I was five years old approaching six and I could read and recite dinosaur names. I knew deinonychus, brachiosaurus, and ankylosaurus among dozens of others. I don’t know how I learned to pronounce them. My parents tried and failed. I corrected them, and my mom called me Professor after the character on Gilligan’s Island.
I couldn’t tie my shoes.
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I was diagnosed in my fifties, but not with NLD, with a cognitive disorder, NOS. The neuropsychiatrist who tested me said he knew immediately that I had NLD, but since NLD is not recognized by the APA, it was categorized as a cognitive disorder. So why isn’t NLD recognized? If this disability, and that is what is NLD is, a disability, has specific symptoms and traits that definitely identify those of us who have it, why isn’t it recognized by the APA? I had a nervous breakdown in the fourth grade because of NLD. Too smart in reading and grammar, too stupid in math, and my parents and teachers concluded I had a character flaw. Decades of failure. Failure in school, in jobs, in relationships. The failure is very real, as are the symptoms. But according to the APA, NLD isn’t a real thing? Expletive deleted, APA.
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I watched you from the sidelines advocating on my behalf. I watched you with fists clenched and tears in your eyes when the psychologist tried to diminish my worth. I remember the piercing words “low percentile” like nails on a chalk board being repeated over and over again. I remember the decision you made to put me into special education, the extra money you spent on tutoring, and the plans you made to ensure I made it to post-secondary education. I remember it all.
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While the process for choosing a college can be a difficult process for everyone it’s especially harder for a student with NVLD as you need to pick a college that is “disability friendly.” Each of the schools either have basic, coordinative, or comprehensive support and each level is extremely different. Basic support, only provides the required accommodations by ADA, thus it has the lowest rate for success as students need to be a strong advocate for themselves, and have to take control of their own academics as individualized attention isn’t available to them. Coordinated Services like basic support is free however they offer more support. Learning Disability specialist are on staff for “drop in” help and they include added accommodations like organizational assistance and course substitutions. Students can succeed more at this level as individual attention is offered. The highest level of support offered is comprehensive support. Read More
I am five years older than my brother, John Paul. Although we all love him, we always knew he was different. Fortunately, my mom’s background is as a teacher, and great mother, of five. In addition, although we are/were a pretty much blue collar family – we grew up in a town with a fantastic school system that benefited us all.
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My whole life, Math has made me anxious. It was not only my hardest subject, but at times, it felt like my worst enemy. In elementary school and middle school, I managed to obtain decent final grades in Math class because of my extremely consistent work habits and nightly homework help from my mom. However, as I got older, at times there was only so much my mom could do to help.
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I was not diagnosed with NVLD until my mid-thirties. My tragedies and mistakes are many and I couldn’t pick one to share with you today. Rather, I will share with you snapshots of my experiences as said to me and about me throughout my life.
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Growing up with NVLD can make summer vacation a real concern for many families due to academic and social weaknesses. In many cases, especially if both parents are working, the child can be lonely as without parental encouragement it makes going to summer activities so hard. One of the options that can make summer more enjoyable is to have your child attended a residential summer program for students with Learning Disabilities as these programs promote academic, personal, and social growth.
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I’ve had a strong vocabulary since the age of five. A majority of my childhood was spent writing extensive creative stories with words straight out of a thesaurus. However, if you asked me a math equation I’d look at you blankly and wouldn’t know the answer. Ask me to put together a puzzle, and I wouldn’t be able to comprehend how the pieces connect.
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My name is Monie, I’m a Radio and TV personality here in the U.S, originally from London, England UK. I’m mother to 4 children, 2 of which are now adults. Of my younger children, boy aged 15 and girl aged 10, I have been met with the challenge of accepting this round won’t be the same as my first round raising my older daughters.
Specifically, my newest challenge has been with my 10-year-old daughter, whom has displayed both above average and also awkward and age inappropriate qualities among her peer group since Pre K and kindergarten years. At first I thought kids will be kids, and try their parents and any other authoritative figures, also kids get into spats with each other, it happens, but after moving several times with my job, and getting the same reports for the same types of occurrences from different schools, I had to allow myself the possibility that somewhere there may be a disconnect.
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