Hyperlexia: a variant of aphasia or dyslexia.
We report five patients with hyperlexia who presented for evaluation in the Learning Disabilities Clinic at the Medical College of Georgia over a two year period. Analysis of the data from the neurologic and neuropsychologic evaluations indicates that the primary and essential cognitive deficit in these children is a disorder in speech and language involving a severe deficit in their ability to comprehend language whether it be spoken or written, as opposed to a dyslexia syndrome involving only recognition and/or comprehension of written language. This finding is in contrast to the Nosology of Disorders of Higher Cerebral Function proposed by the Child Neurology Society which views hyperlexia as a variant of the language disorder subtype of dyslexia.
Cohen
M
M
Department of Neurology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta 30912.
Campbell
R
R
Gelardo
M
M
D001037:Aphasia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001184:Articulation Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004410:Dyslexia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed