AUTISM THERAPY
tually understand what he or she reads? For the most
part, the answer is no—not without a lot of skilled
training. Here’s why. Most hyperlexia readers have
incredible word-decoding abilities with rote memo-
rization skills. In other words, they don’t understand
the word—they just decode it and then recall it when
they need to.
So how is comprehension achieved, you ask? I can
tell you that it takes a ton of therapy and even more
patience. James has been in applied behavior analy-
sis (ABA) therapy, occupational therapy (OT), speech
therapy, and play therapy since he was three. His
team is quite large just at the school, consisting of
his ABA classroom teacher and her support staff. It
consists of the Marcus Autism Center, his psychia-
trist, and his neurologist. I work with him every sin-
gle day with just about every sentence. Because he is
a very literal, concrete thinker, we have visual aids to
help him understand his day. The five Ws (who, what,
where, when, why) prove to be a very difficult task.
James is now six years old, and we are in the deep
seat of teaching him comprehension skills.
I cannot express to you how important it is to get
started in therapy at a very early age. This is a long
process, and it will require a great amount of pa-
tience. Begin developing your team now. Find a
mentor who has been through this before to help
guide you along the way. You are your child’s voice.
Do not give up.
Treffert, D. (2011). Hyperlexia: Reading Precocious-
ness or Savant Skill? [online] www.wisconsinmedi-
calsociety.org. Available at: https://www.wisconsin-
medicalsociety.org/professional/savant-syndrome/
resources/articles/hyperlexia-reading-precocious-
ness-or-savant-skill/ [Accessed 22 Nov. 2018].
A CHILDREN’S DIETARY SUPPLEMENT
LINE BY DR. ROBERT MELILLO
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sprinkled on your child’s favorite food and drink!
Plus they pack an even more powerful punch and
only need to be taken once per day.
TRY THIS ALL NATURAL SUPPLEMENT TODAY!
http://drrobertmelillo.com/kidgenius-dietary-supplements
1
Patricia Wigginton is the mother of four wonderful
children. Her six-year-old son James is on the spec-
trum. She is a strong advocate for her son and would
someday like to start a nonprofit organization in her
town so that other ASD parents have access to the
resources they need. She currently resides in Flowery
Branch, Georgia.
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: www.facebook.com/patricia.miller.986227
Twitter: @Pattymiller72
32 | Autism Parenting Magazine | Issue 87
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