Hi my name is Julia I was recently diagnosed with NVLD while staying in a psychiatric hospital. I’ve always felt different. I have had a hard time relating to people and have always been closer and and more comfortable being around animals especially my horse Belle who has been my saving anchor since I was thirteen years old. My childhood was marked with difficulties at school academically and being really shy and having a hard time making friends. Read More
Many people are familiar with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. A person who has gone through a trauma, experiences effects after the event is over with. Many people are less familiar with Post Traumatic Growth, which was introduced in the 1990s by Psychologist Richard Tedeschi and Richard Calhoun. Having this type of growth enables survivors to recognize and embrace new connections. This concept of growth after a trauma involves five categories: growing appreciation for life, improved relationships with others, new possibilities in life, personal strength, and a spiritual change. These sections are designed for the person to work through over a long period. Having a Learning Disability has caused me to develop post-traumatic growth, with the stigma and trauma that have accompanied it. Read More
I was diagnosed with NVLD at a young age but did not know what that was tell I got older and began to look things up about it. I do not remember it affecting me too much tell I got a little bit older. I do remember my anxiety was what I struggled with most at a young age. I remember that I had anxiety almost everyday and would come home crying. It took me a few years to finally find medication that worked on me.
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Childhood was a tumultuous time for me, rife with emotional chaos and isolation due to a lack of understanding from the outside world (parents, therapists, teachers etc) on how to properly support me. When I was younger, my sensory system would ignite from “zero to one hundred” at sometimes even the smallest provocation. I didn’t understand my own wiring and felt out of control and at the mercy of these outbursts. I often felt immense guilt after I said or acted in socially impermissible ways. I was emotionally unpredictable and without the proper diagnosis found my family would walk on eggshells around me as they never knew what would set me off. I couldn’t comprehend why my emotions were so painstakingly visceral in my body. I was told that I was just being too sensitive or needed to find healthier ways to calm down. Read More
Over the years I have been asked by my former support team what my secret was for being successful in college as so many like myself didn’t make it through college. The truth is there aren’t any secrets to my success. The difference was that I chose to attend schools with comprehensive support programs where I received a great deal of academic and social support while they attended schools that offer only basic support which just gave only basic accommodations such as extended time.
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Lately, I have found myself thinking about how deceiving the name “Nonverbal Learning Disability” (NVLD). I had certainly never heard of it when I was first diagnosed, even though I resonated and related so deeply with the symptoms. Most people don’t know what it is when I tell them. The name makes it seem self-explanatory, but NVLD is so much more complex than just the surface level idea of not being able to learn from nonverbal content. However, I have more recently found that even the concept of a “learning disability” can be deceiving, because it is often associated with education and school. I have been out of school for 3 years and now can prominently see how it impacts me strictly in a professional setting. Read More
Have you ever had that thought? Am I working hard enough? I must not be, because otherwise someone would have noticed by now. I feel like I could be doing better, but I don’t want to over exert myself. Getting older is annoying when I have to pace myself a little more. You’d think I could read between the lines and figure it out, but for some reason, I’m not good at taking a hint. It would be nice to have some reassurance. Read More
The things I find challenging are pretty common for someone with NVLD, ADHD and learning challenges which are attention, focusing, visual-spatial skills, and expressive and receptive language. I have trouble learning some concepts and then remembering them after. Also, I can’t always put thoughts onto paper.
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To Dr. Anne- My first time meeting you when we came down to finalize my Arch Accommodation Plan I didn’t know what to totally expect as you had some doubts but yet were also impressed by my determination and work ethics. What greatly impressed me is how during it you focus first on these traits first and then share some ways I would be successful. One of them was to check in with you weekly and thankfully I listened to you. What I remember most was you telling me after only a month at Dean that I was a student who you no longer had to worry about. This was special to me as so many believed college was the wrong choice for me, yet here I was at college being successful. You truly set a wonderful example of how students with an NVLD and other Learning Disabilities, when given some extra attention, are successful in college. For me this led to you seeing my ability first and becoming a real advocate to me. You even made sure the locks in my dorm got changed to ID cards only as you saw the key was too tricky for me. You truly were an incredible program director and my strongest advocate.
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In my experience overcoming an NVLD, students with the disability or other Learning Disabilities can be given too many accommodations and support through high school. While this may seem helpful in the long run this can do more harm than good as it limits the opportunities to learn how to self-advocate and overcome challenges on your own.
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