Casos pràctics

Respecte als casos pràctics no hem trobat molta informació ja que no és una síndrome molt coneguda i, a més, la majoria de casos es diagnostiquen com autisme. En aquest article (Darold A. Treffert, MD. (2011). Hyperlexia III: Separating ‘Autistic-like’ Behaviors from Autistic Disorder; Assessing Children who Read Early or Speak Late. WMJ. VOLUME 110 • NO. 6) hem pogut trobar diferents casos que tracten la hiperlèxia.

Caso pràctic 1

A mother wrote: “Reading the summary on your website is like reading the description of my daughter in every way. She was a late talker, socially avoidant with those she didn’t know well, and began reading at age 2 ½ or so (it’s hard for me to tell when she started, as I assumed she was memorizing books until this point). In your words, she was ‘autistic-like’ but the diagnosis never seemed right on a number of measures. She was diagnosed with autism a few months before she turned 3, but it never quite fit. After 15 months of interventions, she is now a normal (whatever that means) 4½ year old, and the consensus is that she was misdiagnosed. That said, she continues to display a number of precocious skills (reading, math, spatial skills, expressive language, etc) and, while not delayed in any measurable sense, she is also an unusual child with respect to social relationships (precocious these days), sensory issues, and activity level.”

Caso pràctic 2

JT’s mother read regularly to her children at nap time and bedtime. At age 3, JT would watch her mother’s lips intently as she read “Little Black, The Pony” to her. Then one day JT read the book to her mother instead of the other way around. The father was skeptical, and indicated JT had probably just “memorized” the book. Not so. Mother gave JT a newspaper article she had never seen before, and JT read it perfectly.

At nursery school, JT astonished her teachers as she read to her classmates. With formal testing, JT was reading at a 6th grade level at age 3 with full comprehension ability and otherwise neurotypical functioning. Eventually, JT’s classmates caught up with her reading ability. But her advanced reading skills continued to serve her well. She went on to become a successful attorney and mother who now reads regularly to her own children.

Caso práctic 3

GM was 5 years old when his mother first wrote to me in 2002. “GM was hyperlexic as a child. He showed autistic-like symptoms early on, but as language emerged, they have all but disappeared. He still struggles with vocabulary and usage, but thankfully he is a motivated child who is trying so hard to develop coping mechanisms to manage this unique learning style. As you know, there is much debate about hyperlexia and into which diagnostic category it falls. You have outlined them very well, I think. It was a long and difficult road for me as a mother trying to get a handle on things. I wish I had seen the article sooner.”

I received an 8-year follow-up from GM’s mother in 2010. GM was then 13½ “and doing exceptionally well.” At that time, GM was an A/B student. He was “on the quiet side until he was comfortable.” He had no sensory issues and did fine with friends and when in groups. “Earning a black belt in tae kwon do helped with confidence on many fronts. Skills-wise GM is a musical whiz. He has what you referred to once as super-abilities. He took classical piano for 5 years and played beautiful music, but the rock star in him loves drums. Once he discovered percussion, you’d think he had been playing them forever. His talent is innate.”

“GM knows he is hyperlexic. Sometimes when there is a big group talking all at once he has difficulty following the chatter. He experiences the same when there is a lot of unfamiliar information to digest in certain subjects like history and science. That said, he copes very well and is exceptionally comfortable asking for help or clarity. He is the sweetest, most thoughtful kid. He has a very kind heart that melts mine. I couldn’t be more pleased with his management of hyperlexia. He undoubtedly falls into the 3rd group you described. Though the early years were very challenging and often lonely, I treasure his leaps and tenacity. He is my hero.”

En aquestos tres casos, i especialment en el primer i el segon, els xiquets que tenen hiperlèxia foren diagnosticats des d'un primer moment amb autisme. 

Podem veure com tots els xiquets presenten una habilitat lectora precoç i solen tindre problemes en les interaccions socials. 

En el tercer cas, podem observar que a més poden tindre altes capacitats o habilitats desarrollades com és la música, degut a la seua sensibilitat i memòria auditiva.

Amb açò volem destacar que el recolzament de la família és molt important, ja que serà en la casa on es podran veure les primeres característiques i per tant es podrà obtindre un  millor diagnòstic.

Un diagnostic precoç afavoreix un millor treball amb el xiquet per a que puga desarrollar i millorar la seua habilitat lectora. La família i l'escola ha de ajudar al xiquet sobretot amb la comprensió de textos i en el desenvolupament de les habilitats socials, ja que són les principals carències de aquestos xiquets. 

A més, hem trobat videos, com els següents, que exemplifiquen clarament les característiques d'aquests xiquets hiperlèxics: