Have you ever had challenges with dating, finding a significant other, or being able to relate to your date due to a learning challenge? I have had all of those happen to me and still am. I’m in the process of online dating. I use the apps Coffee Meets Bagel and Hinge. Read More
As I’ve grown to learn over time, opening up about any diagnosis can be a difficult task for myself and others. Whenever I do open up about my non-verbal learning disorder with my peers, I feel I can best explain NVLD when I conclude; “it’s like if someone were about to give me a high five, I would instead awkwardly go in for a fist bump”… And that’s just about as far as I ever got to opening up about this diagnosis to my peers and colleagues until now.
Beknowing NVLD is more of a social disorder, I have been rest assured of why I may altogether opt out of social engagements or rather, choose to engage in social situations from a distance. Although it wasn’t until I started college that all of a sudden, I felt socially inadequate at best. And let me tell you, pursuing a career in the music industry? An industry where engagement is everything? Needless to say, it’s been a roller coaster of emotions I wasn’t prepared to conquer had I not taken the necessary steps to hone what coping skills I’ve been able to harness over the years.
Common symptoms I’ve learned to pay most attention to when interacting in and out of the workplace vary all over the place. For example, facial expressions, tones of voice, and body posture are all quite often misconstrued one way or another. Does someone look upset? Or are they just zoned out? It doesn’t matter what the case may be, I must’ve upset them. Is someone talking extremely loud? Well, they must be mad at me… it can’t be the fact they’re trying to talk over the really loud traffic… right? Oh yeah and jokes? Right over my head! Sarcasm? Yeah, I’ll never catch on as quickly as most…
From conversing about the same things over and over again to speaking on five different subjects at once, all the while assuming what you’re saying makes sense to others, but in fact, doesn’t make sense to anyone but you. Yep, that’s NVLD for ya! The struggle to initiate relationships while being an utter chatterbox, nauseating coworkers with trivial facts, asking too many questions, disrupting the flow of a conversation, or interrupting frequently, yeah, that my friend, is called a non-verbal learning disorder, and I would be speaking quite modestly if I didn’t express the heavyweight such symptoms bear to carry.
However, at the same time, do you know what a relief it is to pinpoint these symptoms and confidently conclude, yes, these are just symptoms of my non-verbal learning disorder? Rather than going on to spend your nights tossing
As a professional with NVLD (Board Certified Cognitive Specialist) and former special education teacher, I offer you a different perspective from these vantage points. Whether you’re a parent or an adult coping with NVLD, you’re all too familiar with often falling short of meeting the standards of neurotypicals (NT). NT’s comprise the majority of the population whose brains typically function in the same way. NVLD’ers are in the minority who think differently from NT’s, and thus are part of the neurodiverse (ND) population. NT’s are often unaware when communicating with someone who is neurodivergent as there are no outward visible signs to the naked eye. When ND’s fail to meet NT expectations they are often met with resistance. They are not privy to leeway, assistance, or courtesies that are extended to those with visible differences. Read More
One of the hardest things about overcoming an NVLD is that it is not unusual to be underestimated, given our deficits. These can include deficits in academics, social communication, motor skills, and processing speed making it easy to be underestimated at times. For me, personally, being underestimated triggered self-esteem issues. However, I was very appreciative of the adults who always believed in me. Read More
Have you ever gotten into a car accident because of a learning challenge? Or because of a vision problem? Or because you weren’t paying attention? Read More
At the beginning of my senior year in high school, I had a meeting with my AP English Language/Film Studies teacher. A brilliant lady, she was using her Ph.D to teach inner-city high school students. I was hoping her pedigrees from Tufts and University of Michigan would help slide me into a good college through a letter of recommendation. Read More
Growing up, one of my favorite parts of the school day was connecting with all of my coaches. Truthfully they were the adults who understood me the best, which allowed them to really connect with me. Having these strong relationships is why I strongly believe having a coach/athlete relationship is important for a student with an NVLD or similar disability. The reality is coaches support you in all aspects of life, and because athletics are in a more casual setting, these students can open up more to them.
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The beginning of my story is a lot like the others here. I was diagnosed in the first grade. My teacher noticed I was speaking a high level, but couldn’t do the work. I had troubles with boundaries and relating to the other children. Sure enough, after being in several psychologists offices I was diagnosed with NVLD, and ADHD. Read More
One of the hallmarks of being a woman in Westernized society is the concept of perfection, of upholding the patriarchy. That was a lot of academic jargon, so give me a bit, and I’ll break it down for you. Read More
A man gets a recommendation from a therapist to get a full mental evaluation by a neuropsychologist because the therapist believes he may have ASD. Man has the evaluation and learns he doesn’t have ASD but he has something called Non Verbal Learning Disorder (NVLD or NLD depending on your preference). Man is confused. Read More