Can someone please explain Non Verbal Learning Disability?

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My OCD has brought me to discover this.


Any personal experiences with NLD? I'm very interested in knowing about personal experiences of those diagnosed with it.

What exactly is it? I've been reading that it belongs in the spectra, then I read it doesn't. How "exotic" is it that it stands on its own or does it fit with the rest of the group?

Is the major difference the level of interest in socializing between an AS child to an NLD child? Is there no difference at all? What is the difference between NLD and Semantic-Pragmatic Communication Disorder?




This is of personal interest since after discovering this, my mind has safely been swayed to believe I may have this. I love math, but I'm notorious for miscalculation, even when the count is simple (ex: 3 x 3 = 6; (5 + 1) 10 = 40; 6 becomes 9; 10 becomes 100, and so forth) . I just learned arithmetic! I'm horrible at directions and can't read maps for the life of me. I was reprimanded at my last job for "not taking myself seriously nor appreciating my work" when I didn't know how to use scissors to cut paper/fliers correctly. However, bring up a discussion about languages and I will become the etymological pedant I'm known for. I'll speak to you in many different languages, or at least attempt to, including discussing the geography/demographics where the language is spoken in. I don't think so much "in pictures" but in sounds, in words. They appear more powerful to me. Frankly, if I thought in pictures, I'd miss the point! lol


I've scored high in many of the typical quizzes that flow about here, I carry many of the symptoms that are in the DSM-IV (not going to go in detail) but I still have my doubts on the Asperger label. So I need more explanation since, uhmm...172 threads aren't enough!

Excuse my excitement.

This site might help you---> http://www.nldontheweb.org/thompson-1.htm

Yes, thanks. I read that awhile ago, but I am more looking for personal experience, hence why I put it on the very top. I still appreciate it though, I'll read it again, ha.

Haha my bad

My son has been diagnosed with NVL, and told crosses over into Aspergers!

The only reason they did not just diagnose him with aspergers, is that they said he had an imagination!

He is exactly like me, I have aspergers and he rates higher on any asperger test ....

I feel its just another way of explaining our differences, and all these associated conditions should be part of parcel of the spectrum.

I feel being diagnosed is far to text book style and individuals are not allowed to exists, seems depends on what info you give, is what you get diagnosed with or not.

I would love to know the real differences and / or why its separate myself, as no one seems to be able to really explain this!.

I have NLD (diagnosed). AS was considered (although I didn't think I had it), but was dismissed because I don't have special interests (although I do go through periods of what my brother terms "obsessions").
I think generally, NLDers tend to have very strong verbal abilities coupled with visual/spatial processing problems, and often issues with visual-motor integration and tactile perception. There is generally a huge gap between verbal and nonverbal abilities (in my case, about 4-5 standard deviations- for perspective that would be about 60-75 IQ points). Aspies it seems can fit that profile, or they can have strong visual abilities (like auties generally do). I think Aspies tend to have worse social problems, but they generally are stronger with nonverbal reasoning.

Thanks, guys.

What exactly is special interests, anyways? How can someone well-define that?





My verbal abilities are, not to brag, above average, but I have very bad motor skills, enough to question my intelligence. I tend to just use my verbal skills to get me out of situations, although I'm not the best diplomat.


On my college placement exam, I aced both the reading/writing portion but flopped the math. I wasn't told anything about it, just "That's strange. Study more." Like, yeah, thanks.

I think it's pretty subjective. Mostly based on the extent to which it absorbs/obsesses you to the exclusion of doing other things. Especially if it gets in the way of what you *should* be doing. That's my understanding at least. But then, it seems like a lot of NTs would have special interests as well (ex. video games, sports). So I think an unwritten addendum is that special interests involve topics that don't tend to obsess "normal" people- like astronomy rather than baseball (boy, have I heard this argument a lot from my brother when he's explaining how my interests are weird and his are normal).

Ha, my parents think my special interests are weird, everyone does. Here's a list:

Anthropology
Metaphysics
Astronomy
Philosophy
Economics
World Politics
Etymology
World Languages


I become obsessed with them, brushing off work I need to do or finishing them quicker because I just have read up on more of these things.


I did go into a "hot-rod" phase, and I would often not do my school work because I was worked up on model cars to the point where my parents refuse to by me anymore. That was a sad little event.

lol


I do have a little coin collection that I separate by decades, and I'm obsessed with news papers and books. If I see a book or newspaper that catches my eyes, I have to buy it.

I Posted a Link to this Discussion on my Blog. This question of who has what and why is pretty complex.

I'm diagnosed with NLD and I'm going to be concentrating on it for a while at my blog (which is tigertalejournal on Blogger and do stop by and comment).

Personally, I think most of the things mentioned here are just facets of the same jewel......whatever that jewel is that we have been blessed or cursed with.

I've noticed that most Aspies seem to have better working memories than most people with NLD. Myself, I have the working memory of a gnat......actually, I believe most respectable gnats have a better working memory than me.

@Wadena:

I read your blog, and I have to say, that this line really sums NLD up for me:

"It means that much of what your eyes see.....your brain cannot process. You miss a lot."

