Hyperlexia, Asperger’s Disorder and Indigo Children

Reader’s Question

What is the difference between Hyperlexia, Asperger’s Disorder, and giftedness in children? Also, are there really any Indigo children or is this just a term used by parents who can’t accept that their child has a disability?

I’m hoping your answer will help many people who, like me, can’t readily differentiate between these concepts.

Our Clinical Psychologist’s Reply

Hyperlexia is a term that describes a child’s precocious ability to recognize written words and to decode written word patterns. This ability is not usually associated with high comprehension, although a fair proportion of hyperlexic children eventually develop early reading skills, especially word recognition and spelling skills. Unfortunately, comprehension skills and overall written language skills often lag far behind the single word skills.

Hyperlexia is most often associated with the Autistic Spectrum disorders, including full-blown autism as well as Asperger’s Disorder. Indeed, some professionals suggest that the phenomenon only occurs in children who lie somewhere on the autistic spectrum. Many hyperlexics have high verbal abilities, as do Asperger’s children, but they also have above-average difficulty processing spoken communication.

The concept of Indigo Children is hotly debated within the professional community. Most professionals regard this “New Age” concept with a great deal of skepticism. The concept proposes that certain children have special “gifts” or paranormal talents that are an indication of an emerging advanced evolutionary state for humans.

All parents tend to see their children as “special.” And all children display differences in aptitudes and abilities as they develop. When children have developmental delays, it’s understandable that some parents engage in a fair degree of “denial,” especially when, as a result of the nature of some impairments, it appears the child has special gifts. It’s important, however, to be both objective and accepting when attempting to understand or deal with a child’s unique talents or impairments. It’s the first step in helping them get the educational guidance they need.