You’ve heard of the sixth sense right? I’d like to think of my NVLD as giving me a similar sense, the gift of auditory memory. I’m not sure when I discovered my auditory gift. Perhaps when I was sitting in my college lecture, and listening to my professor recall all the important items that would be on the final exam. When I went to write my exam, I just closed my eyes and I could hear my professor’s voice recite the same lecture over again. It was as if a live podcast was being replayed. I ended up getting an A by the way on that exam!
I never really thought anything of my auditory gift to be honest, until my friends started noticing. Every conversation seemed to linger from years and years ago in my head that I could recall at any moment in time. It wasn’t until one day one of my best friends picked up on this gift and told me, “Megs, that’s really creepy!” Of course she said it with all love intended haha!
For the longest time, I thought this was normal. I assumed or thought that most people had this gift. In my university program, we often discuss different learning styles. When I started to learn about “auditory learners” it started to finally make sense! When I was in special education, NVLD was so misunderstood that teachers assumed I was a visual learner and would give me maps and visuals to help support me. Little did they know, that I was an auditory learner.
When I started in my University program, I quickly learned from all the lengthy readings I was a true auditory learner. This led me explore various assistive technology to support my learning journey. Without the support of Read & Write or Natural Reader, I’d be incredibly lost. These incredible softwares are engineered to support learning disabilities and learning styles. As someone with NVLD, I highly recommend you explore the right ones for you!
One of the incredible gifts with having auditory memory, is that I don’t just hear your words I can feel the weight and energy as you say them which makes me a great listener and an overall highly empathetic person. I highly believe having NVLD gave me this gift, and I’ve embraced it by supporting children with disabilities. Temple Grandin is an example of someone who has used her visual thinking gifts as she quotes, “visual thinking has enabled me to build systems in my imagination.”
Some people think through pictures, I think through words. I think each and everyone of us with NVLD have gifts, their just a little hidden and are waiting to be discovered.
Megan
I’m a graduate of the Child & Youth Worker program from Cambrian College and I’m pursuing my degree in Disability Studies at Ryerson University along with a certificate in Aboriginal Knowledges & Experiences. I am a Project Social Ambassador for The NVLD Project.
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