Hyperlexia

Hyperlexia is the developmental disorder in which children decode words early but have significant impairments in aural and reading comprehension. Here, the literature describing hyperlexia is reviewed, including associated cognitive characteristics, neurobiological bases, and language and reading abilities. A study of 12 children with hyperlexia is summarized, illustrating the dissociation between decoding and comprehension skills, the superiority of phonologic over orthographic reading strategies, and the limited use of meaningful context to aid decoding. Implications for intervention with children with hyperlexia center on the importance of targeting meaningful comprehension of both aural and written language.