nld bloggers Archives | The NVLD Project | Non-Verbal Learning Disability

Below is an example of letters I would right:

Hello Mr. C,

I was wondering, with your experience in science through the education system, if you would be able to vocalize about the difficulties with nonverbal learning disability-identified students?

It seems to me that they are adapted perfectly for scientific pursuits, they are honest and make observations about everything. They have a semi-audio and visual memory which can be very useful for remembering facts and can be a great strength.

This disability is a spectrum. As we’ve seen with many disabilities one size does not fit all, the disability affects individuals differently and they have different symptoms.

One of the pitfalls of individuals with a nonverbal learning disability is understanding social cues, this is usually attempted to correct with behavioral therapy, but it is unproductive because the brain has a defect in the right hemisphere that affects the white matter, and it seems that the brain can’t compensate regardless. The individual is born that way, examples: similar to trying to change the color of your skin, or if you identify as a homosexual (disclaimer: this is not meant to be offensive, it just seems that it’s a similar struggle).

There isn’t medication to help for this disability, like for example ADHD – being prescribed Ritalin, it is not as well understood as dyslexia and has more complex parameters to explain to society. For example with dyslexia: doctors can identify the problem by watching the person struggle with reading and can see a tangible situation that is easy to understand, and can be easily explained to the masses.

Many people with ADHD also struggled a few years ago with the same concept, but because it has been researched, it is more widely accepted in society.

This is not an easy task to take on, any advocacy for this disability is diligently needed, but unfortunately, the individuals that have it, with their social cues issues, are not well-liked, and they seem to conflict with each other so they unable to organize because they’re all dealing with the same difficulties, and just trigger each other.

Please see the attached letters.

I appreciate you taking the time to read this email,

Lindsey

PS: I appreciate any help you can give.

Tangent note disclaimer:
I graduated in a scientific field, and just because I graduated in a scientific field does not mean that that is the right path for every person with NVLD, I truly believe that when you figure out something that you want to do passionately you have to face adversity.

It is easy to say it and difficult to apply it.

I only have my own experiences to rely on, and even through diligent reading of scientific papers from proper sources, it is important to question all information that you read (understand there are biases), and how you’re affected by the individuals around you. At the end of the day, look at the relationships you have, and ask yourself these questions “is this person good for me?”; “Do they promote the kind of person that I want to be?”;  “Do we help each other achieve our goals?”

Lindsey

I’ve been through the cycle of being ostracized and stereotyped and seen the pitfalls of this Learning disability.

I believe changing human rights procedures to identify this as a learning disability on the DSM-5 is a productive way to contribute to helping NVLD individuals and promoting research and human rights legislation.

Share your own story

I am a 62-year-old woman with undiagnosed NVLD.  My  28-year-old daughter has it, more severe than me, but I see bits and pieces in myself.  As difficult as it has been to watch my daughter struggle with this learning disability, there has been a silver learning.  I always felt inferior, comparing myself to others.  Like I wasn’t good at anything.  Now I see that there was a reason for my struggles.  Those people I envied were fortunate to not have NVLD, they were not better than me.  It is clear why I  have had self-confidence issues.  Watching people around you do things with ease that you struggle with isn’t easy. Read More

While more students with learning disabilities are attending college the overall graduation rates continue to be relatively low. One of the theories for this could be that students attending schools that don’t offer nearly enough support either because they were unaware of all the colleges that have structured support programs or the high cost associated with them. Read More

Growing up while overcoming an NVLD, one of the things I noticed was that a large percentage of those with disabilities didn’t take as many risks involving decisions for inclusion in school and life outside of school. While the recommendations they were being offered were good, at times more could have taken place if both families and IEP teams stepped out of their comfort zone to try new methods and experiences. Read More

When I first was diagnosed with NVLD I was 18. I was a senior in high school. Long story short, starting in middle school I often struggled with time on exams and struggled to keep up. This continued through high school although people thought I was smart, my grades didn’t reflect that and because of this I never really liked school and I didn’t think I was all that smart. Read More

My observations of a professor-friend about twelve years ago led me quite accidentally to the conclusion that he had Asperger’s Syndrome. After further research on how Asperger’s is expressed in women, I became largely convinced (especially on bad days) that I was similarly afflicted. (This was a few years before the removal of Asperger’s Syndrome from the DSM-5.) Read More

As a young child, looking back, I was different – way ahead of my peers in reading and memorization. But so bad at sport I was sent off the football pitch for upsetting the other players, and I never won at cards or strategic games. As I approached 16, I noticed that my former advantages were becoming disadvantages – my reasoning was really poor, I couldn’t foresee outcomes others saw easily, and the more theoretical maths and logic that my peers could handle easily were impossible. Read More

Making sure full inclusion was in place during high school was hard at first as partial inclusion then was fairly new so understandably it was harder for our current Special Educator director to understand the differences. Thankfully my parents had the opportunity to share the updated Inclusion models with the History and English department chairs. Read More

While it’s no secret that I am a true believer in full inclusion for secondary-level students with an NVLD and similar disabilities, I don’t agree with it for elementary students. This is because, for the elementary level, true full inclusion means having all your support services in the regular classroom. I believe these students besides needing more direct instruction also need a place just to cool off. That being said I believe these students shouldn’t be leaving the classroom for every service either and it should be limited to 45-60 minutes with the understanding that by the time students reach the secondary level true full inclusion needs to be in place. Read More