkey
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09 Aug 2008, 1:14 pm

happypuff wrote:
Can I ask a question about whether this is hyperlexia or something else, I was searching through google/here last night for things related to this:

I remember in primary school I read a *lot*. My greatest achievement would probably be reading every single book with the 'hard' difficulty for the grade 4s during grade 4.
I remember in grade 1 they let me read proper books (aka no pictures in them), I specifically remember only reading the last few lines on each page to get through the book quicker. Then after about a month of this I experimented with reading a whole chapter and decided it was a bit better that way so I used both methods depending on how good it was :P

The thing is, to me it feels like I've stayed still and everything got harder. Like I do try to read things, but even bloody Harry Potter tested the limits of my patience with words I don't understand and paragraphs I don't get. I try to look up all the words I don't know, a lot of the time I know I fail to get the word because I haven't identified the root word and the suffix when they're not in standard forms. And I can't pronounce words I haven't seen before.
I've found some books I can get them if I try but others I give up on after 20 pages, and generally if they're more than about 100 years old I can't do it.
By give up, I mean I've read through it 3-4 times and it is still not making sense.

Also when I am talking on the internet, I tend to simply delete some words from my sentence without realising it (the, prepositions etc), don't indicate plurals etc.

I can still use English well though, in our year 12 exams last year my score represents being top 1.5ish% of the state for it, and I can structure sentences well and use lots of big words when I have to.

Is it possible I have this hyperlexia thing? Because it feels like I can't learn any more words like I used to


I didn't experience this so much with reading, but when I was 10 I had an IQ tested at about 120 to 130 for verbal areas, and 130 to 145 on visual-spatial areas (it was the Stanford-Binet). At age 18, I scored as 93 on verbal and 77 on performance (the WAIS-III). I suspect that a lot of this involves having certain skills that were advanced for a 10-year-old and not developing them much after that. I like the Stanford-Binet better because it had the bead memory, and that fit me way better than number sequences (auditory processing issues).

I was never good at "sounding it out", and I cringed when teachers told me this. The way I learned words was by having someone tell me how to say it, then I would associate it with the image of the word. Letters didn't HAVE sounds to me, and it utterly baffled me when teachers would tell us to "sound it out". By 6th grade, though, I was tutoring a girl in English, and so I bought some of those phonics cards, so I didn't learn basic phonics until I was 12, though by that time I could read at the college level.


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