My Toddler is Obsessed With the Alphabet and Numbers but Can’t Talk; What Should I Do?

  • Some toddlers become obsessed with the alphabet or numbers, spending hours reciting them or lining up letters, which may be a sign of hyperlexia.

  • Obsessed with letters but not talking? This can be an early sign of autism, especially when paired with delayed speech and limited social play.

  • Hyperlexia can also exist without autism — some kids are simply early readers or gifted learners.

  • Parents should use a child’s obsession with numbers or letters as a teaching strength, while also prioritizing functional language, comprehension, and play.

  • Managing scripting and repetitive focus on the alphabet or numbers is key so these interests don’t block progress in communication and independence.

  • For kids who need to build language, start with Dr. Mary Barbera’s free online workshop.

Is your toddler obsessed with the alphabet—reciting letters, lining up magnets, or pointing out every word they see—yet struggling to use words to ask for what they want?

For many parents, this combination feels confusing. On one hand, early reading skills seem like a sign of genius. On the other, the lack of functional language and requests raises red flags.

This pattern is often linked to hyperlexia, a profile where children develop strong letter and number skills far ahead of age expectations, but fall behind in comprehension, social interaction, and everyday communication.

Understanding the difference between a harmless fascination with letters and a true obsession with the alphabet without functional speech is key to helping your child thrive.

What is Hyperlexia?

Hyperlexia describes children who show an extreme interest in letters, numbers, or early reading. Many toddlers who are obsessed with the alphabet or obsessed with numbers can recognize or spell words before they are able to speak in full sentences or engage socially.

  • In some cases, hyperlexia signals giftedness without other developmental concerns.

  • In many cases, especially when paired with speech delays, lack of pretend play, and poor response to name, it is an early sign of autism.

👉 Learn more from Cleveland Clinic’s overview of hyperlexia.

Why Some Kids Become Obsessed with the Alphabet or Numbers

It’s normal for toddlers to enjoy singing the alphabet song or counting to ten. But when a child becomes obsessed with letters or numbers—spending long stretches of time lining up magnets, reading license plates, or reciting number patterns—it may be a sign of hyperlexia.

Signs of Obsession with Letters or Numbers

  • Carrying flashcards or letter magnets everywhere

  • Repeating the alphabet or numbers dozens of times a day

  • Showing little interest in toys or pretend play, preferring print or statistics

  • Meltdowns if interrupted during routines with letters/numbers

  • Using letters as their main form of play instead of communication

What It Can Mean

  • Giftedness: For some children, being obsessed with the alphabet simply reflects advanced ability.

  • Hyperlexia with autism: For others, being obsessed with numbers and letters, combined with delays in speech and social skills, points to autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Studies suggest that up to 20% of autistic children have hyperlexic traits, often expressed as an unusual fixation on print or numbers (Embrace Autism).

Is Being Obsessed with Letters a Good Sign or a Sign of Autism?

Being obsessed with letters is often what professionals call a “splinter skill”—an advanced strength in one area while other areas, like communication, lag behind.

For example:

  • A child may spell “apple” but still not say “I want an apple.”

  • A toddler may know the days of the week but struggle to play with peers.

When Obsession May Signal Autism

If your child is obsessed with the alphabet or numbers and shows some of the following signs, it may point to autism spectrum disorder (ASD):

  • Limited or absent functional language (not using words to request needs)

  • Poor response to name

  • Lack of pretend play or imitation of others

  • Minimal interest in playing with peers

  • Repetitive behaviors like lining up toys or repeating phrases (scripting)

  • Strong sensory preferences or sensitivities (covering ears, fixating on lights, etc.)

💡 Key takeaway: Being obsessed with the alphabet or numbers isn’t bad on its own, but when paired with these autism signs, it signals the need to focus on language, comprehension, and social interaction rather than advancing more reading skills.

👉 Read more from WebMD’s breakdown of hyperlexia.

toddler obsessed with alphabet. not talking. reading but not talking

Using Strengths in Letters and Numbers Without Losing Focus

Children who are obsessed with letters and numbers often show remarkable strengths—they may read words early, memorize number sequences, or become fascinated with calendars, maps, or statistics. These strengths can be powerful motivators, but if they dominate all teaching, they can overshadow essential skills like communication, comprehension, and social interaction.

  • Good use: Using alphabet puzzles or number games as rewards for practicing speech, requesting, or following directions. Learn how to teach with reinforcement with a free online workshop. 

  • Risk: Spending hours reinforcing only letter and number play, which can increase obsessive focus and prevent progress in play, language, and daily living skills.

The key is balance. Being obsessed with numbers or letters can be turned into a teaching tool, but only if paired with:

  • Teaching functional requests (asking for toys, food, or help)

  • Practicing comprehension (understanding meaning, not just recognition) by using programs like my book program.

  • Building social play and turn-taking

  • Encouraging pretend play alongside academics

👉 Great overview from SSM Health’s guide on hyperlexia types and teaching

Want to Learn how to Increase Talking & Decrease Tantrums in Children with Autism or Toddlers Showing Signs?

