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Feb 17
Love2

Advocating For My NVLD Son, The Non-Voluntary Force, by Esmee

By Parents Blogs

“I don’t understand, if this guy is going to die soon anyhow, why would you want to put on make-up before meeting him?”

“If the class is not a democracy, then basically you (the teacher) are the same as Hitler and Mussolini!” (not the most tactful thing to say at an Israeli school)

“What, did she just fart?!” (Imagine this: you are at dinner with friends where an elderly lady while coughing indeed suffers from the escape of some less pleasant gasses, ignored by all but emphasized loudly by your kid.)
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Feb 09
Love0

A Life Re-Examined

By NVLD Bloggers

It never made sense to me. Why was I in gifted classes in elementary school then as soon as middle school began, I struggled to maintain a C average? How could my elementary school teachers have been so wrong? At night, as I worked hard to complete my homework, I could not imagine some of my peers working so hard. I was always surprised to see them turning in their homework each day, seemingly unfazed by the amount of effort required. I surmised that I lacked work ethic and I’d better get myself accustomed to working harder. I asked my father who, despite performing terribly in school due to undiagnosed dyslexia, was a wildly successful entrepreneur -why school seemed harder for me than others. Without hesitation he assured me that was because, like him, I was not smart but how smart someone is – is not a measure of how well he/she will do in life. He said it was more important that I worry about being a good person and establishing strong work habits. And how to be resourceful. Like, getting people who were good in subjects to help me. And looking good. People care more about how good you look than whether you understand some random theory taught in school that has no relevance, he told me.
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Feb 03
Love1

Our Diagnosis Run-Around, by Melinda

By Parents Blogs

Our son has always been the “smart, lazy kid” in school. His work is sloppy and assignments get lost or forgotten. But my “lazy” child works very hard. I understand that when you have a student in your class who sounds like an encyclopedia, it’s hard to reconcile educational expectations with disability.

Our bridge to diagnosis was Dysgraphia. From the beginning of his schooling there were letter reversals. Sentences wandered around the page without regard for lines and margins. The spacing between words was random, if it was there at all. The way he formed letters was odd – retracing and doubling back in ways that were so much more complicated than they needed to be. It was all age appropriate in Kindergarten, and maybe even first grade, but it never got better.
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Feb 01
Love0

The Light Dawns, by Shannon

By Parents Blogs

I have ten children and one with NVLD. Anna is 13 and at the age of 10 suddenly many of the important people in her life started questioning if something was wrong with her because of her speech impediments, meltdowns when put under pressure in new environments, her tendency to stare back at you mutely when you asked her to explain herself. Unlike many NVLDs, she is not very verbal, though all her other symptoms track completely with NVLD. A friend suggested getting a prescription from our doctor for an evaluation with an occupational therapist. Our dear doctor suggested a blood test for diabetes (Anna was diagnosed with Type II diabetes; we believe she comfort eats), and to the occupational therapist and speech therapist. She was diagnosed as having delays in visual perception and fine motor coordination; her large motor clumsiness was attributed to her overweight. The speech therapist focused on phonology and was just getting into communication skills when we had to quit therapy because my husband lost his job.
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Jan 27
Love2

Want A Wonderful Life In Adulthood … Embrace The Unique Gifts Of NVLD, by Shari

By NVLD Bloggers

In 1967 when NVLD was first recognized I was just 2 years old. It’s no wonder it took until age 51 to be diagnosed with NVLD. Although my disability went unnamed for those 51 years I knew I was different. I knew that my math struggles, spelling errors, messy handwriting and how hard it was for me to stay on track and prioritize tasks were signs that something just wasn’t right.

Moms and Dads and fellow NVLDers. Guess what — none of those things stopped me from having amazing life experiences, a fulfilling career, and making loving connections with people.
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Dec 02
Love0

Theatre Major with NVLD, by Shelby

By NVLD Bloggers

I was diagnosed with NVLD in sixth grade. It was very hard to understand why I had this disability and what it even was. I had a rough time in high school with bullying, having separate testing locations, and always being pulled from class to be tested by a psychiatrist. I basically had no friends and I was failing terribly in school.
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Nov 23
Love0

NVLD Neuroimaging Research Study

By Experts Blog

The NVLD Project is supporting a research study on children with NVLD at Columbia University Medical Center. Our goal is to better understand what makes NVLD a distinct diagnosis. We are trying to learn more about how children with NVLD learn and if there are differences in the way that their brains work. In order to do this, we are having children come spend a day at Columbia University Medical Center. The day consists of spending time doing tasks and an MRI scan.
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Oct 25
Love6

Dating Success: Strategies for Using Your Strengths with NVLD, by Benjamin Meyer

By Experts Blog

Dating can be daunting for anyone, but dating with a Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NVLD) creates a unique set of challenges. People with NVLD have difficulties reading body language, understanding nuances such as sarcasm in communication, and simply managing to transition to new environments. Nevertheless, while the challenges of dating on the Autism Spectrum have received increasing attention, little has been published about NVLD.
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Oct 10
Love1

Hope, by Ashley

By NVLD Bloggers

I remember being in elementary school and being taken out of the classroom or arriving early with my mom, who was a teacher at my school, to meet with the school psychologists. At the time I didn’t know that they were test, but they had me do a series of things like drawing, writing, reading, and etc. Now as a 23 year old I understand that they were testing my memory, attention to detail, learning and etc. I then remember my mother trying to explain to my 9 year old self that my brain was a little different, which is why I struggled with math so much.
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Oct 03
Love0

A Mother’s Instinct, by Denise

By Parents Blogs

My daughter was diagnosed with ADHD at 8 years old as well as a spatial learning disability. I went to many national conferences and read every book I could to try and understand ADHD and learn how to be the best parent for her. We got the educational part of the situation under control but other issues arose with adolescence. For example, we invited 12 “friends” to her 12th birthday and no one came. First sign to me that socially we were not handling the situation correctly. I went into a search mode to figure it out. Came across a simple bound book written about NVLD on the Internet. Bought it, read it, cried….it was my child!!!
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