Assessment of the Child with Hyperlexia

by Sharon Marcovitch, Ph.D., C.Psych., Developmental Psychologist

This article was excerpted from a presentation given at the Support and
Information Meeting of the Canadian Hyperlexia Association,
November 9, 1997

In deciding whether or not to assess a child, parents often ask: "Is there
any justification for putting our child through a series of tests?" Or, as
some parents have said: " Are we nuts or is there something wrong with our
child?  Does our child have strengths that may help him (her)?"

Will the results now be a clear indicator of how my child will be in the
future?  How predictive can an assessment be?  With an early and first
assessment, it is difficult to determine whether that child has a delay or
a deficit.  Often it is best to continue to assess and monitor over time to
determine this through the child's rate of progress.  However, the early
assessment does begin to identify the pattern of the child's strengths and
weaknesses.

What if my child is having a "bad day"?  Often is best to spread the
assessment out over a few days.  A child may be untestable, but no child is
unassessable.

Testing is a static process.  Assessment is a dynamic process., and
interpretation is very important.

The assessment process usually involves an interview with parents and
observation of the child, using standardized test when appropriate.  The
following is a list of what a clinician would look for and implement in an
assessment and identification of the syndrome of hyperlexia in a child.

1. Note an intense fascination with letters and numbers in child's history;

2. Observe use of reading ability in assessment using magnetic letters,
allowing the child to print words with crayons, and administering a basic
reading test for children that can read beyond a Grade One level;

3.  Test letter and number knowledge, assessing decoding, spelling,
comprehension, noting discrepancies and to what extent the discrepancies
are a problem. The clinician would also make modifications to the test protocol such as
writing answers for a child who spells at a high level but cannot print
letters at that level.  Allowing the child to manipulate letters, and
provide opportunities for success by posing questions in a multiple choice
or closure format will also be modifications that can assist the child in
showing what they know;

4.  Note unusual use of language such as "chunk" quotations from videos;

5.  Note unusual development of language such as: learning language from
music and videos, good auditory memory, poor receptive knowledge and poor
language processing;

6.  Assess visual memory strengths and visual conceptualization using a
standardized test such as the Leiter International Performance Scale and
the visual portion of the Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning;

7. Identify behavioural idiosyncrasies such as perseverations and
resistance to change.  Identify which perseverations and obsessions are
helpful, and explore ways to reduce anxiety;

8.  Evaluate social differences, noting relationship with peers versus
relationship with (and affection toward) family members.

The goal of an assessment is to determine the strengths and needs of the
whole child. Strengths can be used to support learning at school, and to
help develop recreational skills.  By identifying weak areas, school
curricula can be examined and remedial techniques can be implemented.
Also, one can identify weak areas that should be bypassed to reduce
frustration.