There is a lot of misinformation about hyperlexia and even a lot of confusion around hyperlexia as it relates to dyslexia.
For instance, parents might wonder if it's possible for their child to be hyperlexic and dyslexic. I've also seen people on social media claiming they have dyslexia and hyperlexia. And others have even wondered if hyperlexia can somehow turn into dyslexia.
The underlying question being: can you have dyslexia and hyperlexia?
While the short answer is no, let's dig deeper into where this confusion comes from, examine the historical roots of this confusion, and see what the research actually says about hyperlexia and dyslexia co-occurring (or not).
Can You Have Dyslexia and Hyperlexia?
No, you cannot have both dyslexia and hyperlexia. They're considered opposing profiles and are mutually exclusive (Aaron, 1989; Chia & Kee, 2013; Gough & Tunmer, 1986; Joshi & Aaron, 2000; King, 2006; Nation, 1999; Ng, 2013).
Hyperlexia and dyslexia are "two different things that manifest themselves in two different ways in the brain" (King, 2006) and "it is appropriate to consider hyperlexia and dyslexia as two distinct developmental disorders" because "the cognitive and behavioral manifestations of the two...are very different" (Nation, 1999).
Essentially, hyperlexia and dyslexia are "two sides of the same coin" (Snowling, 1987) and "present two distinct forms of reading disorders with roots in two distinct etiologies" (Aaron, 1989).
The Simple View of Reading (Gough & Tunmer, 1986) also presents hyperlexia and dyslexia as opposing profiles. According to this model, "reading disability could result in three different ways: from an inability to decode [dyslexia], an inability to comprehend [hyperlexia], or both [garden variety reading disability]." In other words, "the dyslexic, a poor decoder, is a (relatively) skilled comprehender, while the hyperlexic, a skilled decoder, is a poor comprehender."
As the following figures show, both hyperlexia and dyslexia are "part of the normal variation in reading skills" (Nation, 1999) and are on opposite sides of the reading continuum (Aaron, 1989; Chia & Kee, 2013).
But let's break things down even further. Here's a quick comparison of the differences between dyslexia and hyperlexia according to the research (Aaron, 1989; Gough & Tunmer, 1986; Joshi & Aaron, 2000; Joshi et al., 2010; Nation, 1999; Ng, 2013; Seymour & Evans, 1992; Snowling, 1987):
| Dyslexia | Hyperlexia | |
|---|---|---|
| Decoding & word recognition | Poor, weak, inaccurate | Advanced, precocious, accurate |
| Reading comprehension | Strong, intact, superior to decoding | Poor, impaired, inferior to decoding |
| Reading speed | Slow, effortful | Rapid, effortless |
To reiterate, you can be dyslexic OR you can be hyperlexic, but you cannot be both. After all, they represent opposite ends of the reading continuum and should be treated as such.
So Where Does this Confusion Come From?
It's easy to understand where the confusion comes from given that historical definitions have incorrectly categorized hyperlexia as a subtype of dyslexia, such as developmental dyslexia or surface dyslexia.
For instance, in 1971, four years after hyperlexia was first coined, de Hirsch wrote, "that 'hyperlexics, no matter how good their word-recognition skills, are 'dyslexics.' Word calling is not reading. Reading implies more than the mastery of subskills." Subsequent researchers have obviously rejected this view given the discussion above. To quote Grigorenko et al. (2003), "this classification of hyperlexia [as a subtype of developmental dyslexia] has not received support among professionals...and is currently rarely used." Unfortunately, this myth can still persist, especially in online spaces where misinformation is rampant (more on that in a bit).
I want to emphasize here again that "hyperlexia is not equivalent to dyslexia" nor is it a "variant of developmental dyslexia" (Nation, 1999). In fact, there's little evidence that hyperlexia is a type of dyslexia at all and "the available evidence is more consistent with the view that dyslexia is an opposing disorder to hyperlexia." Instead, it is best to conceptualize hyperlexia as a specific type of language disorder or impairment rather than some dyslexia variant (Cohen et al., 1987; Cohen et al., 1997; Nation, 1999).
Some of the confusion can also be due to misinterpreting decoding errors in hyperlexic readers. People mistakenly assume that if a hyperlexic reader hesitates, mispronounces an irregular word, or stumbles over an unfamiliar term, they must be dyslexic, forgetting that hyperlexic readers can indeed make mistakes while reading out loud. Those mistakes just look different and often stem from a disconnect with meaning rather than a phonological deficit.
