BACKGROUND: Little is known about the early neural mechanisms of the reading ability. Children with autism spectrum, in rare occasions, present advanced reading abilities. In spite of their severe difficulties in language reception and expression, those children can identify words printed as young as for the 18 months of age without any explicit instruction. CASE REPORT: We report a case of a six year-old child with history of autism who, in spite of severe difficulties in communication, began to read at the age of three. We discuss some theories supporting this association. CONCLUSION: Deficiencies in the development of language and communication are definition criteria for autism. Hyperlexia is uncommon, but when present should be taken into account for the diagnosis. The underlying mechanisms are not completely understood and there is a limited number of studies that in addition to other studies in progress, will help to ellucidate the neurobiology of this symptom.
Autistic disorder; hyperlexia; reading; communication