Completed: A Family Study of Hyperlexia in Autism

Principal Investigator: Elena L. Grigorenko
Project Director: Tina Newman

Description: Hyperlexia is characterized by the presence of exceptional single-word reading abilities manifested as early as age two, but usually by age five. These abilities occur in the absence of specific reading instruction and exceed what would be expected or predicted on the basis of cognitive abilities. They also coexist with developmental disturbances such as pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). The objective of this two-year study is to investigate the patterns of transmission of hyperlexia and hyperlexia-spectrum cognitive processes (e.g., phonological decoding, single-word reading, and reading comprehension) in families of hyperlexic PDD probands and nonhyperlexic PDD probands. This research is designed to advance the current understanding of the clinical picture of autism and other PDD-spectrum disorders, the developmental prognosis of hyperlexia/no hyperlexia autism-spectrum disorder, and family risk factors for the manifestation of autism. This project will (1) enhance our understanding of the complexity and variability in which autism is manifested behaviorally; (2) enhance our understanding of the links between autism and hyperlexia; (3) provide, for the first time, data on familiality of hyperlexia in families of autistic probands; and (4) allow the formulation of etiological hypotheses regarding hyperlexia and dyslexia.

Funding Agency: CAN-Cure Autism Now
IRB Approval By: Human Investigation Committee, Yale University School of Medicine/Yale-New Haven Hospital (HIC #12495)
Funding Period: July 1, 2001 - June 30, 2003
Award Amount: $79,211