Saturday, April 07, 2007

Story Time #10: Hyperlexia


[VIDEO REDACTED]

I hadn't originally intended to do seven videos about the boy this week. But on day two, Josh left a comment asking me to explain where such a little guy was going on a school bus. This video attempts to answer that question. But for those of you (like Josh) who've only ever met the boy through this videoblog, this may leave you with more questions than answers.*

I knew it was going to take me all week to put together this one, so I filled the remainder of the days with unpublished videos from the past. I think it does create a bit of an arc to the week, and it's perhaps fitting that with this video I cross over the 100 video milestone.

Length: 4:16

Those of you following a link about hyperlexia can click in the right column on the video category "hyperlexia" to see more videos of the boy reading/reciting.



That'll just about do it for Videoblogging Week 2007.
*In the video I ran down a list of common behaviors and other signifiers of hyperlexia in young children, featuring clips from earlier videos. I also shared the boy’s autism diagnosis from our school district. As I (and the boy) have grown in the years since, I'm not entirely comfortable with how I framed the situation in the moment. If I update the edit I'll relink it here.

Labels: , , ,

9 Comments:

Blogger Sean said...

Really fascinating. I wonder if I had this as a kid? Bonus if you can get him to read the David Foster Wallace essays by age seven, if that's even a good idea. I want to say, "awesome, cool!" but really it's obviously a bit troubling. Fascinating, though.

1:49 AM PDT  
Blogger Laura Moncur said...

Wow...

I learned more from the look on your face than everything you said. Mike's sister has mild autism. Frankly, she's a joy and we're very lucky.

The worry on your face... It just brought me to tears.

2:17 PM PDT  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wow Chris. Thanks for being so open about something that is clearly so personal. Absolutely fascinating.

My wife and I will be in the East Bay tonight, and I'll be thinking about you guys as I drive over the bridge. Take care.

2:48 PM PDT  
Blogger Anthony said...

Thanks for sharing that. I hope and pray everything works out for the best.

11:08 PM PDT  
Blogger Dave H. said...

hey chris. thanks for this video. i hate that the stupid forms require a box to be checked, but if there's no label in the bureaucracy that fits your unique kid, they just force him into one of their pre-typed check-boxes. what the heck?! "communicatively handicapped?" i have a ton of questions about this stuff, i'll google around for a while and then email you.

7:56 PM PDT  
Blogger Josh Leo said...

wow, this is very eye-opening. To see all the videos that you have put together with this explanation, it makes me understand a little bit better how your son is able to do the things he does. and why he does them. I wish you all the best, once things like this have names, they have the ability to invoke 2 reactions, 1. to comfort by answering questions and explaining things, and 2. to invoke worry and intenst thought because having a name or label makes it feel more serious or more official, not something we can just brush off. I will do some more reading about this. Thanks for answering my questions and thanks for sharing this. One of the best videos of the week that I have seen.

8:05 PM PDT  
Blogger cjereneta said...

Thanks for the kind words, everyone.

The "autism" label, we're ambivalent about, but as my wife says we'd be happy to let the state of California call him a ham sandwich if it means they'll offer him help.

It's easy to fall into the trap of trying to "fix" your kid. (Even when you're not dealing with early childhood developmental issues.) We're working to strike a balance between helping him adapt a little better to the world he's growing up into and just letting him be his own awesome weird self.

11:34 PM PDT  
Blogger Jay Dedman said...

at first I thought "awesome" because he can read so well, but I can see how his behavior might not fit into current teaching methods.

with parents like you guys, he'll flourish. can't wait to see videos in 5-10 years!

not really releated, but this video reminded me of this one: http://tinyurl.com/2pczl2
it was my favorite video last month.

9:37 AM PDT  
Blogger Niksmom said...

Our mutual friend, Francine TK, posted this link for me to see. Everything you said describes my son, Nik. I'm fascinated and want to learn more. Thanks. (I follow Ben's antics through Christa's blog, too!)

6:39 AM PST  

Post a Comment

<< Home