NDL- Nonverbal Learning Disorder
by Ellen C. Braun
Filed under Communication, Emotional Development, Problem Solving, Self Esteem
NLD: Nonverbal Learning Disorder
You know him. He’s the one that sits at his desk during recess, reading rather than going outside to play ball with his classmates.
She’s the one that makes foolish remarks when she’s with friends. She’ll say something that is exaggerated or irrelevant to the topic at hand.
He’s awkward, always bumping into things.
Her handwriting is illegible and she’s weak in math.
These are children who suffer in school and out. They’re labeled “nerds” or described as “strange.” They try to fit in, but they don’t; worse yet, the more they try, the more they fail. Their self-esteem drops, they feel rejected and lonely, and are at risk for emotional problems.
The cause of their problems is a little-known learning disability called NLD, or Nonverbal Learning Disorder. This disability is often unrecognized because those who have it are usually verbally precocious and are thought to be equally capable in all areas. In turn, parents and educators (who are unacquainted with NLD) don’t understand the reason for the child’s awkwardness or poor performance. They presume that the cause is “laziness” or boredom. Hence, years may pass before these children receive an accurate diagnosis if they do at all.
Neurological Origin
The hemispheric specialization of the brain explains the origins of Nonverbal Learning Disorder. The left hemisphere of the brain is the seat of verbal information processing. The right hemisphere, in contrast, is specialized to process visual-spatial as well as emotional information. The right hemisphere’s functions are interwoven. As Dr. Wendy Heller of the University of Illinois points out, “It requires complex visual-spatial processing to decipher the meaning of a facial expression or to understand a series of complex gestures.”1
Assessment of individuals with NLD indicates a neurological dysfunction which affects the systems within the right hemisphere of the brain. The result is the observed discrepancy between their verbal and visuo-spatial/social skills.
Characteristics
Children with NLD have learning profiles that are characterized by strength in the verbal area and marked weakness in nonverbal functioning. The differential between these abilities leads to significant impairment in their social and academic performance.
Noteworthy is a deficiency in visual-spatial organization. Children with this learning disability often demonstrate relatively poor achievement in specific academic areas, such as mathematics, science or reading comprehension. In the early grades they may have difficulty with handwriting and cutting because of poor fine motor skills.
One of the most salient consequences of having NLD is the impairment in social functioning. Few of us realize how much of our social interactions are based on our understanding of the nonverbal cues of communication. Eye contact, hand gestures, tone of voice, body language, and posture are some of the many signals to which we attend when we speak with someone else.
Children that miss the nonverbal cues of communication2 often feel uncomfortable with their peers and may gravitate toward adults, who admire their broad knowledge, or to younger children, who will gladly take direction from them.
Lastly, children with NLD may display attentional problems such as distractibility and difficulty concentrating. Accordingly, they may be diagnosed as having Attention Deficit Disorder. Although AD/HD can co-occur with NLD, they are not synonymous. It is thus crucial to obtain an accurate diagnosis.
Treatment
Children with NLD can benefit from the following:
1. Occupational therapy to develop their fine motor and visual-motor integration skills.
2. Social skills training – whether in school, at home, or within a therapeutic setting – as a means of learning effective communication and interpersonal skills.
3. Academic support in their areas of weakness.
4. Cognitive behavioral therapy or coaching techniques to help them cope with everyday challenges.
It is important that all interventions take place within the overall context of building the child’s self-esteem. Children with NLD have often experienced much negative feedback in a variety of situations. An important part of therapeutic treatment is to help them recognize their strengths and take pride in the achievement of new skills.
Not a Childhood Illness
Like all learning disabilities, NLD does not disappear with age. Children with NLD become teenagers and adults with NLD. Their neurological weakness can thus affect their personal and professional lives. Even adults with NLD can benefit from coaching that teaches them how to compensate for their weaknesses and utilize their strengths.
People with NLD are intelligent, reliable and often highly motivated to succeed. They need only garner support, understanding and mastery of unlearned skills to do so.
