Developmental Trajectories of Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Hyperlexia

Presenter Information

Vanessa Englehart

Document Type

Oral Presentation

Campus where you would like to present

SURC Ballroom A

Start Date

17-5-2012

End Date

17-5-2012

Abstract

Hypothesis: The purpose of the study is to determine at what pace children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and hyperlexia make developmental gains relative to children with autism and without hyperlexia. Rationale: Hyperlexia is characterized by the remarkable ability to read words, relative to cognitive ability and comprehension, and research has shown a relationship between ASD diagnosis and hyperlexia. Reading fluency is used as the best prediction of reading ability in education; thus, it is possible that children with hyperlexia may go overlooked for needed intervention in reading comprehension. It is important for educators to understand at what pace children with hyperlexia develop to help determine need for intervention. Methods: Academic achievement, intellectual, and social-emotional archival data, on children assessed at 9 years and again between 13 and 18 years-old, will be used from the University of Washington Autism Center. Results: Dataset is in-hand, and analyses will be conducted to determine differences, if any, in reading skills, reading comprehension, and social skills between students with Autism with and without hyperlexia. Final approval from the Human Subjects Review Committee (HSRC) for exempt research is in process. Principal Conclusions: The purpose of the study is to research a population of children who have difficulty communicating and who have remarkable ability to read words with greater superiority than their IQ and comprehension predict. Children with hyperlexia and ASD may be overlooked for needed services; however, it is important to understand developmental trends in these children to help educators determine how hyperlexia affects development.

Poster Number

20

Faculty Mentor(s)

Suzanne Little

Additional Mentoring Department

Psychology

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May 17th, 2:00 PM May 17th, 4:30 PM

Developmental Trajectories of Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Hyperlexia

SURC Ballroom A

Hypothesis: The purpose of the study is to determine at what pace children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and hyperlexia make developmental gains relative to children with autism and without hyperlexia. Rationale: Hyperlexia is characterized by the remarkable ability to read words, relative to cognitive ability and comprehension, and research has shown a relationship between ASD diagnosis and hyperlexia. Reading fluency is used as the best prediction of reading ability in education; thus, it is possible that children with hyperlexia may go overlooked for needed intervention in reading comprehension. It is important for educators to understand at what pace children with hyperlexia develop to help determine need for intervention. Methods: Academic achievement, intellectual, and social-emotional archival data, on children assessed at 9 years and again between 13 and 18 years-old, will be used from the University of Washington Autism Center. Results: Dataset is in-hand, and analyses will be conducted to determine differences, if any, in reading skills, reading comprehension, and social skills between students with Autism with and without hyperlexia. Final approval from the Human Subjects Review Committee (HSRC) for exempt research is in process. Principal Conclusions: The purpose of the study is to research a population of children who have difficulty communicating and who have remarkable ability to read words with greater superiority than their IQ and comprehension predict. Children with hyperlexia and ASD may be overlooked for needed services; however, it is important to understand developmental trends in these children to help educators determine how hyperlexia affects development.