Want to start making a difference for your child or clients?

How to Teach Requests and Balance Obsession with Letters

The first step is to assess where your child is now. Dr. Barbera’s free 10-minute BECA digital assessment helps establish a baseline in language, self-care, and behavior.

Practical Teaching Tips for Kids Obsessed with the Alphabet

  • Rotate puzzles and flashcards to include animals, shapes, and everyday items.

  • Cover printed words on flashcards until spoken language catches up.

  • Focus on requesting (manding), imitation, and following directions.

  • Use letters or numbers as reinforcement, not the central lesson.

Managing Scripting and Obsession with Numbers

Scripting—repeating words, songs, or book phrases—is another common feature in children who are obsessed with numbers or letters.

  • It’s a form of stimming and isn’t inherently bad.

  • But excessive scripting can block learning.

  • Engaging children in structured, meaningful activities naturally reduces scripting.

Should you use Letters and Numbers when Teaching

Yes—but carefully. For kids obsessed with the alphabet or numbers, these interests can be used as reinforcers and bridges to other skills. However, toddlers and preschoolers should first master:

  • Following directions

  • Building imitation skills

  • Answering simple questions

  • Functional communication

  • Social play with peers

👉 See Reading Rockets – children who read early and hyperlexia.

Sign up for a free workshop to learn how to teach these important skills.

Obsessed with Letters and Numbers? Top 5 FAQ

When a toddler or preschooler shows an intense interest in letters, numbers, or early reading—often before they can talk or play socially—it’s called hyperlexia. Some children are simply gifted in early literacy, but when that obsession comes with speech delays, limited eye contact, or lack of pretend play, it can be an early sign of autism.

Understanding whether it’s a splinter skill or part of a developmental delay helps you decide what to teach next.

Hyperlexia can be both a strength and a red flag. Knowing the alphabet early isn’t bad—it shows visual memory and interest—but when a child can read or spell words yet can’t request “juice” or “mommy,” it may point to language and social delays related to autism.

The key is to celebrate the interest while also addressing communication and comprehension skills.

Use your child’s love of letters and numbers as a teaching tool, not the whole lesson. Incorporate alphabet puzzles or counting games during structured play, but rotate in other activities—animals, colors, shapes, and pretend play—to build flexible learning.

Reinforce requesting items they want, imitation, and comprehension before pushing reading or spelling.

Learn how I teach learners who are obsessed with letters here. 

It’s best not to rush reading if your child isn’t yet speaking or understanding language.

Instead of teaching more sight words, focus on early communication skills: naming everyday items, following simple directions, and asking for what they want.

Reading can come later once functional language is strong.

You can use their obsession with the alphabet or numbers to teach more functional skills. 

Yes—especially with the right early intervention. When parents and professionals use structured teaching to build language and social skills, children often become more flexible and less fixated. Many kids still enjoy letters and numbers but learn to use those interests productively.

Taking a clear baseline assessment—like the Barbera Early Childhood Assessment (BECA)—can help track progress and guide the next steps.

Resources

You’re listening to the Turn Autism Around podcast, episode number 226. Today, I have my sidekick on the show, Kelsey General, who is our community manager. She’s been with me and our community since 2016, when she joined our online course and community to help her firstborn son, Brantley. Later, she also helped her second son, and now she helps all of us with our children and clients.

Once in a while, we do a classic rebroadcast. Last week, for episode 225, we replayed our show on hyperlexia. Today, Kelsey is back to ask me five of the top questions we get about hyperlexia—early reading, early fixation on letters, whatever you want to call it. It happens frequently in the autism world, and we get a lot of questions. So today is all about that.

Mary: Okay, Kelsey, we are back. We haven’t done a frequently asked questions show in a while, so thank you for joining me today.

Kelsey: Hi Mary, good to be here. Let’s get rolling on hyperlexia questions—it’s a fun topic.

Mary: Awesome. What’s our first question?

Kelsey: Well, what is hyperlexia? Maybe people who are listening are wondering what we’re even talking about today.

What Is Hyperlexia?

Mary: Yeah. I didn’t know what the term was either when my son Lucas started showing signs of hyperlexia. Early on, around the age of two, he was very interested in letters. I thought that was a good sign, so I tried to piece things together.

This was the late 1990s. The internet was just becoming common in homes. I had my first AOL account, and while tech people may have been online earlier, in my house we were just inching along in 1998–1999. Around then, Lucas was showing these signs, so I started searching “two-year-old knows letters” and came across the term hyperlexia.

Hyperlexia is a hyper-fixation on letters and numbers, and especially early reading—before a child can speak functionally. I found the Hyperlexia Association and even called a woman there. When I explained Lucas’s situation, she asked if he had other signs of autism. When I admitted he wasn’t talking, she told me he needed to be evaluated for autism. I remember wanting it to just be hyperlexia, not autism.

Now, there are three types of hyperlexia. One is simply an early sign of giftedness without developmental delays. So, you can have hyperlexia without autism. But in most cases, it accompanies autism. It’s part of the brain developing scattered skills, with a hyper-focus on letters and reading.