Recommended Books
Dr. Steven Nowicki and Marshall Duke have written two outstanding books on children with NLD:
Helping the Child Who Doesn’t Fit In (Peachtree Publishers, 1992).
Teaching Your Child the Language of Social Success (With Elisabeth Martin. Peachtree Publishers, 1996).
For adults with NLD:
What Does Everybody Else Know That I Don’t? By Michel Novotni (Specialty Press. 1999)
1 “Understanding Nonverbal Learning Disability,” by Wendy Heller, Ph.D. http://www.nldontheweb.org/heller.htm.
2 According to the Dr. Steven Nowicki, “one of every 10 children has significant problems with nonverbal communication” (Monitor on Psychology, September 2006, p.37).
Dr. Mona Spiegel is a Licensed Psychologist with a private practice in Rockland County, NY. She is also a Professional Coach who provides telephone sessions to women who do not need therapy but seek guidance concerning themselves or their families. She focuses on parenting issues, relationship/communication skills, and life transitions. You can reach her at 845-425-4842 or www.myfamilycoach.com.
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I appreciated this article, but noticed that one of the professionals you forgot to mention is the Speech-Language Pathologist. A component of NLD and Asperger’s syndrome is an ability to interpret social and non-verbal language, as well as, difficulties interpreting abstract language which includes idioms and figurative language. Since social emotional intelligence is one of the greatest predictors of life success, the role of the speech-language pathologist role addressing language deficits is critical.
I’m a bit surprised at this particular post, considering the Animal School movie and its wonderful message. So some kids do not do well socially? So they like to read instead of play outside? Why does that have to be diagnosed as some disorder? I agree, their brains may be wired different. But to diagnose them (or anyone else, including the “ADHD” kids) as having something wrong with them-some disorder-signifies a presupposition of normalcy, rather than an acceptance of each child as who they are. If a child likes to read, let him. If he would rather run, let him. Wasn’t that the Animal School movie’s message? Maybe I sound as if I’m taking this personally. Well, I am. On more than one level. The first being. …
A couple of years ago, when faced with an enormously important decision-whether to continue to home school our teens through high school, or put them back in public or private school-we stumbled across the Animal School movie. I considered it then, and still do, as an answer to a prayer. We realized that our kids’ creativity would be stamped out if we didn’t finish what we’d started. Our oldest just took the SAT. While her math score was almost exactly average, her writing score was almost perfect. Rather than force her to give up her genius, writing, in order to raise her math scores, we allowed her to develop her gift. She’s one of those kids who like to read too. Would she have been better off trying to advance into Algebra II, or forced to improve her batting average? No. She would have had to take too much focus off of what she really likes to do: write and write and write. She’s already written a speculative fiction trilogy, complete with its own language.
I refuse to label my kids, either with NLD, or ADHD, or whatever designer label they come up with next . My son might very well qualify as ADHD, but I reject that. What he has is a gift: energy. I have that gift too. I remember the days when my parents threatened to have me sedated (fortunately, it was before today’s drugs). As an adult I work two jobs, and homeschool my kids, and I’m a published author. I can get by on five or six hours sleep, and so can accomplish more. I once mentioned that to a physician and (so help me) the man tried to prescribe Valium for me. Why? So I could sleep some predetermined amount of hours, just to be normal? Forget it. If I’m not normal, then leave me in peace to be abnormal.
So help me, if a kid likes to read, then let him read! If he’s the class clown (he likes to entertain), then give him a venue in which he can perform! Let him be whomever he is SUPPOSED to be.
Why can’t anyone see that the reason teenagers commit suicide at such high numbers after going on antidepressants is the message we send them? You take a teen who is depressed, probably because he doesn’t fit in at school, and tell him it’s because “something is wrong with you.” Well, DUH, that just crystalizes his fears. He gives up the last of his hope.
