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I believe it's uncommon but not unheard of. For instance, before I went to kindergarten at aged 5, I kept thinking "Everyone says I will learn how to read when I get there," but when I got there, imagine my surprise - I already knew how to read! I guess if I had asked my parents, they would have told me that. No one taught me how to read. However, I do remember that both my parents read to me often.
The only issue I had with being a "word person" was that I was reading at a college level by the time I was in the second or third grade, and anything I wanted to read was not geared toward my maturity level, which was age appropriate even if my reading level wasn't. So I ended up reading things that I could comprehend but not necessarily grasp, if that makes sense.
Anyway, it all evened out eventually. I'm still a word person. Let's not talk about math, which I despise!
The only issue I had with being a "word person" was that I was reading at a college level by the time I was in the second or third grade, and anything I wanted to read was not geared toward my maturity level, which was age appropriate even if my reading level wasn't. So I ended up reading things that I could comprehend but not necessarily grasp, if that makes sense.
That was me, too. I had older siblings so there were always books written for teens and adults around. I read voraciously and often the same books over and over until I had practically memorized them, but there were parts I didn't understand even though I puzzled over them. For years afterwards, as I grew up, there would be moments when it would suddenly dawn on me, "Oh, now I get it, that's what that word/sentence/sentence in that book meant!"
I hope the question fits here ... (I'm new here),
but anyway, is that okay? I started to read whole texts at the age of 4 without anyone teaching me to do so...
I want to know if this kind of things are common.
thanks for your answer!!
I have Hyperlexia, which is usually defined as "precocious reading ability" & it involves the ability to read VERY early, around the age of 2 & is almost 100% associated with ASD (autism spectrum disorder). It's not JUST "early reading" but involves a rapid progression. For instance, I started reading at age 2 but was then also reading at the level of a high school graduate by the 2nd grade.
It's not actually as adventitious in a educational setting as one may think, because it leads to extreme frustration & boredom in school, which contributed to my dropping out at age 16 with a 9th grade education. In fact, in the 2nd grade I was identified as "Special Needs" because I was so bored that I kept leaving (sneaking out) the classroom to hide in the library where I could find reading material that 2nd graders weren't allowed to check out. During the 7th grade I read the entire year's required reading in the first few weeks of the first semester & just kind of floundered for the rest of the school year. When I was tested at age 16, my reading comprehension rate was equal to that of a college grad student & I just couldn't bear sitting in a classroom anymore. Instead I just took my GED & returned to school via community college at age 18, where I had to force myself to learn writing structure & grammar, since I had never paid attention to that (and nobody ever caught it) during K-12.
It IS true that people with Hyperlexia are not "taught" to read; it's innate. My parents read me little storybooks at bedtime at age 2 but I went from that to reading my dad's newspaper, while sitting on the floor in my diaper & that's not something you can "teach" a child. It just happens.
Typical hyperlexia usually plateaus around late adolescence but mine did not & I now read at 1,363 words per minute. It's considered a "savant" capability but it definitely comes at a high cost. If I could trade my ASD in to be "normal" & just be left as a "good, somewhat fast" reader, I would do so in a heartbeat.
bold above, no that is not the case, not everyone "learns it" and
yes there are people who DO just know how to read.
without "learning it." without anyone "teaching them."
they just know how to read and they do it. that was me.
so i assure you that bold above is not accurate for every person.
i have noticed it with other things, too, as an adult.
I have noticed when i take classes to "learn" something that as we go over the material the teacher is "teaching us" i find that I already know it. It does not feel at all like i am "learning it." it feels like I am "remembering" it. Remembering something i already knew how to do. This has happened several times in various activities, everything from specific dance styles, to advanced craniosacral techniques. Teachers in the classes on many occasions have commented "you already know how to do this."
Reading isn’t instinct. A turtle is born and never meets its mother or father, yet it knows to make its way to the water, and it returns 20 years later… fascinating how that all works, but I digress.
You didn’t magically know how to read. You learned it somehow… it’s odd that you are convinced it seemingly happened without any learning…
I'm just quoting my parents. They claim it was something unnatural at all.
I don't really remember anything from this age ....
My mother said she taught me and my sister to read when we were 3 years old. I have no memory of being taught. There were no electronic toys back then. I do not doubt that an Android tablet with the right software a bright kid could learn to read. I would expect some encouragement from adults.
I have Hyperlexia, which is usually defined as "precocious reading ability" & it involves the ability to read VERY early, around the age of 2 & is almost 100% associated with ASD (autism spectrum disorder). It's not JUST "early reading" but involves a rapid progression. For instance, I started reading at age 2 but was then also reading at the level of a high school graduate by the 2nd grade.
It's not actually as adventitious in a educational setting as one may think, because it leads to extreme frustration & boredom in school, which contributed to my dropping out at age 16 with a 9th grade education. In fact, in the 2nd grade I was identified as "Special Needs" because I was so bored that I kept leaving (sneaking out) the classroom to hide in the library where I could find reading material that 2nd graders weren't allowed to check out. During the 7th grade I read the entire year's required reading in the first few weeks of the first semester. The free book summaries from the source https://freebooksummary.com/category/before-we-were-free helped me love the "Before We Were Free" story about adulthood, childhood, and fear, and helped me start liking reading. So, I just took my GED & returned to school via community college at age 18, where I had to force myself to learn writing structure & grammar, since I had never paid attention to that (and nobody ever caught it) during K-12.
It IS true that people with Hyperlexia are not "taught" to read; it's innate. My parents read me little storybooks at bedtime at age 2 but I went from that to reading my dad's newspaper, while sitting on the floor in my diaper & that's not something you can "teach" a child. It just happens.
Typical hyperlexia usually plateaus around late adolescence but mine did not & I now read at 1,363 words per minute. It's considered a "savant" capability but it definitely comes at a high cost. If I could trade my ASD in to be "normal" & just be left as a "good, somewhat fast" reader, I would do so in a heartbeat.
Hyperlexia gives frequently such life difficulties and "objections" in society. It is important to keep going on your way; I tell you from my experience...
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