When my son, Steven, was 4 years old, he had an extremely limited vocabulary, and he was able to neither follow most simple directions nor carry on a conversation. He had difficulty focussing on any task that involved any social interaction.  Most days it was difficult just getting his attention.

As part of his therapy, his Speech-Language Pathologist suggested that we use a "sing-song" voice when speaking to Steven. It was amazing how well he attended to us when we sang! Our lives became an operetta, and Steven learned to converse.

When he was 6 years old, his schooling involved 3 days at home with me because there wasn't enough support staff at his school to meet his needs and to  keep him safe. It was at that time that I decided to try and teach him to play the piano as part of our regular "home-school" routine. I felt that playing a musical instrument was an important skill, and perhaps a skill ideally suited to Steven. Playing music is an activity that is socially acceptable (and perhaps even enviable!) but it is a skill that does not require the ability to effectively interact with others.

He could not follow my spoken directions well, but he could follow a written practice routine. I taught him techniques by laying my hand over his, and he learned to read music as he quickly made the connection between what our hands were playing and the notes on the page.

Children with hyperlexia may have an innate ability to decode all types of symbols, and I have found that musical notation is no exception.

We established a fixed practice routine which served him well for years. All expectations were written down, including numbers of repetitions and which days he could have "off". Everything was charted and graded.

He performed in music festivals, needing only a social story to remind him to sit quietly in his seat until it was his turn to play. (The fact that the candidates were numbered was a bonus!) He successfully completed Royal Conservatory examinations in both piano playing and in theory. No modifications were made, even though he still required lots of modification in his school work.

Over the years I have had many opportunities to apply the strategies that I used with Steven to help other children with challenges learn how to play the piano.  My experiences with these special children have been some of the most rewarding of my 25-year career.

Steven is 14 years old now, and a fine pianist. And I believe that I am a better teacher for having had the privilege of teaching him.

Robin Leszner is the mother of four children, a music teacher, and the president of the Canadian Hyperlexia Association.