I’ve lived it. Let the kids be who they’re created to be. Stop labeling them as abnormal.
My 12 year old daughter was diagnosed with NVLD 5 years ago. She has an IEP in school and that has made a world of difference for her and our family. Homework could take up to 3 hours a night before the IEP. She is in sixth grade now and needs minimal help with homework in the evenings. She just recieved honor roll for the third time in a row.
Social skills are our biggest challenges. It is very difficult to see her struggle through conversations and social situations. She goes to private counseling every week (past 2 years) and I have seen vast improvements but yet she still lags behind her peers socially. I am a big believer that social skills are what really helps you be successful in life so watching her is always painful for me. We are heavily focusing in that area. People tell me how blessed she is to have parents that care so much and when I read all of your comments, I can’t help but thinking that these children described here are given the wonderful gift of love. They are special and so are you! God Bless
nvld has been a thorn in my side for years, flunked geometry, any science class, but teachers passed me because I was a great basketball player, still get lost in traffic, can’t fix anythingt mechanical, can’t find my car in a parking lot, it’s a pain…was lucky I was taught mnemonic devices which got me a PhD in psychology…have dedicated my life to teaching others these memory stratgies…a professor who liked Jerry Lucas’ book, THE MEMORY BOOK, simplified the strategies for me, I have assessed many kids with nvld, they had better get in a job that’s verbal, many flunk out and are miserable, even though they are bright…I still cry when I read about people with nvld working in a low pay job that doesn’t fit…I would drive 100 miles or more to help someone who’s struggling
Dr Hughes,
If you are still around can you help me – it’s y daughter -18 yrs very capable, but presented with NLD in 3rd grade – has refused psycho-educational testing in high school – and there are issues now as she is not coping with healthy strategies
Dr. Hughes I have a brilliant 17 year old boy diagnosed with NLD when he was in grade 7. He is so bright but continues to just pass in school because the teachers just don’t get him. Verbally he is so amazing his retention of knowledge is outstanding. I am trying to tell him he needs to go with his greatest strength which is verbal communication and remote memory…. ACTING he has been taking acting for many years and is fantastic at it. I try to lead him in a direction but he wants to be independent and doesn’t want to listen to any advice I may have for him. He has never held a part time job, I really worry about his future. Although very bright, has the typical weaknesses of anyone with NLD, poor organizational skills, very poor written expression and writing skills, socially much better than his younger years but still says things very inappropriate at times. I want him to learn to advocate for himself etc. etc. Help
Dr. Rick
My son is a also a very gifted athlete. He was diagnosed as NLD in the 6th grade. He was in a private school that offered a modified work setting for some classes. This past year he performed all work on his own or with help and achieve a C average. I would consider him a mild NLD but he still struggles. My question is we have been blessed to have him in a private school but we have moved to another state and enrolled him in another school and the prinicple and teachers do not seem to understand his disorder. We are trying to avoid public schools because the are super large and in our area quite dangerous. We came across a magnet school that is geared to his type of learning disorder it was started by Goodwill industries with children like my son in mind. They offer special services and are quite small 300 to 400 students compared to 3500 at our zoned school. Last thing I coach basketball and I am having a hard time with his mechanics on his follow-thru any suggestions changes about every fourth shot.
My son is 16 years old 6’2″ and 210 pounds. We learned about NLD when he was in 2nd and grade, but because we live in a remote area he has never formally been diagnosed. We have never used NLD as an excuse but is something we have tried to keep in the back of our minds when dealing with him. Our school is small, he has 8 classmates. They have all been together since we got here in the 3rd grade, so he has had consistency and predictability. There is only one teacher per grade level so he has always known what to expect. Our town has 400 people, most of which Isaac knows. My problem now is that Isaac is in groups which require travel. He recently returned from a 6 day trip to an FFA convention. He seems to do okay with the traveling (at least I don’t hear any complaints from the adults on the trip) however is transition back to family life is extemely difficult and resulted in huge fight. For the first time I was afraid of his outburt. He seems to revert to vocal tones and attitudes that he has been told are disrespectful and innappropriate. And he still doesn’t always have the level of control of his frustrations that he will need in adult life. How do we go about this. All I can find is academic related. He has decided he wants to be a history teacher, but I believe this is only because this would seem to be familiar to him. (he knows how to do school). However, teaching would require from him a level of patience I don’t believe he yet possesses.
