Reading resource for hyperlexia and autism

C's speech and language therapist recently started using a new program to help improve his reading comprehension.  She did some research and found something a little different, something I had not heard of before. I was doing some research myself and had come across some things but not the one she just got. So here's a picture of the cover:

She's very enthusiastic about it and said he was doing really well with it. She's only had it for 3 weeks though so, we're not sure how it will all work out in the long run.  The best case scenario would be for C to be able to transfer those skills to a more general setting but I just don't know if that's going to work. It's complicated when your child has to learn in the general education setting. He just started middle school and things are really though for him. We are looking at other options, not for this school year, we're already halfway through, but for next year. Until then, we'll just have to do the best we can.  In the meantime, we'll continue with the speech and language therapy since that's really what he needs the most. Second to that would be feeding but guess what? His feeding therapist had to stop after more than 7 years of working with him and the one we found, not too far from our house just closed shop and we never heard from her again. Go figure, right?
C definitely has hyperlexia so I think this reading comprehension kit is definitely worth a try. We're just going to keep trying, keep throwing different ideas against the wall and see what sticks or rather, until something sticks. After all, that's what we've been doing for the past 12 years and 10 months of his life. It's hard to talk about autism and how it affects our lives. It's hard to consider the future. I will never stop fighting but I still get scared for his future. And I know he's a high-functioning kid or so they say. Actually it all depends who we're talking to. In school, he's way too complicated. His language deficits make it hard for teachers to work with him, especially in his current setting but in a clinical or smaller setting, he's able to do a lot more. He definitely has autistic behaviors but as I explained in previous posts, he can follow the general patterns and expectations in a group. 
Well, I digress. We can discuss this in greater details in another post. I just wanted to share this newfound resource with you. Hope some of you find it useful.
Rebecca

Defying the odds.

This is a video of my son playing with Legos at home. I'm including the YouTube link as well, since it may not play on some mobile devices.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGjUzKRZTD8
My son struggles with reading comprehension yet, is able to follow instructions to build his Legos. Had to capture it on video. Couldn't believe how precise and thorough he was being. ‪I'm no neurologist so I can't say that I understand how the brain works, let alone the brain of a child who was diagnosed with autism or, shows traits of autism. C had a host of other issues even before we noticed his developmental delays so it's hard to say which came first. He was a medically fragile baby and maybe, some of what happened to him as an infant has something to do with who he is today. Then again, maybe not. The point is, he is definitely not your typical 12, soon to be 13 year-old boy. He has language delays, food sensitivities and social awkwardness but none of it severe though, the language deficits and sensory issues are pretty significant. In terms of social skills however, his functioning is considered mild. He wants to interact with other kids but sadly, lacks the language to do so correctly. He will automatically gravitate towards them whenever he sees them so in this way, his social skills deficits are mild. That's why autism is a spectrum; it varies from one individual to the next. When it comes to sounds, C does display some sensitivity there as well but it's minor. He's able to go watch a movie at the movie theater even if at times, he will cover his ears but, he won't ask to leave, won't become agitated because of the loud noise. He does motion stemming when gets excited during a movie, will rock back and forth, like he's leaning forward to get a closer look and that would be the extent of his autism display in this context. No popcorn. Because of the texture, he won't eat it. He will, however, take a handful of it and will just crunch it in his hands for sensory stimulation. He may taste it but will eventually spit it out. He has severe oral apraxia or as we say at home, oral defensiveness. But, as I was saying earlier, C's social skills are not the most challenging element of his disability; his language skills and eating abilities are. He can read though. He will decode any word, will memorize the spelling and copy it on a sheet of paper over and over. I believe this is called hyperlaxia, an uncanny abililty to recognize and memorize print. Apparently, it's a common condition in autistic individuals. When it comes to language comprehension however, it's a different story. Like many other autistic kids, C struggles to find the deeper meaning of words, though I must say that with therapy, he has made a lot progress. Our goal is to keep providing him with the proper support, in the forms of therapeutic interventions to help him go even further. But his language deficits are what made me want to grab the camera and record him while he was busy playing with his Legos. He was so completely absorbed by what he was doing, going from the instruction booklet to the Lego pieces that I just wanted to capture that on film. It's not often that you see your language impaired son actually showing that he can comprehend written language. Had to capture that and I'm glad I did. #‎Dontunderestimatespecialneedskids ‪#‎advocate #‎believe