It just always seems like other people see things I don't. It's kind of like looking through a telescope, and what you are looking at is slightly out of focus, and everything else around your narrow diameter of attention is completely out of focus. You just process a tiny bit of what is in your visual field, and a lot of what you do process ends up forgotten anyway. I could talk to someone for a half hour, and if someone asked me immediately afterward what my conversational partner looked like, I would have no clue! I always think that I would make a really terrible police witness.

My description would be something like, "Well, he didn't have black hair or platinum blond hair, and he wasn't *extremely* tall or extremely short. I would say he was 20-45 years old, with hair ranging from light blond to dark brown. And his hair wasn't unusually long, but I have no idea how long it was."

Basically, if there was something really unusual about the person I would notice it, but aside from that, I wouldn't remember anything. My brother used to call me "Blivy" growing up (short for "oblivious"). It's really become obvious to me recently how much other people see that I don't. I confessed to my supervisor at work that I have visual-spatial processing problems, and since then it's become a bit of a joke. Because she'll be referencing something that we would have both seen, or someone we had talked to, and I won't have any clue what she's talking about. Then we would laugh about it- because it wasn't in a mean context, it didn't bother me. But it did make me realize how much I miss.

I never actually had too much trouble with math. My mom worked with me on some concepts- like recognizing "opposite" or "adjacent" angles in geometry, but rote information I was able to memorize well, and I was usually able to use my verbal mediation skills to work out the rest. My mom is a psychologist, and even though she didn't recognize the NLD at the time, she recognized my weaknesses, and she helped teach me how to "talk my way through things." Even when I was learning to drive, she was extremely helpful. I got my license at 19 rather than 16, so it took a little longer, but I wouldn't have been able to do it without her, or my ever-patient dad. I'm sorry you didn't have such supportive adults when you were growing up.

Thanks, LIS.

I totally relate to your statement about recognizing people. I have always been terrified that I would witness a crime and be unable to identify the person that did it.

How do you explain that to a cop?

You were lucky to have an intelligent and caring parent. I didn't. I probably came along somewhat earlier, too (my grade school struggles started in the 1950s).

I think I might have learned some math with help......although my instincts for math seem lacking. I can't even make change reliably. I could never work at a store or gas station or whatever......I'd be missing money at the end of the day if I even got through the day. My ADHD (which is a secondary problem) exacerbates the NLD.

I lack the rote memorization skills of the typical NLDer due to my ADHD traits (difficulty concentrating).

If I could do math, I'd still have a lot of other problems. I don't remember faces, but I also don't remember names, so normal social interactions are tough. I have problems with just about every single thing that is required to succeed in the workplace. Part of it is simply that I can be easily distracted and easily stressed to the point of being unable to pay attention to what I need to accomplish.

Keep an eye on the blog. Pia has an idea for a new blog devoted entirely to NLD and if it happens I'll have links to it. Otherwise, I'll be posting about my experiences.

So much makes sense now......I know exactly why certain things happened the way they did. It's great to know that it's not due to a character flaw of mine, but instead due to a medical condition.

I can so relate to LostInSpace and Wadenas experiences. I am also really hopeless at recognising faces.

According to the person who assessed me I have all the symptoms of Non-verbal Learning Disorder exept for one very important one. I don't have bad spatial reasoning skills, infact they are pretty good, which is why I think I have a good sense of orientation. Everything else is exactly the same. This is why he did not offically diagnose me with it. But the more time passes the more similarities I discover in myself that are exactly like NVLD. The assessor also said I had some aspergers traits and ADD(inattentive)
Despite this I have quiet good rote memory skills, but I am hopeless at maths.

I have only recently been diagnosed and never came across anyone when I was young who even knew about learning disabilities. Not even my parents ever suspected there was anything wrong with me, partly because the symptoms were quiet subtle. They still don't fully understand it.

Now I have been diagnosed but I don't have anyone to talk to about it because I still dont know anyone who knows or understands about it and because I live in a small town without any sevices for this sort of thing. Does anyone know of any other online forums or chatrooms that I could go to that are focusing more on NVL or learning disabilities in general?

I am terrible with directions. I constantly have dreams about getting lost, although this hasn't happened to me in a long time. I know where everything is in the library, and can find over 90 percent of the items on my list, and have even found 100 percent on a few occasions.

Otherwise, I don't think NLD fits me. I do best in English, reading and vocabulary. I am not spectacular in mathematics, but I am functional. I also have intense special interests, an indicator more of AS than of NLD.

I was re-diagnosed with NLD last year (I originally had an AS diagnosis back in '03.). Even though I'm a very social person, I couldn't recognize a face to save my life. I can be friends with someone for two years and still not be able to recognize their face if it's outside a familiar setting, like school. I'm also horrible at remembering names. When I was younger, the bullies seemed to pick up on these facts and they had a very easy advantage over me. I also can't read lips one bit. My mom tried to mouth me something last summer at swimming lessons (she was on the upper level while I was about to get into the pool), but I had no clue at all what she was trying to tell me. I used to not be very good at directions, but since I started learning how to drive (I should get my liscense by this summer), I've gotten a lot better with them. The only things that I really have associated with AS are the obsessions and meltdowns (but the meltdowns have gotten a lot better).

Here explains the whole spectrum.

There's a nifty graph near the bottom with little +s and 0s that denote the overall severity of certain areas in each disorder.