Ridiculously long post (sorry to take so much room on an initial post, but I am so thrilled to have someone that I can discuss this with): I found this site while researching more info on NLD. It is a long story how I came to find the site NLD On The Web and learned about all of this. I have been trying to get someone..anyone (we’ve seen a string of professionals..in fact I just got back tonight from a 3 day assessment for him at a diagnostic center that he was referred to by the Special Education Dept in our school district) to listen to the available information on this. My son has recently been dx with PDD-NOS. Even though the Autism specialist (for the Regional Center) made it very clear that my son’s case (well he actually said that my sonspecifically, frustrated him) due to the inconsistencies in all of his symptoms/behaviors. ie: sometimes he exhibits very clear symptoms of autism, sometimes clear symptoms of ADHD, pragmatic difficulties,etc…yet none of these symptoms are present all the time. Example: In the Autism specialists report he specifically states “the only thing consistent about his eye contact is that it is inconsistent”. Everyone that has worked with him (most importantly his Speech Therapist at the last school) are “puzzled” by his “odd use of language” They say that “it is as if he knows the rules of language, for example in test situations, yet doesn’t seem able to apply them in “real world” situations. It seems like no matter how much I try to get someone to refer us to a neuropsychologist they all just look at me like I’m speaking a foreign language. He was having a great deal of difficulty in school. They (school staff and parent volunteers) have literally pushed him to the point of meltdowns…in the physical sense (though he doesn’t like the term meltdown, he says it doesn’t make any sense..he prefers I say when he feels “overloaded” which I think we can all agree..makes perfect sense). He has been treated miserably by the two schools he’s been to. He’s 6! He’s in the first grade and has already learned to hate school so much that now that I’m doing an online virtual academy with him I have to refer to it as “home study” or he gets really upset and basically shuts down :^( Some of the things that cause me to believe that there is something neurological at play would be: the fact that he knows something concretely one day then just seems to “lose” it another, then it will come back sometimes a day or two, weeks, months..etc as if it were more “misplaced” than lost. This is in reference to words, ideas, skills…etc. The way he talks around or explains terms rather than just saying them (when you say “oh do you mean ___?” he will often slap his head and say “yeah, I forgot”) His use of language is very consistent with what I learned about “split-brain studies” about a decade ago in my Cognitive Studies course. It is as if he makes his own sense of things that he doesn’t seem able to recall, but knows that he should recognize for some reason. There was something interesting that happened with the assessment by the Sensory Integration Therapist (he has a LOT of sensory sensitivities). She did something to test his vision or if following the objects hurt his eyes or something, as she specifically asked him afterward if his eyes hurt. Interestingly enough, he said no. Then later told me that he didn’t like the stuff he did with her stating that “I really didn’t like when she put sand on my arm and the balls really hurt my eyes. I didn’t like that shaving cream either it felt GROSS! The swing made me want to throw up!!!” (They are sharing the assessment results with me next week after they all meet and discuss their findings, so I don’t know what it meant) Maybe someone here can help me with this. She was holding two balls, a blue and a green. She did several movements with him and held his chin so that he would only follow with his eyes. When she moved the one of the balls out to the side (I assumed to test his peripheral vision)his eyes moved as if on a spring. Whether she moved them to the right or the left, his eye moved out to the corner, then they appeared to “snap” back to the center and vibrate/shake then he moved them back out to the side again and they “snapped” back again. What I’ve found online seems to indicate that this is an indication of something neurologically as well. Last but not least, when he gets headaches (not infrequently) he always says it hurts on the right side of his head. When he realizes he “forgot” something (like the examples above) he smacks his head ..on the right side. Also, when he was having all of the “overloads” at school (and home as a result of the stress at school) I talked to him about it and tried to figure out from his point of view what had happened. He said “I try to keep the bad stuff out, but my brain just won’t let me, then made a fist and pounded the RIGHT side of his head while making a grumbling frustrated sound. When he is writing and his penmanship starts to “change” (teacher would say it is “sloppy” or “lazy”) and his arm is cramping he will say things like “I am trying to make the ‘A’, but my brain just won’t let me”. It seems to me that my 6 yr old child, that has been labeled as having communication difficulties, is definitely communicating something VERY clearly that nobody seems to be “hearing”. Pediatrician gave me Tylenol (are you kidding me?) Psychiatrist wants to put him SSRI’s, etc. Am I wrong here? Doesn’t it seem quite possible that my child knows more about what is going on with his brain than these “professionals” do??
