Correlation between Dyslexia and Autism?

Question

Hi, I have a 5yr. old niece who is being tested for Dyslexia and my brother says that someone mentioned a connection between Autism and Dyslexia. I have worked with special needs preschoolers and a few were Autistic ( one had Aspergers) but I had never heard of this before. She is extremely shy and throws tantrums continuously.Eye contact is an issue with her also. At the preschool that she attends they have been working with her on basic skills but she can't spell her name and only counts to 20 ( if she's in the right mood). Anyone out there have input??

Answer 1

I've actually heard that the next biggest wave within autism will be identifying the basic qualities and patterns.  Perhaps within one of those categories there will be a link.  Many autistic children have difficulty reading .. perhaps could be the reason why.

Answer 2

I'm sure that a child can have both autism and dyslexia, but I've never heard of any connection between the two. It does sound like your niece could use a comprehensive evaluation for all the challenges you describe, though.

Actually, many children with autism spectrum disorders are hyperlexic -- that is, they can read at a far younger age than they should be able to (although not always with much comprehension). My ASD daughter had a substantial sight-word vocabulary by the time she turned 2, and for most of her life has gotten information most effectively through the written word.

Another poster refers to a doctor who says all autistic children are dyslexic, but given the frequency of hyperlexia in the population, I think you'd have to stretch the definition of dyslexia pretty far.

Answer 3

As a person with dyslexia and with two children with dyslexia and up to 15 other family members with it. NONE of us and no one else that I know with dyslexia also has autism.  Processing issues maybe but not  Autism.  In fact most people that I know with dyslexia are very verbal and have above average vocabularies as we communitcate better verbally rather than writing.

Answer 4

They are both neurological conditions.

Use of L-Carnosine in autism was pioneered by Dr. Michael Chez, a pediatric neurologist from Chicago.  Dr. Chez theorized that L-Carnosine stimulates the front areas of the brain, providing increased activity, leading to overall improvements in level of functioning. More and more research shows that the frontal lobes and  temporal lobes in the brain control emotion, epileptic activity, cognitive, expressive speech, and abstract thinking.  

In a double-blind study conducted by Dr. Chez, L-Carnosine was found to be beneficial to children with autism spectrum disorders and/or epilepsy.  Participants in the clinical trial who were given L-Carnosine experienced significant improvements compared to those taking a placebo in the following areas:   language, auditory processing socialization, awareness of surroundings, fine motor planning and expressive language.  Improvements were observed between 1-8 weeks into treatmen, with a 90 percent success rate.  

Dr. Chez also theorized that all autistic children are dyslexic and that distortion of sensory input (touch, taste, hearing, sight) that autistic children experience are forms of dyslexia.  For information on research related to other conditions including Dyslexia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, that may benefit from L-Carnosine supplementation, please click here.

http://www.autismcoach.com/L-Carnosine%2...

Answer 5

While Autism and Dyslexia are both neurological disorders, and they do have some similar symptoms, but they are also very different, but they can co-exist.

People with dyslexia have a normal IQ, but they have problems with reading writing and doing maths (Dyscalula), and some may have co-ordination problems (Dyspraxia).

Autism causes social and communication problems, appears to be aloof, socially awkward, react strongly to changes outside of their normal routine, learning difficulties, repetitive behaviours and may have extraordinary knowledge or  skills in specific area e.g music.

I would hope that she is given a full assessment by a pediatrician and or a child psychologist, which includes testing for dyslexia, and other disorders in the Autism spectrum, once this is done, they will set up a IEP (Individualized Education Program) and may involve a multi-disciplinary team such as;

Occupational Therapy

Physiotherapy

Psychology

Social Work

Speech Pathology

Who will work with the student, parents and school to gain the best outcomes for the students future.

Answer 6

dysleexia is a reading difficulty , autism shows in more than one way