Some of the most common questions that I get about the hyperlexia "diagnosis" are regarding it's relationship with autism. Questions such as:
- Is hyperlexia always diagnosed with autism?
- Can you have hyperlexia and not be autistic?
- How is hyperlexia different than autism?
While they're fair questions to ask, I'll be honest, I do question the intentions behind some of these questions as it often seems parents are reluctant or even in denial that their child might indeed be autistic. But that's a whole other beast to tackle for another post on another day.
Instead, let's focus on the question of whether or not hyperlexia is always identified or diagnosed with autism and take a look at some other diagnoses a hyperlexic child might have.
10+ Other Diagnoses A Hyperlexic Child Might Have
Since hyperlexia isn't a standalone diagnosis, you can't receive it as an official "diagnosis" on its own. Instead, it will often be diagnosed (or some might argue misdiagnosed), identified alongside, or lumped in with another diagnosis. In some cases, a hyperlexic child might receive one of these diagnoses in place of the label of hyperlexia. Here are some of the possible diagnoses they might receive:
- Autism (including Asperger's which is now just diagnosed as autism)
- Specific language impairment or a language disorder such as mixed receptive-expressive language disorder or expressive language disorder
- Nonverbal learning disability
- Pervasive developmental disorder
- Social communication disorder, such as semantic/pragmatic disorder
- ADHD
- Sensory processing disorder or sensory integration dysfunction
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Seizure disorder
- Tourette's Syndrome
- Dyspraxia
- Anxiety
Other Hyperlexia Resources You'll Love
Understanding the "Diagnosis" of Hyperlexia
Important Hyperlexia Milestones