Niki: I would absolutely recommend thorough evaluations by an OT and SLP in private practice or affiliated with a hospital. These professionals will assess your son from a different perspective than a school-based OT who evaluates from an educational perspective. Additionally, if you haven’t already, I would get him to see a pediatric neurologist or neuropsychologist. The more help and information the better — even if to rule things out. Sounds like you have a pretty neat kid! Good luck!
I just noticed after typing all of that, the last post prior to mine (minus the advertisement) was from 2007 :^( Does this mean this thread is “dead” ?? I am new to “boards”.
Have your son see an Occupational Theraist. Request this from your school. Based on the information, they will be required to provide an Occupational Therapy evaluation. I am a school OT and work with several kids that sound just like this, even the eye description. There are interventions that will help, and compensatory techniques that can be used to eliminate the frustration until the interventions begin to help improve the areas of weaknesses that can be helped. There are many diagnosis that fit the description you have described, dyslexia, dyscalculia, LD, but there is no way to determine his strengths and weaknesses with out the proper evaluations. I would demand a psychological eval, OT eval and speech eval from your school.
Anyone successful with Concerta for NLD?
Hello,
Are son was diagnosed with NLD at the tender age of seven. We had him tested by a Psychologist on are own dime. It cost us 1,500.00. The best money we spent. As parents you know your child best. The local board of education was willing to test him however I am very apprehensive when it comes to board testing. They tend to limit the amount of tests they use & most kids come back with the same diagnosis over & over again ADD or ADHD. You can’t tell me that all kids suffer from these two behavioral disabilities consistently. In are province (Ontario, Canada) the school board do not have to provide any resource support to children with behavioral problems. Simply, put them on Ridalin & your problems disappear. I would be hesitant to have school board testing. Out of no disrespect to teachers many of them are simply unqualified to pick up on any of the signs & symptoms of NLD. Trust your instincts & spend the money to have your most valuable asset tested if you strongly feel something is not right. Are son with regular remediation with a phenomenal tutor who has a Master Degree in Special Education is coping well. Thank God we clued in soon enough & did not bury are head in the sand. So far the things are working in are son’s favour. The school board does not give him the resource support he needs because they are “poor”. You must rely on yourselves to get your child the help they will need in order to survive & thrive.
Hi Michelle,I also have a daughter who is % and has just been diagnosed with NLD.They diagnosed her with this because our proving(also live in ontario) does not believe in SPD.The physocolgist that did the testing and made the diagnosis can’t leagally diagnose her with SPD even though she said there is no doubt in her mind that this is what going on.But I thought i would tell you that i totally agree about not going through the school bored for the testing becasue yes they’ll just come back saying it’s ADD or ADHD.But I went through Ontario Works.They got me a resource teacher,physcologist and an OT at no cost.An because there has been a neaurological diagnosis made they school is legally required to put in an EA in place for my cild.So they have got that done for me too.I suggest that if you are struggling getting help for your son,that you give them a call.
