Hyperlexia

A new term I learned very recently from a friend of mine.  Hyperlexia.  I had described some of S’s reading struggles this year.  She scored way off the charts for 2nd grade in terms of reading fluency.  But scored below average for comprehension.  My friend said it sounded like S had hyperlexia.  Never heard of the term.  What would we have done 20 years ago to learn more?  I would have gone to the library and looked through the card catalog and encyclopedias.  What did I do this time?  I jumped onto my laptop, and did a google search.  An incredible wealth of articles, information, blogs, etc.  And let me tell you.  It was a hell of a find.

In the words of my husband, after I forwarded him a link to a particular sight, “The most accurate reflection of S’s symptoms and challenges I have read yet.”  I felt exactly the same way.

So what is it?  Taken from http://www.hyperlexia.net/hyperlexia-facts.html

Hyperlexia is a syndrome observed in children who have the following characteristics:

- A precocious ability to read words, far above what would be expected at their chronological age or an intense fascination with letters or numbers. This is normally how hyperlexia is described. Precocious is quite a word defined as “early development or maturity”.

- Difficilty in understanding verbal language

- Difficulty in socializing and interacting with other people

that’s it in a nutshell.

Another site I found helpful and similar:  http://www.ldail.org/Hyplexi.cfm

Everything I have been reading, so much has been my little S.  Learning language by memorizing sentences and sentence structure.  Never really knowing what the meaning she was saying.  She taught herself to read at a young age by memorizing.  She has a wonderful visual memory.  She needs to keep routines.  She has difficulty with the why, what, where, who, how questions.  She seemed to have normal development until 18-24 months.  She thinks in concrete and literal terms, and the abstract is difficult.

All the outlines on social difficulties is right there, too.  It’s like I was reading about my own journal of my child instead of info online.  It’s fascinating to see it in one place.  Scary that we never knew that this term existed.   Saddened that I’m only coming to it now.  Saddened by what this may mean going forward.  Yet hopeful, too.

I’ll write more on this tomorrow.  But take a look at these websites.  If you have a child like this, the info, while overwhelming could be really helpful.  Feel free to pass it around!

 

 

 

 

kids sick

A few weeks ago, S had a cold.  Stuffy nose, cough, really sore throat.  She was complaining so much, I took her to the doctor after a few days to rule out strep.  During that time, my husband and I both were fighting off a cold.  She started to get better.  The doctor had said no strep, but possible allergies.  Claritin it was.  Then she started coughing.  A LOT.  low fevers, to high fevers,and back to low fevers.  Chest cough was intense.  Took her back to the doctor.  Lungs are clear, they said.  and sent us home.  She did mend over the next few days.  She missed a week of school.

4 days pass and Halloween comes.  Everyone is great.  The next day, at the end of the school day, M complains of a headache.  High fever, small cough, sore throat.  We go back to the dr.  No strep.  viral.  we go home.  Fever continues, cough starts getting a little worse.  Finally fever is low and she looks like she might be getting better.  Even plays all day with different things.  Come dinner time, she doesn’t feel good.  High fever is back.  It’s Saturday night.  We go to the pediatric urgicare.  STILL viral.  lungs are clear.  Sunday, still feverish, no appetite, and cough gets worse throughout the whole day.  Cough suppressants not working at all.  By dinner time, the cough is completely full blown.  Spasms and fits.  M keeps turning dark red, as she struggles to breathe.  I kept saying something was not right.  Husband kept saying there was nothing we could do.  Finally, after a scary moment, M throws up everything.  Must be soup, liquids, bile, mucous, everything.  She is a little better.  I give her  a long hot shower, and she breathes easier.  Sleep is interrupted throughout the night.

Monday morning, the drs office calls.  They are following up from our urgicare visit on Saturday night.  They want me to bring M back in.  I have spent $100 in co-pays over the last 2 weeks.  $50 of them in 3 days!  I am NOT going back just to be sent home that it’s viral.  I even tell the receptionist.  She still wants me to bring in M.

I go very begrungingly.  It’s chilly, there is morning traffic, etc.

Dr takes a listen.  Crackling  on the left side.  We now have pneumonia!  ARGH!!!!!!!!!

I get that drs don’t want to overprescribe medication. I do.  but COME ON!  You think I enjoy bringing my kids back again and again?  The fever is way too long, and this was NOT NORMAL!  I’m so disgruntled.    why doctors, do you have to be like this???