I can’t say that I remember the exact moment I found out that I had nonverbal learning disability. There wasn’t really a time that anyone sat me down and said, “You have NVLD.” There is one memory, however, that sticks out to me like a sore thumb. Read More
Social Ambassador Jennifer Purcell, otherwise known as the Ever-Changing Butterfly, shares a deeper look into her NVLD podcast with the NVLD Project Team! Jennifer created her podcast, Living with an Invisible Learning Challenge, to raise awareness and understanding for NVLD. Her podcast is available on several platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and more.
The general population’s lack of knowledge surrounding NVLD makes her podcast all the more critical and relevant regarding efforts to secure the inclusion of Non-Verbal Learning Disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Detailing the ways she overcame her own challenges and inspiring others to do the same, her podcast becomes a network to educate people and build a larger community for those living with NVLD. Read more about her experience creating this podcast, interviewing others, and sharing it with the world in our interview with her below! Read More
Hello, my name is Oscar and I have NVLD – Non-Verbal Learning Disability, I was diagnosed with it at the age of 9. The first sign that I had a learning difficulty was when I was in school and I didn’t know my 2x table, that was a sign for my mum that I should see someone. We saw multiple specialists and none of them got it correct….. until we met Doctor Johnathan Williams, a child psychiatrist. He was the one that officially diagnosed me with NVLD.
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At the beginning of my varsity cross-country and track career, I was asked a lot, “why are you a runner?” as I worked so hard just to finish near the bottom. Later on, the question changed to “how did you get your coaches to like and respect you”? I understood where they were coming from in many ways as I was working hard just to finish the race while teammates were competing for top finishes. However, it was so disappointing that they couldn’t see the full picture of why I never gave up running. Couldn’t they see running lead to so many personal and social gains and learning many life lessons?
Where do I start? Being A NVLD photographer is tough. You create your vision the best you can, but you find the spatial issues, technical lighting and settings to be really complicated. Sometimes you feel limited to what you can create because of your disorder and what your brain can come up with. You compare yourselves to others in your field and wonder if they would’ve done a better job than you. Sometimes you’re scared to admit your struggles because you are worried about what others may think.
I know I am. It’s an isolating disorder that people cannot see.
There is nothing that frustrates me more than reading that few people with an NVLD or a similar disability are fully included in sports during the high school years. As my Cross-Country and Track coaches proved 20 years ago, in a sport like running we can have inclusion since it is all about doing your best and supporting all runners. So as you read this I hope you understand why I strongly believe this percentage needs to be so much higher.
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One of the hardest things about having an NVLD can be participating in Physical education, especially at the secondary level. What is often overlooked is that accommodations/modifications can be made for NVLD students to make gym class more enjoyable, and if done correctly, their classmates don’t even know it. This can be done by having a meeting with your gym teacher ahead of time to choose activities you can do for each unit so you won’t be faced with having to choose between two activities that include so many gross motor and hand-eye coordination skills, such as volleyball or Badminton.
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Christmas is hands down, one of my favorite holidays. The twinkling lights, the delicious food, the coziness of watching classical Christmas movies. However, part of having NVLD is feeling overstimulated. Every year, I become a grinch at the thought of family gatherings because I know how depleted and overwhelmed I’d feel.
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Overcoming NVLD, my most challenging years were 7th grade through the beginning of 10th grade. I was becoming more and more aware of my disability since my sister’s achievements were around me quite regularly. For example, she was a starter on the basketball team, so the highlights often included her, and she was Vice President of our school’s service club, so her picture was often in our local paper for that. Due to this, it was hard for me to understand if my teachers and coaches really liked me or just felt sorry for me because I wasn’t gifted like my sister. I struggled to understand that each student has their positives and that each educator and coach enjoys the individual for a different reason.
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I was diagnosed with NVLD at age 19. It was like a lightbulb went off because now my family had answers to all of the questions of why so many things were and still are challenging for me. Ever since I’ve been diagnosed, I’ve been trying to make those challenges not seem so big, and some of them have gotten easier to deal with. I’ve gotten better at reading social cues and body language by asking my parents what they mean when I see them in a TV show. I have also gotten better at doing math in my head by doing addition with easy groupings that equal five, ten, or 15. I have tried to make many, if not all of the challenges easier for me because I know they can be, and I want them to be. Read More