While I do think it’s important for NVLD students to be treated the same, I also believe their effort needs to be honored and valued especially when grades are involved. For example, on subjective assignments, say the teacher’s initial grade is D+ but the student always works incredibly hard then the student should earn a C-. This is especially true when the student is close to passing. This being said, I believe this type of treatment must be kept at a reasonable level and not necessarily applied every time as it can come across as treating others differently. Read More
Many people with nonverbal learning have difficulty managing their tone of voice. It’s a common characteristic of NVLD that often goes unacknowledged.
Yeah, we are those slightly off people in situations that often require a quiet environment—a too loud whisper in a library? Asking for help for seating at a funeral? That’s me, and probably a few others with NVLD as well. Read More
“They tried to bury me but they did know that I am a seed?” is the expression that encompasses my life so perfectly in one quote. I am a special education teacher working with fourth grade students with learning disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorders but the irony is that, I too, have spent my life in the neurodivergent universe. Read More
Growing up with an NVLD has brought disappointments, however the ones that bothered me the most, while they seem minor, are the times I was treated differently. What I mean by this is that I was not being treated like my peers in and outside the classroom. This stigmatized me even more. I have always been a firm believer that if you are going to have an “inclusive” classroom or athletic team you must treat everyone the same and keep the expectations the same for everyone to feel included. Read More
Over the years, I have continued to learn more about my challenges and I would like to thank you for understanding me and seeing me as a person, not just having NVLD. In my experience, you truly were the adult who understood the complex challenges of NVLD the best and each session I knew I was going to gain new skills.Yes there was often tension, though with the heart to heart conversations and your empathy, I was able to go cool off and get back on track. Read More
As a fellow NVLDer, being financially free from my debt was one of my most proudest achievements in my life.
2020 was a challenging year for everyone, however it was a blessing in disguise for me. I was able to follow a 7 steps financial guide from a successful entrepreneur by the name of Dave Ramsey which sparked my interest in financial literacy. He wrote simple steps that anyone can do: Read More
Social situations have always been hard for me. Body language was like an AP foreign language, while still learning spoken words. Sarcasm was taken too literally. Tone and inflection went unnoticed. I didn’t understand the side glances, the laughing, the joking. I didn’t realize that I was the punch line. Read More
Growing up with an NVLD brings more challenges than people really realize and because it is a misunderstood disability it makes each challenge even harder to overcome. What people don’t realize is that, with deficient fine motor and spatial skills, many of the biggest challenges faced are often outside of the classroom. Often when we think of NVLD as a Learning Disability we don’t always see the full picture outside of school. Read More
I did what no other writer should do: reread the beginning of a half-completed first draft and start editing it. I can imagine any author asking, “What were you thinking? Writer’s block?”
Maybe… but I was more intimidated by my own words.
There is never an easy way to explain Nonverbal Learning Disability—a term that makes me cringe as I type. Knowing, very well, the opinions–I mean “misconceptions”– it brings with its name. Most people see an outgoing, adventurous, creative person–that of which I am. Only, my impairment can make me look loud, oblivious, and defensive when somebody tells me I am yelling, they mean this instead of that, or that they were just being sarcastic. Read More
My journey started when I came into this world by the lovely parents of Sam and Marica in 1985. My parents did not know what kind of kid they would get. Early on, I was a tough baby struggling with things. My parents did not know that later on their son would have a nonverbal learning disability. At the age of 5, I was tested and officially diagnosed with a nonverbal learning disability. Read More