I am a 66-year-old retired businessman. Reading about NVLD for the first time, as it related to Guz Walz, gobsmacked me. My ex-wife called it “that spatial thing” and derided me throughout our marriage. I knew in the fourth grade something was wrong with my brain. Rudimentary math baffled me and it only got worse as I progressed through middle and high school. I flunked Geometry in the 10th grade and never took a math course after that. In 8th grade, I was forced to take a drafting class. Total disaster. Flunked that too. Read More
From the outside looking in, very few people know how challenging this year has been for me and that is not for one particular reason, it is a combination of things. To be honest, I went from teaching students with learning differences at a boarding school to putting myself first again – being in a graduate program that asks me who I am as an artist and who I want to be. And oftentimes that can be confusing, it is a process of learning to trust myself all over again. Read More
I was reading the FAQ page on the NVLD project website recently. One of the questions was from parents asking for advice about how to help their child who is struggling to pass his road test. Reading this question and the answer below made me think of my experience as a 16-year-old learning how to drive with the visual/spatial challenges NVLD can bring. I also thought of the “driving rules” I have for myself because of NVLD-related challenges. I say “driving rules” because said rules have helped me progress in my supportive driving school, pass my road test on the first try, and drive safely with no wrecks to date. I have other considerations I keep in mind when I drive and have discovered other strategies over the years that I will also share. Read More
As you can see, from my blog name alone, I scream NVLD. I’m 48 and I remember being in kindergarten and having to practice using scissors and modeling clay. Years later I was told my handwriting was bad and I didn’t follow directions. By high school, I was obsessed with certain movies and talked nonstop. Read More
I have learned that NVLD is a very specific form of a Visual Processing Disorder, it is not a specific learning disability or disorder. I have always had difficulty with visual-spatial specific tasks (I do not have all visual-spatial difficulties) and problems with sarcasm, and being exceptional twice: high-above average intelligence with low average performance, high performance at work and in graduate school (with only testing accommodations and time extensions). Read More
My name is Jacob Babbin. I am 33. And I have Non Verbal Learning Difference I wrote my first blog on this website a few years ago. I went to Israel on Birthright in March of 2022. I returned from Israel on June 3rd, 2024. I am nearing the end of my conversion to Judaism, the Reform movement. I have become a part of two wonderful Reform Temples/Synagogues here in Florida. Read More
In my previous piece, I wrote about how my IEP teams tried to guide me in a different direction as they believed my stated plans were unrealistic and would cause unnecessary stress. Regrettably, my experience doesn’t seem to be unusual which to me is very disappointing. Now I will continue with examples from my experience and demonstrate how an IEP team will not only support your choices but will also be very proud of you. Through your own determination and work ethic. they will see, that lowering the expectations isn’t always the right answer. Read More
As I was leaving middle school and through high school my IEP teams tried to guide me in a different direction as they believed my stated plans were unrealistic and would cause unnecessary stress. Unfortunately, this experience doesn’t seem to be unusual so I would like to share my examples and explain how your IEP team will realize your choices were correct and will become very proud of you. Read More
I thought our journey started in 2016 when my daughter was diagnosed with her initial diagnosis. Still, after receiving her third diagnosis of “non-verbal learning disability” in 2020 and doing some research, I realized that our journey with nonverbal learning disability with Kiana had begun when she was just an infant. Read More
As a student with an NVLD over the years, I was greatly underestimated and very misunderstood at times. Not only did I have a different disability from others but also wanted to challenge myself more than others. This was especially hard as so few could really understand how difficult it was for me to fully understand non-verbal communication and to appropriately keep up with the social demands. In addition, the school day could become very overwhelming with all the changes at the secondary level and working with multiple adults in the elementary school years. Unfortunately, my experience doesn’t seem to be unusual and I would like to share my difficult experiences and offer insight on how things can become easier.
One of the first times I was misunderstood was during gym class when I was sitting in the corner of the gym rather than taking part in a tag game. This made my gym teacher frustrated as everyone else was already completely engaged in the game. However, the truth was that because of my gross motor skills deficits, I had no clue how to put on my jersey, and having social communication deficits it was difficult to ask for help too. Therefore I just sat in the corner rather nervous and hoped no one would notice but of course, she did immediately. While interacting with me fortunately my gym teacher then learned I also struggled to ask for help and the situation never happened again. .
The next example happened when I was receiving some supportive services 1:1 as it caused me to shut down and become uncooperative with the adults working with me as a young child. This was so overwhelming for me. The reality was in most situations this happened because there wasn’t another student in our group with similar academic and social skills so giving me individual care made more sense but of course, I couldn’t understand this. As a result, this caused adults to become very frustrated with me. Fortunately, Rhonda Fletcher, my APE teacher, was a problem solver and started to use the push-in model more regularly with me, and by doing this she was able to see how much I enjoyed her and realized 1:1 interactions could be very hard for me. As a result, the speech and occupational therapist became aware of this and went out of their way to make me more comfortable and in turn, each session became a better learning experience for me.
The following example happened in elementary school: teachers believed my reading level was lower than it was so I was grouped with the other resource room students for group work and projects. This was rather frustrating for me as I would always finish first and occasionally they would copy my answers but because I had empathy so I understood if this was a math group they would be getting frustrated with me. One of the reasons why I was underestimated was due to the fact they didn’t understand my added speech impairment was motor-related not language-related. In addition, I had visual processing deficits so I read silently at a slower pace. Therefore it made sense but it was still discouraging, however, just like the other situations everyone eventually understood reading was a strength for me. This led to my teachers letting me work with non-disabled peers.
Now my last example for Part A. It was so hard for others to understand why transitioning to classes took longer for me. One of the first reasons was it took me longer to open up my locker. This was because my fine motor skills deficits and my added spatial skills deficits organizing my locker took a few extra minutes too. In addition, once I got to my classroom having these deficits made getting prepared for each course rather difficult for me, and at times my teachers would have to delay the start of class. What was hard about this was it required the teachers’ aide to help me a great deal which made the other students with IEPs very frustrated as it seemed like she liked me more as she always helped me first before going to check on the other students. Fortunately, through open communication, my educational team developed a greater understanding of this challenge and did whatever they could to help so transitioning wasn’t a real challenge anymore.
Overall it is never easy but it is important to remember NVLD is a very misunderstood disability. So please be patient and be very honest about your feelings in a kind and understanding way as most difficult experiences can turn into positive experiences.
Eileen
Eileen is a Project Social Ambassador and blogger for The NVLD Project. She loves helping others understand they can achieve their goals and dreams through hard work and dedication.