Read All About It
The information in this post is big news (in our household, at least) but will not be picked up by major news sources: You read it here.
A few nights ago, I asked my son Charlie to spell out the title of a book that was on the carpet beside his bed, Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold.
“T, A, R, B, E, A, C, H.” Said Charlie. I tapped the second word: “Beach! Where we swim in the———”
“Ocean.” Charlie finished my sentence: The beach is Charlie’s favorite place to be. (Though the “tar beach” of the book’s title is waterless, as it is the roof of a Harlem apartment building where a young girl, Cassie, and her family picnic on the hot summer nights.) (Come to think of it, Charlie might like to be up on that beach as well: He likes to be up high above it all and would, I suspect, enjoy flying above the Manhattan skyline and over the George Washington Bridge as Cassie does in the picture above.)
As Charlie was getting ready for bed tonight, I picked up Tar Beach and was just starting to point at the “B” when Charlie looked up, glanced, and said “beach house.”
Correction: Charlie read the word “beach(house)” (because “beach house” and “beach” are one and the same for Charlie).
Charlie, who has never shown any signs of hyperlexia, is reading.
22 opinions for Read All About It
Hsien Lei
Mar 6, 2007 at 6:13 am
Way to go, Charlie! I totally know how you all must feel to see that lightbulb go on and to hear the click. *happy dance*
Kathy
Mar 6, 2007 at 7:40 am
Kristina, I am soooo happy for you Jim and Charlie.
In fact I am just thrilled, what a special moment. You guys of course must be over the moon eh?
I said it before, and I’ll say it again “The world is Charlie’s oyster,” God Bless ‘im!
Judi
Mar 6, 2007 at 7:44 am
Woo hoo Charlie! That is BIG news, good for you buddy!
Club 166
Mar 6, 2007 at 9:07 am
I’m doing a little happy dance myself.
You go, Charlie!
[as an aside, Tar Beach is one of Sweet Pea’s fav books-she also has a Cassie doll].
Caroline
Mar 6, 2007 at 9:26 am
That is the greatest gift, when a child enjoys learning and feels proud of his/her accomplishments. Congratulations Charlie!
The weston woods videos and DVDs are often useful to get little kids interested in books. The classic stories like ‘Blueberries for Sal’, ‘Goldilocks and the Three bears’ are animated and have good music. Most libraries carry some of the titles.
Lisa/Jedi
Mar 6, 2007 at 10:29 am
We had a similar experience with Brendan, since his visual/perceptual difficulties prevented him from tracking & focusing well enough to read until he was in 2nd grade. When I read this post I remembered our joy as well- very sweet! Thanks for sharing this :)
Kristina Chew, PhD
Mar 6, 2007 at 11:08 am
We discovered the book through the Goodnight Moon DVD—-the drawings are a little detailed for Charlie but, on the DVD, it is read in soothing yet eager tones, and I think Charlie remembers that.
I’ll have to look for Blueberries for Sal—we have the book. I’m very excited; it’s a slow process but one words at a time, right?
Shannon
Mar 6, 2007 at 11:22 am
Yay! Charlie must be so proud of himself!
Caroline
Mar 6, 2007 at 11:29 am
We too remember that video fondly. Weston Woods can be reached at 1-800-243-5020. Weston Woods is a division of Scholastic. The website address is too convoluted for me to copy here.
One video from the library in their series that was a big hit for us is The Snowy Day and other Caldecott Classics (inc. bluberries for Sal, Owen by Kevin Henkes and narrated by Sarah Jessica Parker very well done.) the stories may seem a little young, but it does say up to grade 3. Always something to be aware of for all our kids - to keep things age appropriate for their own dignity. (as you have written about)
The DVDs are expensive on the website but not so much when you call and you could ask school or library to by a few. all kids like them.
Shannon
Mar 6, 2007 at 11:39 am
Hey Kristina -
I read the hyperlexia link in your entry, and was wondering if you (or your readers) knew anything more about it. I am interested b/c Lola’s cousin was diagnosed years ago with hyperlexia, but without a concurrent ASD diagnosis. I am aware that hyperlexia can occur with ASD, but is it a common stand-alone diagnosis as well? Are there any special education concerns for hyperlexics? Lola’s cousin has a 165 IQ, but is beginning to stuggle in some middle school classes. Just wondering…
Kristina Chew, PhD
Mar 6, 2007 at 12:02 pm
There’s no age limits to anything in our household—-thanks!
