Dear Dr. Debbie,
My husband and I have read books to our two children since they were infants and certainly didn’t worry about rushing them to learn to read. While the older one picked up reading skills in kindergarten our second child is already sounding out the words in signs and whole sentences in books.
Otherwise she’s a typically feisty three-year-old. She seems to get along well with the children and teachers at her childcare center but I’m wondering if they’ll treat her differently when they discover this unusual ability.
Mom Of Two
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Dear MOT,
Reading before the age of five without any direct instruction is extremely rare. Typically the neural connections just aren’t there yet. The short-lived craze for baby flashcards has thankfully passed. An extremely small percentage of tykes will somehow figure out phonics on their own.
Is it Really Reading?
In some of these children parents noted the child had a fascination for letters and words. They have a penchant for decoding the written word, even words they don’t have in their vocabularies. Often this child becomes an avid reader by school age which suggests that comprehension catches up with their ability to just sound out the words.
Brain imaging of hyperlexic young children suggests a connection between self-taught reading and above average visual processing. Again, recognizing a word because you’ve seen a similar combination of letters has nothing to do with understanding its meaning.
Giftedness or Special Needs?
Hyperlexia, the precocious ability to read in the absence of directed instruction, is seen in only around 2 out of 10,000 children. Among children who are such very early readers, about 85% are also diagnosed with autism, although only 6% of children with autism are early readers. Hyperlexia is also strongly associated with ADHD as well as sensitivity issues. Children who read very early sometimes also have social difficulties.
These associations should alert you to looking for other behaviors that would warrant special attention. If you or her current teachers have any concerns, ask for an evaluation from Child Find (available free of charge from your county’s school system). Follow up with any recommendations to reduce challenges for your child that might impact her ability to interact well with other children and to succeed in school.
It could be that your child’s precocious reading is merely sign of giftedness
Love of Language
For a child who simply figured out reading because she picked up on patterns of written language at a younger than average age, you can do a lot to support her interest. Give her context for the words she calls out from signs. (I remember trying to sound out a “Yield” sign as my mother drove past. She not only seemed proud that I thought it said “yellowed” – because of the color, but she explained what the word meant in the context of driving.)
Engage in lots of conversation when you read picture books together. Sure she can call out some of the text, but increase her comprehension with questions related to her life experiences.
She might enjoy the rhymes in poems and songs that highlight another aspect of language – it can be beautiful to the ear.
If you haven’t already made your public library a regular stop for family time (or just mother-daughter time), please do so! A competent children’s librarian is a good resource for book recommendations.
If your daughter continues to enjoy reading – and enjoying the adventures that good storybooks provide – this could be an attractive attribute to share with friends. She might join or even start a book club.
She will also encounter teachers and librarians who take pleasure in supporting an avid reader.
Dr. Debbie
Deborah Wood, Ph.D. is a child development specialist and founding director of Chesapeake Children’s Museum.
The museum is open daily with summer hours 10 am to 5 pm. Online reservations are available or call: 410-990-1993. Each Thursday there is a guided nature walk at 10:30 am. Art and Story Times have moved to Monday mornings at 10:30 am.
While supplies last, families can purchase a Solar Powered Art base to which you add your own design. These can be contributed to an exhibit about solar energy and pollinators, or take your piece home to enjoy its movement in the sunshine.
Read more of Dr. Wood’s Good Parenting columns by clicking here.
