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.
Unfortunately, the combined academic pressure, constant anxiety surrounding friendships, insecurities, and overall difficulty of this time led to burnout, depression, and ultimately a breakdown. I lost my close support system at college, ended up in hospital, and thought I wouldn’t be able to take my A levels. After this period of severe mental illness, and being passed around different medical professionals who all did not seem to know what was ‘wrong’ with me, and with huge help and support from my college, parents, and family friends, I was finally diagnosed with NVLD at the age of 17. It changed my life!
I was assigned a support tutor and an ALN team, as well as mental health support from the NHS. The teams worked with me, my parents, and my teachers to learn more about NVLD and how to make things work for my brain. I achieved 4 A levels and decided to apply for university, which hadn’t seemed possible even one year prior to this.
University was a challenging time, especially studying and moving away during a global pandemic, and leaving for a year abroad in France. I received truly amazing support, from new friends to wonderful housemates, to personal tutors and academic staff, plus the fantastic disability service and transitions team, everyone made a big difference to my journey with NVLD.
5 years ago, I had no idea that I’d achieve an entire degree, let alone A levels, and my confidence in advocating for myself and others, learning more about NVLD and the difficulties people like me face has grown exponentially. My main message is: your NVLD brain is different to others, but this doesn’t mean you cannot do things! You are so capable and worthy of help and support, and you will go far!
Eleanor
My name is Eleanor, I live in the UK and I have NVLD, as well as a few other disabilities. I am passionate about learning and languages, and pursued a degree in French and Linguistics, graduating last summer. I am interested in following a career in access and disability policy, working for change and fair treatment of disabled people.
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.
On job applications, the inevitable question about accommodations often comes up. While I don’t typically require accommodations, I believe in being transparent with hiring teams when appropriate. I choose to disclose my NVLD when I’m working closely with others, such as in co-teaching, and only if I sense there will be no judgment. Before starting my current student teaching placement, I opened up about my diagnosis to my cooperating teacher, who, though unfamiliar with NVLD, responded with incredible support and understanding. This led to extra check-ins, planning sessions, and confirmation on assignments, helping me feel more authentic in my role. Additionally, it allowed me to design a lesson on NVLD for my unit on disability representation in literature and film, which has been a truly empowering experience! As a 12th-grade teacher, it’s crucial that my students develop a diverse and nuanced understanding of disabilities, including NVLD, before they head off to college.
Taking Initiative in My Career Search:
NVLD played a significant role in my decision to pursue teaching. My personal experiences have shaped my understanding of how students perceive the world differently, fuelling my passion for education. I thrive on new experiences, but I also excel in structured environments, which makes teaching the perfect fit for me and my NVLD.
Specifically, the school where I’m student teaching uses a rotating drop schedule, so my cooperating teacher and I work with different students each day. This structure provides variety while helping me stay grounded, organized, and focused when working with diverse groups of students.
For this reason, thoroughness—a strength of NVLD—is essential in teaching, and I approach the job search in a similar way. Whether I’m researching districts, networking with teachers, or preparing for interviews, my thoroughness has been a big asset in my job search. It’s made me feel more proactive and focused throughout the process.
For a long time, I wasn’t sure which career path to follow. I explored journalism, public relations, pre-law, and speech-language pathology, but teaching always appealed to me. It’s a way to combine my love of reading and writing with my passion for creating accessible educational spaces. In many ways, becoming a teacher feels very full circle; I get to help create the truly accessible spaces I needed when I was younger and serve as the support I didn’t always have.
Owning My Unique Strengths:
As I continue my job search, I’ve come to realize that NVLD is an integral part of who I am as an educator. While teaching is undeniably challenging, I focus on my strengths—attention to detail, memory, and strong analytical skills—which allow me to thrive in a structured environment. My NVLD impacts the classroom environment I want to uphold, influencing the way I approach
lessons, interact with students, and guide discussions. I’m excited to bring these strengths to future interviews and my future classroom.
I also look forward to sharing my experiences with students who may face similar challenges, hoping to make them feel less alone. In both my teaching and job search, I make it a point to ask for clear feedback and expectations upfront, helping me stay on track and ensuring success. And yes, keeping a sense of humor is key! It helps me through the little bumps along the way, especially when navigating challenges that can sometimes feel overwhelming.
Overcoming Challenges and Embracing Growth:
While NVLD has provided strengths like an exceptional memory and attention to detail, it also presents challenges I continue to navigate. For example, visual and spatial difficulties make interpreting data, graphs, and charts especially tough. In a recent interview, this became a focal point, and I recognized it as an area I need to improve. I view this challenge as an opportunity to develop strategies to handle these tasks more effectively in the future. Being aware of challenges (while also keeping a sense of humor) is key!
Lesson planning and organization are also ongoing challenges for me. As someone who thrives on creativity, I often generate a lot of lesson ideas but struggle to organize them into clear, manageable steps for students. Creating a structure that scaffolds lessons effectively—ensuring that students can build on prior knowledge while also engaging with new material—can be tricky. I’ve sought support from academic mentors and professors, who’ve helped me refine my organizational skills. Their guidance has been invaluable in shaping my ability to craft more structured, effective lessons.
Empowering Others Through My Journey:
Being open about NVLD hasn’t diminished my abilities—it’s allowed me to bring unique perspectives to the table. I hope my journey encourages others with NVLD—or any condition that shapes their experience—to embrace their differences and use them as tools for success in their professional paths.
Becca
Becca is a dynamic freelance writer and English educator, who is currently pursuing her Master’s degree at Columbia University in New York City. Beyond crafting narratives that blend culture, identity, and personal history, Becca aims to weave communities together and foster empathy, understanding, and action. Becca’s works have been featured in Tablet Magazine, The Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel, Blending Magazine, To Write Love on Her Arms, and the evocative poetry anthology “From Angels to Rebels.” When she is not teaching or piecing together her first novel, she can be found typing away at a cafe, devoting herself to the daily crossword, traveling, hiking, or tackling her next puzzle!
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
When I was younger, my family always knew I was unique in a way that other kids weren’t. I was very observant of things around me that others weren’t. I had different interests than my peers and struggled a lot more than other kids. At the time, Autism was a huge thing and my mom would tell me that some people were misdiagnosing me, calling me ”autistic” when my mom didn’t think that was true and decided to do more research on her own. Read More
In my previous piece, I discussed what helps to get into a college comprehensive support program as they are harder to get into than some realize. A common reason for a student to be rejected is that the admission team believed the student hadn’t taken on enough academic and personal challenges to prove they had what it takes to overcome their Learning Disability and be successful. This is rather discouraging for many students as the choices they made were strongly influenced by the recommendations of their IEP Teams. Personally, this would have been me without my parents’ knowledge of what college admissions teams and their comprehensive support programs wanted to see on the students’ applications. So now I will continue to offer advice based on my personal experiences to help you have the best chance to be accepted into these schools and programs. Read More