Does SPD often have the giftedness in certain areas like autistm spectrum?

[LittleIzumi]

I know SPD has some co-morbidity with autism spectrum disorders. Does it often share the strong talents in certain areas? I am so used to dd not understanding ANYTHING (receptive of 10-12 mo when she was evaluated at 17 months, etc--it was like having a baby for almost 2 years), hating books, not being able to pay attention to anything, not being able to play with toys, not being able to communicate, etc before diagnosis and in early therapy, and now things are clicking and she's almost scaring me. She had one word and zero signs until 19 months. At 24 months she has hundreds of signs. At 22 months she knew zero letters, zero numbers. At 23 months she knew all of her letters, upper and lower, written and signed. At 24 months she knows most of the letter sounds, and at least 1-10 on her own (around 20 when we say them together). Eeeeep. Is that normal for SPD?? One of her therapists is coming today and I'm going to ask, but eeep. She only learns if there is movement involved--either the learning material (like DVDs) or herself have to be MOVING. She learned her letters from Signing Time and Starfall, her numbers from our new game of counting when we climb stairs. She still doesn't pick things up from her normal environment. But if it moves, or if she moves while learning it, it goes straight to her brain and sticks. I am trying to figure out if that's related to the SPD and how to handle it :001_huh:

[NCW]

As far as I know (and I'll love to know if others have different info) SPD is not by itself indicative of giftedness - however, many gifted children are highly sensitive to their environments (internal or external), and have symptoms of SPD. I hope that makes sense.

[LittleIzumi]

Thanks. :)

Okay, her therapist says no, it's not related in her case--it's probably just her level of intelligence. I suppose I should have clarified that she's not one of the "sensitive" SPD kids. She's very hypo, very sensory-seeking (chews on glass/metal/crayons, doesn't believe in gravity, that sort of thing). But at least according to her therapist, the behaviors that are usually associated with that kind of giftedness involve the social/emotional factors of autism spectrum that she doesn't have. Now that we're sorting out the sensory stuff, her brain can finally perform more at her real level. So.... yeah. Scared now, LOL.

[homeschoolally]

had similar 'gifts' with letters, shapes and #'s at that age--They (developmental specialists) called it 'hyperlexia'---today, at 11, he is doing well with the exception of major attention issues--and is highly gifted in some areas. It manifests itself these days as an amazing memory--he can remember almost everything he hears---long term. You might want to look further into it, but don't get hung up on the label--just nurture her talents--in our case it has made certain areas of homeschooling a breeze--by watching documentaries and listening to audio textbooks, he has accumulated an amazing amount of knowledge. The downside in our case is an extreme difficulty staying on task with bookwork. It would probably be easily remedied with add meds--but we're holding off for now.

I found this here--http://www.hyperlexia.org/aha_what_is.html

 

What Is Hyperlexia?

 

Hyperlexia is a syndrome observed in children who have the following characteristics:

 

 

• A precocious ability to read words, far above what would be expected at their chronological age or an intense fascination with letters or numbers.
  
• Significant difficulty in understanding verbal language
  
• Abnormal social skills, difficulty in socializing and interacting appropriately with people
  

 

In addition, some children who are hyperlexic may exhibit the following characteristics:

 

 

• Learn expressive language in a peculiar way, echo ro memorize the sentence structure without understanding the meaning (echolalia), reverse pronouns
  
• Rarely initiates conversations
  
• An intense need to keep routines, difficulty with transitions, ritualistic behavior
  
• Auditory, olfactory and / or tactile sensitivity
  
• Self-stimulatory behavior
  
• specific, unusual fears
  
• Normal development until 18-24 months, then regression
  
• strong auditory and visual memory
  
• Difficulty answering "Wh--" questions, such as "what," "where," "who," and "why"
  
• Think in concrete and literal terms, difficulty with abstract concepts
  
• Listen selectively, appear to be deaf
  

 

How is Hyperlexia Defined?

 

 

Hyperlexia has characteristics similar to autism, behavior disorder, language disorder, emotional disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder, hearing impairment, giftedness or, paradoxically, mental retardation.

To develop effective teaching strategies and more typical childhood development, it is important to differentiate hyperlexia from other disorders. A thorough speech and language pathologist who is familiar with the syndrome of hyperlexia is a crucial first step. Psychological tests which emphasise visual processes rathere than verbal skills aid in identifying hyperlexia.

Hearing, neurological, psychiatric, blood chemistry and genetic evaluations can be performed to rule out other disorders but are not needed to identify hyperlexia

What can be done?

 

 

The future of a hyperlexic child depends on developing his / her language expression and comprehension skills. Intensive speech and language therapy and early intervention programs can help achieve this objective. The child's reading skills should be used as a primary means of developing language.

It is important to teach the child appropriate social skills. Providing opportunities for the child to interact with children whose behavior is more socially appropriate is one way to accomplish this. Parent, teachers and other professionals should work together to develop programs for each child to reach his /her fullest potential.

[EKS]

I know that there is something called "overexcitibilities" that is sort of like a toned down version of SPD in gifted kids.

[LittleIzumi]

I know that there is something called "overexcitibilities" that is sort of like a toned down version of SPD in gifted kids.

 

Ooooooh. Now that fits pretty closely. (Except hers isn't very toned down, lol.) But Dabrowski's overexcitabilities fits her very well, from the extremely emotional, very visually sensory-seeking, need for constant movement, etc, down to the extra commentary on having bad colic as a baby. Now we might be getting somewhere :D, thanks!

[Verity]

Interesting thread! My youngest is very sensory seeking and in many ways similar to my sensory seeking Aspie (oldest ds). He has a speech delay but mostly because he can't be bothered, I am confident in his comprehension. Almost 4 years old refuses to use the potty though he has control shown in many ways.

 

My brother kept my boys one afternoon this week while I took my grandmother to an appointment and when I picked them up he took me aside to tell me that he is convinced my youngest was reading the captions on the tv show they were watching. He started out copying the other children who were laughing and reading aloud but my brother swears he got to the point of reading the words ahead of the other children. I know that he knows his numbers and letters but because of his slow development in other areas I haven't started any actual reading with him (he's watched a few Leapfrog videos). However, this could certainly be possible, especially if the words were short... these kids are so confusing sometimes! lol

[Pippen]

There's a lot more information on Hyperlexia at this site, but it requires registration. It will give you ideas on how to capitalize on the natural decoding abilities to address areas such as receptive and expressive speech.

 

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Hyperlexia-Info/

 

Mine started spelling words at 28 months. It was a fascinating adventure. :001_smile: