NLD Information and Support Thread

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I pasted this in an early post:

I read once as far as emotions
NLD'ers feel the normal range of emotions but are inept at expressing them.

As'ers do not feel the normal range of emothions.

didn't ask is this true?

I actually think I'm more of an AS'er in this instance

I actually get extremely emotional. I don't know if it's because of my age or what. Apparently I was a very good baby and toddler, and I didn't start really feeling like this until I was about twelve. But when I get mad, everyone better get out of my way. I'm not afraid of attacking, which is extremely bad on my part. But that could also be because I grew up in an inner-city school district, so that could also be playing some factors. And now I'm just rambling on..

Experiencing the emotion and appropriate expression are different things. People often confuse my expression of confusion with me being upset or angry, for example. I'm confused about a reaction or a social situation, but not angry.

I was diagnosed with NLD when i was 7. Most of the pervasive visual features were treated when I was seven and eight through an intense visual training program.
The social issues were barely understood when I was treated, much of what the nine year old girl is going through sounds so familiar. While I have differences, such as I never had the difficulties with mathematics, and I have the singular subject focus more common with AS.
I have to say the main reason I was diagnosed with NLD was the fact I was imaginative (and could do imaginative play) and had full emotional range.
The problem is I have difficulty understanding others emotions and processes emotions differently. The fact is I have a hard time understanding other people at times in terms of motivations in general. I am also shy, though less so as an adult. I mean I could go on and on. I do know the NLD diagnosis, but I would not be shocked if there was another diagnosis when I was a child. It was an incredibly new diagnosis when I was younger, and I think they only caught diagnosed it as NLD because of the visual issues.
I think my parents suspected that it was a little more than the visual issues and there was some similarities to AS.
I never had loving parents. While they treated the visual issues they were rather intolerant with the social issues which lead to a poor home life, in a addition to a school life which was worse. These social issues were barely understood when I was diagnosed.
This is not to say all is bad, by all means I fall under a success story. I have an advanced degree, a great job, recorded several albums, and play several musical instruments. I also having a lovely relationship with a fellow who does make an effort to understand me.

That was an interesting read for me, starygrrl. I can't even start to comprehend what it may be like to be diagnosed and get help, at least with some of the issues, from an early age, rather than be blamed and ridiculed for all the symptoms forever by family.

Greentea, while the visual elements were treated, I was still blamed and rediculed by my family for the social issues. I ultimately broke apart with them because it was an abusive family relationship. We just don't talk anymore, and because we don't talk my life is significantly less stressful.
I will say, I look at any article on NLD and bullying with a case study, it always sounds so familiar. It also shows me schools are pretty clueless in terms of what to do, and plain and simply just do not get it at all.

The one thing I noticed with several of you is the same thing I dealt with High Verbal IQ (88 %) and low performance IQ (39%). It seems NLDer's are always told "You're so smart, just stop being so lazy." A term I learned to hate!

I have NLD and I inherited it from my dad. I have two children and one grandchild with NLD, one grandchild who is NT and one grandchild who has Classic Autism. People who have NLD have very poor visual recall, my daughter has no viual recall and all memories and thoughts are in words. I have very limited visual recall. I have to make an effort to see pictures in my mind and they are very blurry like snapshots coming from a dark mist. I never have a visual video or movie in my head, not for memories, day dreaming or planning. I do not see the lay out of a grocery store or the features of a person's face. I have the normal range of emotions and empathy. Most of the time I know what is going on socially but social behavior is based on memory not instinct. People with NLD do not have special intrest and in fact may suffer from a lack of this but they are very sensitive to the way they are treated by other people. They are often shunned and do not know why, after so much hurt most develop social anxiety. I think that young girls tend to become very quiet and teenage boys will often become aggressive as a survival skill because of being picked on.
One problem with NLD is slow visual and auditory processing so that I can't keep up with the conversation. I don't comprehend the social game. I see everybody as equals, think everyone should play by the same rules and have no concept of the box. I have learned to live within the box most of the time only because of the problems that come if you don't.
I do not have the same values as " the regular people " there is a huge difference. I value individuality, I do not want to be like everybody else or act like them, I don't need the groups approval, I am happy with just a few close friends and even then I don't seek their approval of the way I look or think. This material world just doesn't matter so much to me, I have a strong spiritual sense that guides me.
My strong desire for justice and fairness have caused me a lot of difficulty but I like the way that I am, I am content with myself. I first learned about NLD two years ago, up until then I thought I just had inherted some strange personality traits and a double dose of bad luck. I am glad I found out that there was a reason for some of the problems that I have had and to be aware that I am differant so that I can protect myself better.I am glad my kids can know that too because it's a tough world out there. The biggest disadvantage is not to be aware that you have one because some people know it right away and take advantage of that. ( stay away from used car salesmen )
I am glad not to be NT if it means being shallow and superficial, just giving lip service to certian values and to always live closed up inside that awful box never seeing the beauty outside. Still I wish that I could be NT for just one day so that I could know what is so great about playing the game and see their BIG PICTURE and compare it to mine.

starygrrl, that's all true about me. I'm well above average in language learning, I master 3 languages at a near-native level, and another 3 partially. I'm often talking to 3 people at the same time, where each of them knows only 1 of the 3 languages I know and I'm translating simultaneously to all. I write and have been commended for my writing since I was a child. I learn new languages with the same easiness an NT makes a new friend.

Where can I read more about NLD? The articles I've found on the web have been very basic and I haven't found any decent forums....

Starygrrl
Maybe what I am trying to describe is not auditory processing and we are all verbally gifted and love language and words in my family. In fact my daughter could quote her little golden books word for word and recite long poems before she was two. She amazed everybody and she has written some beautiful poems and had some of her work published, She is also a great artist. In fact all of us who have NLD in my family are very good artist.
I guess the problem I am trying to describe in conversation might just be the social awkwardness and not knowing how to respond which make me confuse it with slow processing. It is not the actual hearing but the understanding since so much is going on that I don't understand with the non verbal factor. I always recall what people have said, maybe to clearly because later I will mull it over and over in my head to try to make sense out of a situation that I don't understand. I don't understand why people don't come out and say what they mean or gine you a direct answer to a direct question.
My son is having a difficult time in school because his teachers think he is being disrespectful when that is not his intention.
Another thing that can be confusing is trying to follow verbal direction because I don't see the pictures in my head and I really hate it when people ask me to find something on a shelf or maybe hand them something that is right under my nose but I don't see it.
At work I will be doing something like typing so that I am not talking to anyone or answering questions right away and they accuse me of being rude. Most people know by now that I can't talk and concentrate on something else at the same time because I tell them. I am real upfront about my personal limitations without putting a label on myself. That seems to work well with people who know me pretty well.

I speak my own made up language that is based purely on emotion, I have started speaking this more and more at work and people are getting beyond amused with it and think it is strange. The folks at work noticed this because I am very sensitive to touch and always "speak" this language when they poke me. Anyone else??

I speak Dutch conversationally and al ittle German. I love language and the study of minority language and culture.