Growing up while I was blessed with an incredible support team I faced a few more challenges compared to others with disabilities. One of the reasons for that was that NVLD is a very misunderstood disability so not everyone was really sure what my exact difficulties were. This led to me being underestimated at times which caused some self-esteem issues. So in this piece, I will discuss the ups and downs that can come with an NVLD and how to make things better. Read More
I have always wondered as a child why I was different from others and struggled to be a part of everyone else world having to face day-to-day tasks at school and home with no support or help from SEN teams. My mother who wanted answers and help would consistently ask for help or support from many people in the sectors to help me never got any response or simply had no interest in assessing me. It went on for many years until high school and a noisy, busy, and crowded classroom full of neurotypical teenagers was my nightmare. Read More
I was diagnosed with NVLD when I was either 22 or 24. I am now almost 53 years of age. There was very little explained to me about the diagnosis at that time, I knew that I had challenges but I had no family support and there was no one in the medical community at that time and still to this day that will aid me in comprehensive understanding of how to live with this neurodiverse condition and work with it as well. Read More
I’ve posted before, back at the start of my journey post ‘diagnosis’ of being NVLD. One thing is to note, it is a journey – I was pleased initially to have an explanation of my challenges, and then later became frustrated as I realized the day will never come when I can play chess or win an argument. Read More
If we choose to focus on everything a child cannot do, we fail to recognize their gifts. The educational system had a way of reflecting all of my weaknesses. But as a child, the library and books became my sanctuary-a quiet place to escape the noise and step into magical worlds filled with fairies and fantasy. Read More
Neurodiversity has increased my knowledge and understanding of the many overlaps between different diagnoses. Perhaps the hardest to distinguish are NVLD and autism. Their similarities should be appreciated, and people can identify with both. I also agree with efforts to dismantle a pernicious hierarchical structure that delineates between the supposed “higher functioning” labels, such as the now-defunct Asperger Syndrome, and autism. I can understand the concern that differentiating NVLD from autism could create a category of people who are “not quite autistic,” reinforcing the assumption that there is something “lower functioning” about autism. However, advocating for NVLD as a distinct diagnosis is not about creating an “autism light”; it is about recognizing a label and identity that truly resonate for many people who for too long have been invisible in the learning disability, mental health, and even neurodiversity nomenclature. It is about respect, being counted, and the autonomy to choose one’s identity. I welcome those with NVLD embracing autism if it feels right for them, but forcing it on us is an act of identity erasure. Read More
It’s no secret that I am a huge believer in inclusion in all parts of school life. Therefore I often notice mistakes that are made in all parts of the inclusion process during and after high school more than others. I understand each decision is made with good intentions as no one ever wants to see students fail, however, many students I believe could be having more in their inclusion experiences. Read More
The working world can be tricky when you have NVLD! Having now formally disclosed, in my working environment as a SEN teacher, it’s like a window has finally opened and the support around me has been immense! I’m so thankful that I have the most amazing support, with an NVLD coach, regular check-ins with my manager, proofreader, and voice-to-text technology. I hope all employees with NVLD can have access to all the job requirements they can get, in order for them to do their jobs with joy and as stress-free as possible. Read More
Hello, everyone. My name is Carolyn Sophia Skowron. I am 27 years old and was diagnosed with NVLD when I was 16 years old. When I was in school, I felt like I had to work ten times harder in the classroom than everyone else. I had countless tutors and worked as hard as possible, but my grades still didn’t show it. I constantly felt that I could never measure up. I lived this way for 16 years without an answer – just tutor after tutor, still not doing well. Finally, at the age of 16, I got an answer to my difficulties. In my sophomore year of high school, I took a test to find out why I was failing tests in the first place. It was a neuropsych evaluation. From that evaluation, I discovered that I have a Nonverbal learning disability. As I learned about the diagnosis, it made sense why I had always internalized every situation and every interaction I had. I would replay situations over and over in my head, convinced I had done something wrong. The anxiety I had that someone would not like me or that someone was talking behind my back if they gave me a certain look made me depressed. Spatial awareness was something I also was always struggling with. I was always scared to be me. Read More
Have you ever had challenges with writing because it’s hard to put your thoughts on paper? Or had issues with forming sentences in an essay? Or maybe you had problems with writing because you couldn’t make the sentences sound like the flow from one to the next in a concise way that made sense. Read More