I’ve had many clients with hyperlexia—diagnosed or not—and in most cases, if it comes with other signs like delayed speech, poor response to name, lack of pretend play, and not putting words together, it almost always points to autism.

Is Hyperlexia a Good Sign or a Sign of Autism?

Kelsey: A lot of parents think, “Wow, my two- or three-year-old is reading, they must be a genius.” Is hyperlexia a good sign or is it a concern?

Mary: That’s one of the biggest misconceptions. Like I said, I was once in that camp—thinking it meant Lucas would be fine. Some parents, especially if they themselves are engineers, scientists, or very academic, take early reading as a great sign that their child will be like them.

Now, hyperlexia itself isn’t a bad sign. Interest in letters and reading is fine, and it can be a useful skill. But paired with other autism signs, it usually means there are big delays in other areas.

I had one client whose parents were highly technical. Their son could read “apple,” “mommy,” “cat,” and so on at age two. But he wasn’t speaking, rocking frequently, and showing other signs of autism. The parents were thrilled he could type out “apple” and “Barney” on the computer. But I had to explain: teaching him to spell and read more wasn’t the priority. We needed to teach him to request his needs, imitate, understand language, and identify body parts.

Hyperlexia shouldn’t distract from those core skills. If we go too far down the “splinter skill” path, it can cause problems.

Using Strengths Without Losing Focus

Kelsey: That makes sense. It’s good they can say sounds and words, but if they only say letters and numbers, it can become hard to undo.

Mary: Exactly. It’s a fine line. I’ve worked with kids obsessed with numbers, calendars, clocks, Google Maps, baseball stats—you name it. Some of these interests can be channeled into learning, but if reinforced too much, they can overshadow critical skills like comprehension and social interaction.

For example, one client became obsessed with dates and could tell you the day of the week anyone was born. Impressive, but not functional for everyday independence. We had to pull back from reinforcing that skill and redirect energy into language for learning, comprehension, and daily life.

How to Teach Requests and Balance Interests

Many parents ask how to help a child with hyperlexia request wants and needs. My answer is: start with a baseline assessment. We created a 10-minute digital assessment that gives you a child’s baseline in self-care, language, and problem behaviors. From there, you can create a plan.

Early teaching often involves table work with puzzles, flashcards, and simple matching. Yes, you can use letters and numbers as reinforcers, but balance them with animals, vehicles, colors, and shapes. For example, if a child requests the “A” puzzle piece, give it to them, but rotate puzzles and avoid obsessing over letters only.

Important tip: if you use flashcards, cover or cut off the printed words until the child’s spoken language catches up. Focus on nouns, actions, and everyday vocabulary. Letters and reading can be used as reinforcers or to jump-start language, but comprehension, requesting, and following directions should stay the priority.

Scripting and Obsessive Focus

Kelsey: What about scripting? Some kids repeat phrases they’ve read or heard constantly.

Mary: Scripting is a type of stimming. Everyone stims in some way—sports, music, scrolling through your phone. But excessive scripting interferes with learning. I’ve had clients with hundreds of “nonsense” phrases per day, which blocked them from focusing on lessons.

We don’t need to eliminate scripting entirely, but we must reduce it during learning. The more engaged a child is in structured teaching or meaningful activities, the less they script. Over time, with strong programming and reinforcement, scripting can decrease dramatically.

Kelsey: So should parents and professionals use letters and numbers in teaching, or avoid them?

Mary: Use them—but carefully. Letters and numbers can be reinforcers, a way to assess articulation, and a bridge to other skills. But don’t push reading ahead of where the child is developmentally.

For a two- or three-year-old, focus on what peers are doing in preschool: recognizing colors, imitating, following directions, sitting for book time, requesting, and answering simple questions. Use the child’s strengths, but build the weaker areas so they can become as safe, independent, and happy as possible.

Between last week’s episode (#225) and this week’s (#226), I think we’ve covered the big hyperlexia topics. If you have more questions, you can always email us at [email protected]
or check out our online courses and community, where we discuss hyperlexia in depth.

Kelsey: Yes, quite a bit!

Mary: Thank you, Kelsey, and thanks to everyone listening. I’ll see you next week—same time, same place.

Want to Learn how to Increase Talking & Decrease Tantrums in Children with Autism or Toddlers Showing Signs?

Want to start making a difference for your child or clients?

About the Author

Dr. Mary Barbera, RN, BCBA-D is a best-selling author, award-winning speaker, and Board Certified Behavior Analyst with a Ph.D. in leadership. As both an autism mom and professional, Mary brings over 25 years of experience helping thousands of parents and professionals around the world. She is the creator of the Turn Autism Around® approach and author of The Verbal Behavior Approach and Turn Autism Around: An Action Guide for Parents of Young Children with Early Signs of Autism. Through her books, online courses, and podcast, Mary empowers families to increase talking, reduce tantrums, and improve life skills in young children with autism or signs of autism.