For instance, they are often so focused on the mechanics of reading rather than the meaning that they might not realize they made an error and need to fix it, especially with homographs (i.e., words that have the same spelling but different pronunciations). On top of that, their intense visual patterning skills can be so quick that they blurt out a similar-looking word based on the shape of the letters before they've even fully processed what was read.
Finally, we also need to consider the role of social media in spreading misinformation and perpetuating myths about hyperlexia as it adds to further confusion here. Over the years, I have seen people on social media boldly claim they are both hyperlexic and dyslexic, even though the scientific evidence is very clear that hyperlexia and dyslexia are opposing, mutually exclusive profiles. They simply cannot co-occur together in the same person.
When hyperlexia is stripped down to an incomplete definition, as it so often is on social media, the entire profile gets misconstrued. Too often, it gets reduced to a single, isolated trait such as "reading early," "reading lots," or "loving books as a kid" while completely ignoring the hallmark dissociation between decoding and comprehension that not only defines hyperlexia, but makes it the opposing profile of dyslexia.
The Co-Occurrence of Dyslexia and Hyperlexia in Families
As we've established above, hyperlexia and dyslexia cannot co-occur within the same individual. However, hyperlexia and dyslexia or other reading or language disorders/disabilities frequently co-occur within the same family (Grigorenko et al., 2003; Healy et al., 1982; Healy & Aram, 1986; Hopper, 2003; Lester, 1997; Nation, 1999; Stuart, 1993; Williams & Casanova, 2012). That means it's possible for a parent to be dyslexic while their child is hyperlexic or vice versa, or for one sibling to be hyperlexic while another is dyslexic.
Interestingly, this familial link is tied to male relatives on the paternal side in particular. As Healy and Aram (1986) found in their research, there is a "distinct familial tendency to disorders of language, reading, writing, and spelling in male relatives." When reviewing family interviews and histories, they noted that a "clear trend emerged" with "an intricate constellation of learning disorders...reported in siblings, fathers, and other paternal relatives." Specifically, they found:
- 11 out of 12 fathers had "some anomaly in their learning history, with eight reporting dyslexic symptomatology"
- 44% of siblings had a "diagnosed language-learning disorder, including delayed speech, reading comprehension, writing, and spelling difficulties"
- 2 "confirmed incidences of hyperlexia are present in male siblings," one an older brother and one a younger brother
- "Second-degree relatives named as having learning disorders are all on the paternal side"
It's worth noting that "these cases were characterized by delayed acquisition of reading, poor comprehension, or adult dyslexia" (Healy et al., 1982) and "very few reading difficulties or learning problems were found amongst mothers of the children nor in other maternal family members" (Hopper, 2003).
Worthy and Invernizzi (1995) found a similar pattern with their hyperlexic participant. For this particular child, "many family members have experienced reading and language problems, including her younger brother, who was diagnosed as dyslexic."
Even the researchers who coined the term hyperlexia, noticed "a familial component" in some cases of hyperlexia and spontaneous development in others (Silberberg & Silberberg, 1967). Their original cases included "two sets of brothers, one of which was twins" who were hyperlexic. It's interesting that this link among male relatives has been documented since the first clinical description of the hyperlexic profile.
So yes, you can find both hyperlexic and dyslexic individuals within the same family. It seems to be more common than one might think.
Can You Be Dyslexic and Hyperlexic? A Quick Recap
I know the above information is a long-winded and thorough way to answer the rather simple question of "can you have dyslexia and hyperlexia?" so let's do a quick summary of what was discussed.
- Dyslexia and hyperlexia are opposing profiles that are mutually exclusive meaning you cannot be both dyslexic and hyperlexic.
- In the past, hyperlexia was incorrectly categorized as a subtype of dyslexia, but this is an outdated view. Instead, the available evidence suggests that hyperlexia and dyslexia are opposing profiles and that hyperlexia is best conceptualized as a specific type of language disorder or impairment rather than some dyslexia variant.
- Some misinterpret decoding errors in hyperlexia as dyslexia even though these mistakes are often due to semantics or intense visual patterning skills rather than a phonological deficit.
- Misinformation on social media continues to perpetuate the myth that someone can be both hyperlexic and dyslexic, despite the lack of scientific evidence to support such claims.
- Hyperlexia and dyslexia (or other reading or language disorders/disabilities) frequently co-occur within the same family, especially in male relatives on the paternal side.
Hopefully you found this deep dive into hyperlexia and dyslexia interesting.