I don’t know how common hyperlexia is as a stand-along diagnosis (I’m going to try to find out; will get back to you) (As a side note, my husband Jim and I both learned to read on our own at the age of 4. ) Regarding Lola’s cousin—and this is more from my experience teaching some autistic college students and also college students with other learning disabilities—I am wondering if she might be struggling more in middle school because there is more emphasis in the curriculum on interpreting and analyzing—on not reading only for content? I have taught students who had no difficulties reading the words on the page, no matter what the vocabulary, but who had more difficulties figuring out what the secondary meaning of a piece of writing was (especially if it was a poem or other literary work, versus something factual, like a science textbook).
Kassiane
Mar 6, 2007 at 12:50 pm
YAAAAAY CHARLIE!
From one hyperlexic autie to a newly literate autie, congratulations!
Shannon
Mar 6, 2007 at 1:17 pm
Thanks, Kristina.
Yes, getting the jist of secondary meanings could be the trouble with Lola’s cousin - he is drawn to more scientific readings. Either that, or he is bored with the material and is zoning out (he is in a pretty lousy school district).
He began reading at the same time he began speaking - age 2 1/2. I would have never believed it had it not seen it with my own eyes. He seemed to have some ASD-type traits back then (late speaking, delayed imaginative play, poor eye contact, sensory issues, and gross motor delays) but has outgrown all but the gross motor issues as he has aged and gained language.
KC'sMommy
Mar 6, 2007 at 3:31 pm
Way to go Charlie! I am so happy for you guys!
Leila
Mar 6, 2007 at 3:35 pm
Congratulations! This will open a whole new world for him.
And Goodnight Moon has a DVD? I have to get it!
Kristina Chew, PhD
Mar 6, 2007 at 3:49 pm
It opens with Tony Bennett singing “Goodnight Baby, we’ll be swinging up to dreamland…..”
KathyIggy
Mar 6, 2007 at 4:51 pm
Yay Charlie! I’m sure he’ll find some favorites soon, and having a movie/TV show version of a favorite book really helps us with comprehension. Meg gets obsessed with the movie/TV show (Charlottes Web, Little House on the Prairie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) which encourages her to read the books. In her sped reading class, all the books selected have a movie associated with them (Sarah Plain & Tall, for example) and it really helps the kids with comprehension–there are 2 other ASD kids in her class who really benefit too.
Looking back, I probably have/had hyperlexia with maybe some “shadow” ASD traits (anxiety, probably some OCD). My mom introduced the alphabet to me and I could read at 2 1/2. I can’t remember not reading and I was really obsessed with it as a kid–reading 10 books from the library in 2 days, for example. I can read very quickly. My comprehension (at least when measured academically) was always pretty good, but who knows what it was like as a real young kid. And I still have trouble reading inferences/meaning in fiction. Of course, most of my education was in a strict “back to basics” Catholic school environment where the emphasis was on memorization, and regurgitation of what the nun said the meaning of the reading selection was! A lot of these open-ended, inference-type questions Megan brings home were unheard of.
Jez Rourke
Mar 7, 2007 at 5:24 am
Go Charlie….. Go Charlie……
mothersvox
Mar 8, 2007 at 9:41 pm
Hip hip hooray! Charlie’s reading! I’m so excited for Charlie, and for you, and for Jim! And that his reading is about the beach is the best . . . we all learn from what we love best, and Charlie is no different! Oh Kristina, hooray!
Kristina Chew, PhD
Mar 8, 2007 at 10:01 pm
Tonight he just read “beach”!
Phil Schwarz
Mar 8, 2007 at 11:59 pm
Yea Charlie!
– from Phil, whose first book was “The Cat in the Hat”
Ari Ne'eman
Mar 9, 2007 at 11:26 pm
With all the advocacy things, I didn’t notice this earlier. This is tremendous! Congratulations, Charlie, Kristina and Jim! You should be very proud of him. I look forward to hearing more good news about Charlie in the future.
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