Communication. Spontaneous speech. Echolalia. Conversations. Comprehension. Expressive language. Receptive language. These words come up time and time again whenever someone has questions about language skills in hyperlexia. Questions such as:
- How can I develop my son's expressive language?
- How can I increase receptive language for a young hyperlexic child?
- How can I help my daughter go from great vocabulary to conversational language?
- How can I support the transition beyond echolalia to authentic communication?
- Why can't my child carry on a conversation?
- How do I teach comprehension to my hyperlexic kid?
It can be quite overwhelming to know where to start and how to help develop those language skills at home with your hyperlexic child. Hence, why I get so many questions.
Thankfully, there are some really great books out there that can help with the development of language skills.
So here are my top picks for useful books about supporting and developing language skills in hyperlexic learners.
This list of books on language development will help you better understand how to build expressive language, move to more spontaneous speech, work on comprehension and communication, and so much more! They are also the books that you'll see me reference time and time again. That's how useful they are.
They're seriously the best books for language development when it comes to hyperlexia (even if they don't specifically mention hyperlexia anywhere). So let's dig in!
Useful Books for Supporting & Developing Language Skills in Hyperlexic Learners
1. Declarative Language Handbook: Using a Thoughtful Language Style to Help Kids with Social Learning Challenges Feel Competent, Connected, and Understood by Linda K. Murphy
At only 120ish pages, this little book packs a big punch. It shows you how to use declarative language instead of using questions or prompts. Making the switch to declarative language is a great way to develop inference skills and boost comprehension (among many other things). Using declarative language also gives hyperlexic kids new gestalts or scripts that are easy to mix and match, which, in turn will help them move from echolalia to more spontaneous speech. This book really is a must-read.
2. Hyperlexia: Therapy that Works Manual: A Guide for Parents & Teachers from The Center for Speech and Language Disorders (look for the download link near the bottom of that page)
This free ebook is indispensable for those supporting hyperlexic learners. The bulk of this manual focuses on addressing specific language objectives from requesting, protesting, and giving directions to explaining, sequencing, and answering questions. It is jam packed with great examples and suggestions for how to target a wide variety of language skills. It's a resource that you'll definitely want to keep handy!
3. Drawing a Blank: Improving Comprehension for Readers on the Autism Spectrum by Emily Iland
Despite not having the word hyperlexia in the title, this book is 100% about hyperlexia and the comprehension difficulties that come along with it. It gives you a good overview of what those issues can look like, as well as ideas to help. Heads up that some of the way autism is discussed in this book is dated, but overall, the information on comprehension and hyperlexia is excellent.
4. Natural Language Acquisition on the Autism Spectrum: The Journey from Echolalia to Self-Generated Language by Marge Blanc
If you're wanting to work on expressive language and moving from echolalia to more spontaneous speech, then you absolutely need to read this book. It's all about understanding natural language acquisition and gestalt language processing and it's an excellent guide for supporting hyperlexic learners with their language development.
5. More than Words: A Parent's Guide to Building Interaction & Language Skills for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder or Social Communication Difficulties by Fern Sussman
This book might seem overwhelming simply because of how big it is, but it's really easy to digest. I promise. Besides, it's full of colorful illustrations. So, don't worry, it isn't just one giant wall of text on each page. Inside you'll find lots of tips and strategies for how to build and develop language and communication skills. It also discusses gestalt language processing frequently throughout. I highly recommend this book!
I really hope you find this list of books about developing language skills in hyperlexia helpful. All of these books have been invaluable resources to me over the years. In fact, they're often within arm's reach, on my desk, at all times.
