Hello, everyone. My name is Carolyn Sophia Skowron. I am 27 years old and was diagnosed with NVLD when I was 16 years old. When I was in school, I felt like I had to work ten times harder in the classroom than everyone else. I had countless tutors and worked as hard as possible, but my grades still didn’t show it. I constantly felt that I could never measure up. I lived this way for 16 years without an answer – just tutor after tutor, still not doing well. Finally, at the age of 16, I got an answer to my difficulties. In my sophomore year of high school, I took a test to find out why I was failing tests in the first place. It was a neuropsych evaluation. From that evaluation, I discovered that I have a Nonverbal learning disability. As I learned about the diagnosis, it made sense why I had always internalized every situation and every interaction I had. I would replay situations over and over in my head, convinced I had done something wrong. The anxiety I had that someone would not like me or that someone was talking behind my back if they gave me a certain look made me depressed. Spatial awareness was something I also was always struggling with. I was always scared to be me. Read More
Have you ever had challenges with writing because it’s hard to put your thoughts on paper? Or had issues with forming sentences in an essay? Or maybe you had problems with writing because you couldn’t make the sentences sound like the flow from one to the next in a concise way that made sense. Read More
Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NVLD) is often misunderstood because it doesn’t fit neatly into common learning disability categories. As someone with high-functioning NVLD, I have strong verbal skills, an excellent memory for facts, and the ability to articulate complex ideas. On the surface, I may seem highly capable. However, beneath this competence, I face persistent struggles with executive functioning—planning, organization, time management, and task completion. These difficulties affect nearly every aspect of my life, from academics and work to daily responsibilities and self-care. Read More
It is very clear, based on the interactions I have had with parents who have children with disabilities, that the majority of the parents are eternally grateful for inclusion to be the norm in schools and within the communities. I feel this is especially true for families like mine that have both children with and without disabilities. However, this doesn’t prevent the disappointments of their personal journey from happening, as the reality is that inclusion can only go so far for each individual. So, in this piece, I will discuss how inclusion experiences bring many challenges and rewards.
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As a child, I was always a little bit different from others; I did many games and activities alone, struggled to make social connections at times, was very resistant to change and new things, and experienced frequent anxiety around daily life. I tried my best to make new friends, as I felt it was important to do that due to being an only child, but often, people would use my kindness against me, and I ended up feeling left out. I had several wonderful friendship groups growing up, and I appreciated the friends who stayed, but as is normal in different phases of life, people drifted. The most significant time of which was in sixth form.
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Living with Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NVLD) feels like watching life through a one-way mirror. I see people connecting, laughing, and forming friendships effortlessly, yet when I try to step in, something invisible holds me back. On the surface, I appear articulate and capable—people assume I have no trouble socialising. But beneath that, NVLD creates a persistent struggle that makes forming and maintaining friendships incredibly difficult.
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Awkward is what they call you when you don’t follow the rules like everyone else. The hard part about that is that most of the rules are unspoken, which is the exact opposite of what you need, so do you have time to answer my questions? Read More
Navigating the Job Search with NVLD:
We’ve all been there: sending out dozens of job applications only to hear back from a small fraction, if any. The job search can be emotionally taxing and discouraging, especially when you put yourself out there time and again with little result. For me, navigating the job search with Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NVLD) adds an extra layer of complexity—but it also brings unexpected strengths.
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In my previous piece, I discussed how inclusion is viewed both as a success and a failure. I strongly believe that inclusion is quite successful, not just for students with an NVLD but all disabilities. When there are failures, I feel they are triggered by using the “one size fits all” approach too much rather than individualising the inclusion strategies for Learning and Intellectually Disabled students, as over and under-including students bring their negatives. Read More
Over the years there continues to be a lot of different opinions about whether inclusion in Special Education leads to success or failure. The great thing is it’s still highly favored and used in schools today as data from the advocates continue to show being included leads to greater academic and social achievements. One can argue that there are some failures and I agree with the advocates who say one trigger for these failures is that not all districts are completely following the current recommendations for implementing it to be successful. I feel this way because my high school IEP team members, while truly excellent at their jobs, failed at staying up to date with updated inclusion practices for the students who would be getting a regular diploma. Fortunately, my parents were educators who stayed current with all of the different inclusion practices so my experience was incredibly positive. Read More