10/15/2026
Reading every word does not always mean understanding every sentence.
Some children begin reading much earlier than expected.
They may teach themselves to recognise words, become fascinated by letters and numbers, or read signs that adults had no idea they could read.
This can be known as hyperlexia.
A hyperlexic child may be able to decode written words far beyond their age.
They might confidently read a complicated sentence aloud but find it difficult to explain what it means.
They may remember exact details from the page but struggle with questions about why something happened, what a character might be thinking or what could happen next.
Because the reading sounds so fluent, adults can easily assume that the child’s understanding is equally advanced.
It may not be.
The same child may also find spoken language harder to process than written language.
Written words stay still.
They can be looked at again.
There is no need to remember the beginning of the sentence while somebody is still speaking.
For some autistic children, reading becomes an important way to understand the world.
Written instructions, visual timetables, subtitles and labelled information may be much easier to process than spoken explanations.
Hyperlexia is not a separate diagnosis, and not every autistic child is hyperlexic.
Not every hyperlexic child is autistic either.
But there is a strong overlap.
Early reading should be recognised as a genuine strength.
It should not be used as evidence that the child understands everything being asked of them.
Sometimes the child reading the fire exit sign from across the room still needs help understanding where everyone is going and why.
Mandy Cook
The Autistic Teacher
