I am writing you in the hope that I can make a difference for you as you live your life through your school years. You see I was like you in so many ways when I was in school. I faced all the same challenges in and out of the classroom you are likely going through and today I am proud to say I am a young adult who overcame them. How did I do this you ask? I never gave up and neither should you.
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The college admissions scandal that occurred in March involved wealthy parents coaching their children into getting diagnosed with a learning disability so that they could receive extra time or other accommodations on the SAT or ACT. I have been frustrated because it is so difficult to put into words how angering and hurtful this is to me.
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Rapid fire. If in this moment you had only 10 seconds to choose whom you trust most in your heart, spirit and mind in this world– who would it be?
Hold on to your answer.
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Specific.
That’s the best way to describe having Nonverbal Learning Disability. To help me understand, I need you to be specific. Use your words. I need them for clarity. Why did it become awkward? Did I miss something? Understanding can take some time for me and it’s only through brute force repetition that I’ll begin to see a pattern. Sometimes it feels like going through flashcards: this is your happy face, this is what it looks like when you’re angry, that’s what it looks like when you’re feeling sad. I can’t tell how you’re feeling right now, but I know based on the situation that you’re angry with me, and just a little disappointed.
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Pragmatic language disorders impairs one’s understanding of the pragmatic aspects of language or one’s ability to understand what is being said and how it is situationally appropriate social situations. The https://www.asha.org states the general belief is this disorder only occurs in children with Autism, however it can also occur with an NVLD too. Having NVLD, I know how real it can be.
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Since NVLD causes social, academic, and motor challenges it isn’t unusual to receive multiple special education services. These include: Speech therapy for social and communication deficits, Occupational therapy for motor skills deficits, and Resource room for academic intervention. For a good percentage of students, accepting that you need services can be difficult (especially during the teenage years!), however, in the long run you will be happy you did.
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This blog has a bit of a different focus than my previous ones. Normally, I love offering advice, especially given the fact that I’m in social work. But I struggle, too. Disclosure of my NVLD is a topic that I’ve faced in my life recently: what to disclose, how to disclose, when to disclose. With a more unheard of LD like NVLD, it’s doubly difficult.
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Growing up with NVLD makes social skills and handling change a challenge. One of the ways to work through this is to connect with others who have the ability to interact with you to help make these challenges easier. Two people who made my challenges easier happened to be high school students. My Mom had been very involved in my sisters Odyssey of the Mind team so I became the team manager. The students in the program were a positive influence on me, however, the two who were the most supportive to me were Jason and Jennifer. Their older brother had a disability similar to mine so it was easier for them to help me out. Their support continued beyond OM and this was just the first of older peers that I looked up too.
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One of the most perplexing things for me about having NLD is trying to navigate the subtleties of making friends. The question of whether someone is being friendly versus trying to be my friend is something I’ve struggled with my whole life and it’s only gotten harder as the world develops a more casual, laid-back attitude toward each other, so I thought I’d write about it in order put it into words, (which is something us NLDers need), in order to help myself work through it and find some similarities between my already established friendships.
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My name is Robin.
I finally got diagnosed with NVLD when I was 39 years old.
The only reason that happened is because my son was diagnosed with PDD Autism and I asked his doctor who did the neuropsych: Do you know a doctor who does these tests for adults?
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