I know it might seem like there's not a ton of information on hyperlexia out there in the interwebs, but trust me, there is a lot more now then there was even just a couple of years ago. You just have to be prepared to do some digging every now and then in order to find the good - and accurate - information.
Or, you could save yourself the hassle and just read my blog - HA!
But seriously, I wish I could find more resources from the hyperlexic adults themselves. That is what's truly missing right now if you ask me. Hyperlexia in adulthood is definitely a topic that isn't talked about enough.
Personally, I want to know more about their experiences and what it's like to grow up with hyperlexia. After all, their insights can give parents like myself a much better understanding of how they learn and what it's like to be hyperlexic.
So here are some videos from hyperlexic adults about what it's like to grow up with hyperlexia so you can insights from those with actual lived experiences.
Videos from Hyperlexic Adults: What it's Like to Grow Up with Hyperlexia
When it comes to truly understanding our hyperlexic children, it is important to learn from hyperlexic adults themselves. And the insights you can gain from listening to them is huge. After all, they can give you a more intimate understanding of how hyperlexic children and adults learn and develop.
So I do encourage you to watch each of these videos to help you get a better understanding of what hyperlexia is and what it's like to grow up with hyperlexia. I will try to add more videos to this list as I find them. So, to any hyperlexic adults out there reading this: please share your stories. We want to hear from you and need more stories about your lived experiences.
I truly hope you enjoy watching and listening to these hyperlexic adult's experiences. I hope their stories are interesting and insightful.
**Disclaimer: These videos are included for illustrative and educational purposes only and to share lived experiences. Their inclusion here doesn't necessarily mean I endorse the creators and/or their viewpoints. Please note that some content may feature outdated, inaccurate, incomplete, or harmful information, language/terminology, or theories about hyperlexia. I am not responsible for any misinformation that may be presented with them.**
Up first is Yo Samdy Sam who talks about their experience of being hyperlexic (although undiagnosed), as well as what she has noticed with her son who also started reading early. She also talks about how writing and scripting is a strength whereas spontaneous speech can be difficult. I could personally relate to her story about her son loving the Dr. Seuss ABC book as it was my son's favorite book for the longest time and we would read that on repeat constantly. She also touches on the subtypes and even discusses some of the problems with these subtypes.
Lyric (aka Neurodivergent Rebel) is a well-known autistic and hyperlexic creator, advocate, blogger, and writer. They have published a number of books. In the following videos, Lyric shares a definition of hyperlexia, touching on Treffert's (outdated and problematic) subtypes (although Lyric doesn't explicitly name Treffert), while also sharing their personal experiences related to different elements of the definition. They also touch on interests, strengths, and difficulties they noticed while growing up hyperlexic.
PJ is an autistic hyperlexic adult who talks about their experiences and even reads throughs her evaluation papers, which might be particularly illuminating for parents and hyperlexic adults alike. One interesting section is listening to her talk about responding with "I don't know," which is such a common hyperlexic experience (more on that here). While there's a lot of misinformation and outdated language in the first video, she has since admitted her errors (see the video descriptions and pinned comments) and decided to keep these videos up to watch (and show her growth as a creator).
By the way, I did an Instagram story takeover with PJ Au from the above videos about their experiences growing up with hyperlexia. You can watch those videos over on Instagram.
These next two videos are from Julie, a hyperlexic adult who works at Lucasfilm. She briefly shares about her early reading ability and challenges with comprehension, and even shares snippets of reports from her school days. Her videos also highlight some of the different traits of hyperlexia.
Paige Layle is a well-known autistic advocate and is the author of the book "But Everyone Feels this Way: How an Autism Diagnosis Saved My Life." I highly recommend checking out her book because chapter six, where she talks about comprehension and struggling to find deeper meanings in texts, was particularly illuminating for me as a parent of a hyperlexic child. In the following video, she opens up about her experiences with hyperlexia and talks a bit about gestalt learning.
Rosie is an autistic and hyperlexic adult. In this video, she reflects on her childhood, discusses her current reading abilities (or, more particularly, her lack of reading interest), and talks about how hyperlexia impacts her as an adult. It's worth noting that she seems to conflate hyperlexia with being highly verbal and verbose, which is inaccurate, doesn't match clinical definitions of hyperlexia, and is not backed by the research. In fact, the research has highlighted that "at least 90% of reported cases of hyperlexia in the literature have mentioned language delay" (Hopper, 2003). At its core, hyperlexia is about the early reading ability paired with underlying challenges with language and social communication.
Did any of these videos or lived experiences resonate with your own journey or your child's?
Either way, it is my hope that by listening to lived experiences like those shared above, you can enrich your understanding of hyperlexia. Especially when you pair these stories with research-backed information about what hyperlexia is and how it develops, which is what I'm for!
