The Association of Hyperlexia and the Autism Spectrum

Hyperlexia is one of three communication learning disorders strongly associated with the spectrum. I followed the Hyperlexic pattern of reading before speaking at age 4. Fascination with letters and numbers, and extremely fast ability to read, without being able to put into words in very many sentences what I just read, verbally. The same is true for me when I watch a movie or TV show. Or in explaining what I did yesterday in spoken language.

It's interesting because one can be diagnosed under the Gillberg criteria for Asperger's with a language delay, so there are likely many individuals with Hyperlexic type learning patterns, that fit under that criteria that would not fit under it with current DSMIV or ICD10 diagnostic criteria.

Language delays are also common in Pragmatic language Impairment PLI, so there is likely some with those symptoms of PLI that might not be diagnosed with Asperger's if they met the other criteria because of language development delay exclusion. Pragmatic Language Impairment per Wiki definition reads very much like an ASD, as a stand alone disorder. The new Social Communication Disorder in the DSM5 describes a Pragmatic Language Impairment as the core issue of difficulty in social communication.

The most commonly associated communication learning disorder is Nonverbal Learning Disorder, NLD. Research indicates that a majority of individuals diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome meet the symptoms for NLD. Individuals with NLD often have difficulties with Math and visual spatial tasks, and commonly score substantially higher in verbal IQ than performance IQ in standard intelligence testing. Brain lesions in the right hemisphere of the brain are also associated.

Conversely, Temple Grandin has a type of neurodevelopmental problem in the left hemisphere of her brain, recently highlighted in Discover magazine, that the right hemisphere of her brain adapted to through her amazing visual spatial skills. Just another one of an almost unlimited number of potential underlying factors that result in meeting observed behavioral impairments to gain a diagnosis of some form of ASD.

Some of these underlying factors likely play a role in whether one navigates their life more through visual images and patterns instead of verbal thought. Some individuals with Nonverbal Learning Disorder are described as navigating the world more through verbal language than the visual spatial skills they often have difficulty with.

Because of the Hyperlexia and Pragmatic Language Impairment exclusions in language development delays, there are likely many individuals diagnosed with Autistic Disorder, sub-typed as HFA, or PDDNOS that would otherwise be diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome under the Gillberg Criteria because it allows for language development delays.

And none of these communication disorders seem to fully account for the difficulties in verbal spoken language in Regressive Autism, where the small children lose words after gaining them. Abnormal brain growth is found specific to male children with this type of Regressive Autism, so that may provide another clue to a brain difference as a potential underlying causal factor, for that described sub-group of ASD.

And this is just an area specific to language that does not take into account other varying factors like ADHD, Sensory Processing Disorder, Auditory processing disorder and so many other issues that often overlap and may work together in synergy in some cases resulting in the required observed behavioral impairments for a diagnosis of ASD.

The association of Hyperlexia and the Autism Spectrum is discussed in further detail among people on the spectrum in the link below from the Wrong Planet website.

http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt225772.html
Autism, the Internet and "Ideological First Identity", a Collection of Thoughts:

http://katiemiaaghogday.blogspot.com/2013/05/autism-internet-and-ideological-first.html

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