You have explained NVLD better in the most understand way. I have a child with this and at times feel ovewhelmed by it. Although having a diagnosis has improved things dealing with the school system is still a challenge.
It hurts to watch my son’s struggles especially socially at school. He is the one never invited to parties. We try to help him with his social skills, but he prefers to spend time with adults.
I have not found other parents very accepting of my son’s disability and I wonder if this is others experience or just a part of my community.
Gillian
Hi All,
My daughter was diagnosed with NLD and Sensory Processing Disorder. We had a neuropsychologist evaluation ($3,000 but luckily insurance covered it) and that was the best thing I ever did for her.
It is still very challenging but she’s been in OT over the summer which has helped. We’re doing the “Wilbarger Brushing Protocol” that helps her sleep and calms her down.
We recently started the “Listening Program” of CD’s that take out the high and low tones (supposed to calm and help with her sensitivity to noise).
Definately get an outside eval and the schools will have no choice but to listen.
Hang in there!
Marty
My daughter is 16 and has NLD. We have been worried as she is always tired (has poor muscle tone), prefers to be on the computer or read, and does not seem to be excited about much in life. We have tried getting her involved in school activities, but she is very resistant. She seems to be more and more withdrawn socially lately. She takes little interest in her appearance, and I think she would be received so much more positively if she would work on that a little. I still have to help her with her hair in the morning, or she goes to school with tangles in her hair, barely combed. She gets angry with me if I try to encourage her in this area. She doesn’t want to grow up. She is on Zoloft and Concerta, but the Concerta doesn’t seem to help her get through all of her homework. Does anyone have any suggestions for me?
Hi,
I will try to answer your question and help you the best I can. I am an adult with NLD the tired piece sounds like your daughter is overstimulated by her day to me. Have you ever considered giving her a few hours to herself after school to sleep, unwind and do nothing then get to things? This strategy worked for me you might find it helpful and encounter less resistance if you let her unwind most days and select one activity to start off with that she is most passionate about (have her commit to a few hours once or twice a week to start) so, she will not grow to resent it or be overwhelmed.
The homework piece might work better if she was able to break her steps down into mini goals and create a check list or write the mini goals on a white board/planner everyday so at the end of the week she can meet her major goals by tacking the details first this might be less overwhelming for her. ***Also, try to do the easiest piece of work first to build her self-esteem then move to the harder assignments. This might be another thing besides meds to try to build her up confidence wise. *Motivate her somehow with some reward to take care of her appearance. Positive motivation might work well here. Is there any mentor in the community she can get involved w/ or talk to? This might help too.
*****Big advice here take one thing at a time for her or it might be overwhelming for her. I get lost sometimes with too much information and my head feels like it is in a traffic jam. She might feel the same way. Give her one after school activity at a time that she really wants to do and make her commit to just one.* Let her self-esteem grow by setting mini yearly goals such as I will join one school club. Give her incentives to tackle school work and appearance (positive ones), give her mini school assignments from all the ones she has pick three or four things for the day to tackle. Any extra school will be bonus work. Have a plan whenever the assignment is due to break it down into mini chunks to add up to the whole assignment. Please get her a school planner with a calendar months for tests and major project assignments break all work down into mini pieces to enable her confidence wise to tackle the whole assignment. I am a college student and this is what helped me to not give up in school. I have NLVD and have a 3.98 GPA. Tell your daughter that anything is possible and it is okay to do things in your own time. My mom always said with much pride that I do things in my own time. (Don’t compare your daughter to anyone her own age). Take her as she is knowing that she can make it if she has enough positive reinforcement to brake things down and do things in her own time. I am hoping this helps this is what works for me.
Is there an on-line test to see if my son is NDL?
its so nice to know there are others out there i am 15 and have been diagnosed with NLD since i was six i have no therapies or medicine or help at school my mum wants me to sort things out myself and my heart goes out to the parents of my fellow NLDers hang in there my brothers and sisters!