Over the years I have been asked by my former support team what my secret was for being successful in college as so many like myself didn’t make it through college. The truth is there aren’t any secrets to my success. The difference was that I chose to attend schools with comprehensive support programs where I received a great deal of academic and social support while they attended schools that offer only basic support which just gave only basic accommodations such as extended time.
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Lately, I have found myself thinking about how deceiving the name “Nonverbal Learning Disability” (NVLD). I had certainly never heard of it when I was first diagnosed, even though I resonated and related so deeply with the symptoms. Most people don’t know what it is when I tell them. The name makes it seem self-explanatory, but NVLD is so much more complex than just the surface level idea of not being able to learn from nonverbal content. However, I have more recently found that even the concept of a “learning disability” can be deceiving, because it is often associated with education and school. I have been out of school for 3 years and now can prominently see how it impacts me strictly in a professional setting. Read More
Have you ever had that thought? Am I working hard enough? I must not be, because otherwise someone would have noticed by now. I feel like I could be doing better, but I don’t want to over exert myself. Getting older is annoying when I have to pace myself a little more. You’d think I could read between the lines and figure it out, but for some reason, I’m not good at taking a hint. It would be nice to have some reassurance. Read More
The things I find challenging are pretty common for someone with NVLD, ADHD and learning challenges which are attention, focusing, visual-spatial skills, and expressive and receptive language. I have trouble learning some concepts and then remembering them after. Also, I can’t always put thoughts onto paper.
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To Dr. Anne- My first time meeting you when we came down to finalize my Arch Accommodation Plan I didn’t know what to totally expect as you had some doubts but yet were also impressed by my determination and work ethics. What greatly impressed me is how during it you focus first on these traits first and then share some ways I would be successful. One of them was to check in with you weekly and thankfully I listened to you. What I remember most was you telling me after only a month at Dean that I was a student who you no longer had to worry about. This was special to me as so many believed college was the wrong choice for me, yet here I was at college being successful. You truly set a wonderful example of how students with an NVLD and other Learning Disabilities, when given some extra attention, are successful in college. For me this led to you seeing my ability first and becoming a real advocate to me. You even made sure the locks in my dorm got changed to ID cards only as you saw the key was too tricky for me. You truly were an incredible program director and my strongest advocate.
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In my experience overcoming an NVLD, students with the disability or other Learning Disabilities can be given too many accommodations and support through high school. While this may seem helpful in the long run this can do more harm than good as it limits the opportunities to learn how to self-advocate and overcome challenges on your own.
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Do you ever feel invisible because of the learning challenges you have? Or because of the emotions, you have trouble expressing? Or maybe you feel like no one understands you because it’s hard for you to explain what it’s like to be you?
I’m here to share with you my experiences in these areas and let you know that you’re not the only one who has these feelings or emotions.
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Growing up with an NVLD I watched so many students living with similar challenges not challenging themselves and honestly I didn’t get it. In my eyes, being challenged leads to greater results both academically and personally. Therefore, I believe more IEP teams and parents need to understand that being challenged leads students to seeing their true potential and not being afraid to encourage students to take on challenges. As I look back I feel I learned so much from always being challenged.
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One of the hardest things about having an NVLD is that for some it can take some extra time to truly understand which adults you work with really believe in you and how many of your peers are truly accepting and understanding of your unique deficits. If people are too kind to you it can seem like they just “feel sorry” for you or if they are pushing you to go the extra mile it can seem like they are being mean when neither is the case.
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My name is Emily, and I am 24 years old. When I was 22, I found out I have Non-Verbal Learning Disability. (NVLD). I found out what that was through my Neuropsychologist. When I was in first grade, we started learning how to count money. I couldn’t figure it out for the life of me. I’d get so frustrated when the other kids understood and I didn’t.
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