One hyperlexic trait that doesn't get discussed enough is the development of intense, specific, and unusual fears.
Yet, despite rarely being discussed, "a general unexplained sense of anxiety" and "a specific fear about something unusual" are both incredibly common in hyperlexia (quotes are from Reading Too Soon). It's something we've experienced personally as well, as you'll see in some little anecdotes that I've included throughout this article.
What's particularly fascinating to me, though, is the themes of these fears and the patterns that have emerged over the last 10+ years of talking with other hyperlexia families. Any time I talk to a parent about these intense fears, the same certain themes keep popping up.
So let's take a closer look at some examples of unusual fears common in hyperlexia and why they might be so common.
Examples of Unusual Fears Common in Hyperlexia
To compile this list, I asked parents and hyperlexic adults to share examples of some of the intense, specific, and unusual fears that they've seen with their own child and/or have experienced themselves. Here are the most common hyperlexia fears that were brought up:
- Cartoon, animated, and/or animatronic characters, especially those with big or surprised eyes
- The Happy Birthday song
- Weather (e.g., wind, clouds, and natural disasters)
- Swimming and pools
- Loud and/or specific noises (e.g., hand dryers, vacuums, alarms)
- Anything that crawls (e.g., ants)
- Failure and rejection
Please keep in mind that this list is not exhaustive. These are just the most common ones that parents and hyperlexic adults shared and are themes that came up multiple times. Other fears can vary from door knobs and Judge Judy to windmills, and small flames, for instance.
1. Animated & Animatronic characters
Cartoon and animated characters, especially those with big or surprised eyes was one of those themes that came up the most frequently. This fear may or may not relate to eye contact or there could be other underlying reasons.
Then there's animatronic characters, which often move in jerky, non-human ways. And seriously, I'm with them on this one because some of those animatronic characters are downright terrifying, especially really old ones. (I'm thinking of the super old, creepy ones that are at our local museum in particular...)
2. The Happy Birthday Song
Think about what happens when a group of people start to sing Happy Birthday. Not everyone sings in sync or in tune. They might be singing different pitches, at different volumes, and at different speeds. And, frankly, it can sound a bit chaotic.
Now, imagine you are a hyperlexic gestalt language processor where you are drawn to the intonation, pitch, and rhythm of music. Then consider the fact that many hyperlexic kids also have perfect pitch...I bet you can see why this song creates a strong reaction from some of these kids. And we haven't even touched on other sensory elements, such as lighting changes, that are involved in the birthday singing process!
3. Weather, specifically wind, clouds, and natural disasters
For my hyperlexic son, clouds were a big source of distress. The fear that clouds would cause him was so strong - and SO intense! - that we often couldn't get him outside in the summer, even if there was just one little cloud in the sky.
Interestingly enough, a fear of thunderstorms was mentioned in one of the first documented cases of hyperlexia (a little boy named Gordon) identified in the literature (see: Parker, 1917).
While hyperlexic kids love routine, weather is anything but routine. It can be wildly unpredictable! But there's also things like sounds, lighting changes, and the change in pressure to also consider here.
4. Swimming and pools
It's so interesting that this fear was mentioned by so many parents and hyperlexic adults because this was another fear for my son. He would have a death grip on us in the pool and wouldn't let go. But, it's interesting to think of how far he's come now, given that he's only one step away from finishing his lifeguard certification.
This fear likely crops up so frequently in hyperlexia due to heightened sensory experiences, whether that's visually, auditorily, or in terms of proprioceptive sensory input.
5. Loud and/or specific noises
Think hand dryers, vacuums, alarms, or, for my son, buzzers when the score clock runs out. This fear makes sense given that "sensitivity to loud noises" (Martins Miller, 1993) and "unusual sensitivities to sounds" (Canadian Hyperlexia Association's What is Hyperlexia? PDF) are included on the list of hyperlexic traits. Even Parker (1917) mentioned the "physical apprehension of sound" as part of Gordon's hyperlexic profile.
6. Anything that crawls
Ants was one particular example that families have shared with me. Interestingly, that little boy Gordon I mentioned earlier was also "afraid of snakes, frogs, and toads." (Parker, 1917) I suspect it could be related to how these critters move, which, if you think about it, can be quite unpredictable. They don't move in a straight line or any predictable way at all, just slithering, hopping, or crawling in every which direction. Either way, this fear of anything that crawls was mentioned quite a few times by parents.
7. Failure and Rejection
Many hyperlexic kids are perfectionists so this fear of failure and rejection isn't entirely surprising. It may also relate to "unrealistic assessment of their abilities and the high level of demands placed on them by teachers and parents" (Silberberg & Silberberg, 1968 - they're the ones that coined the term hyperlexia, by the way) so they often worry about making a mistake.
Richman and Kitchell (1981) also discussed how "undue educational stress [is] placed on these children by unrealistic expectations of parents and teachers."
You can read more about the effects of high expectations in hyperlexia here.
The rejection fear may also relate to their language and social differences. For instance, hyperlexic learners rely on scripts so, if someone doesn't follow the script or rejects the interaction, then it can feel like a broken rule or like they're losing their safety net (i.e., those scripts aren't working like expected). In other words, when someone "breaks" a rule by not following the script, it can feel as wrong as someone saying 2+2=5. And, I don't know about you, but my son much prefers when rules are followed.
Important Reminders About These Intense Fears
Remember, for hyperlexic kids, these fears are extremely intense. Some are even described as "phobic-like behavior" (Kupperman et al., 1998). The Treffert Center's Hyperlexia Manual also mentions the presence of "specific fears or phobias" in hyperlexia. And honestly, that is very much how my son's weather anxiety and fear felt. It felt like a phobia. (Which, by the way, nephophobia is the name for a cloud phobia.)
It's also important to remember that these fears, no matter how unusual or specific they are, are very much real threats to them. Their brains are processing it as a genuine emergency. So even if you don't understand why something like a cloud or cartoon character might be threatening or scary, it's important to respect that to them it is scary.
Also, keep in mind that their fears might be amplified because they often don't yet have the flexible language to ask for help or explain what's going on, especially if they are young or in the early stages of language development. I know with my son it was challenging to get to the root of his weather fears in order to properly support him because he couldn't always explain what was happening or how he was feeling.
My hope here, though, is that these reminders and the exploration of these common hyperlexia fears can give you a deeper understanding of how these fears might present and why certain themes might be so common.
And maybe they can also provide you with a bit of peace knowing that you're not the only one out there trying to figure out why something like the birthday song can be so distressing to your child. Because you most definitely aren't the only one out there navigating this.
