NVLD

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Hello everyboy,

I got diagnosed with NVLD at the age of 12. After the diagnosis there wasn't really much about it, I never had proffesional help or anything.
School was not a problem, math was also fine(which is uncommon in NVLD) So I am not sure how severe my NVLD is.
However I always have been very insecure due to my social issues and so on.

Right now I am 21, I have few friends,a big family so I do have people around me a lot.
I feel alone and ''unworthy'' compared to family-members, friends, fellowsstudent etcetera. I have social anxiety and have a lot of self-hatred.
I always feel like I dont belong, because of my NVLD or whatever is it that I have.
Which makes it hard to, connect with people and to make new friends at my university.
I keep sinking lower and fear that I might drop out of university due to my problems.
I read that anxiety,deppresion and insecurity are very common in adolescents with NVLD.
Are there any people with NVLD on this forum who are maybe the same age(18-21) or older who want to share their experiences, or have advice for me?

Thankyou

Hello, warmsand.

I can see that you're new here, and I do hope that you find the help that you are looking for.

Now to answer your question, I can very much relate. I'm 20 years old, was diagnosed with NVLD at a very young age, and also have a huge family.

I took speech therapy early on in my life, and while it did help, I still feel that some of my communication skills are rather lacking. I also had to be put in special Math classes because I was just a lot slower at learning the newer material than my peers were.

And as of recently, I've made arrangements to see another therapist to help work more on my social skills, as well as just feeling a lot better about myself in general.

So, have you ever thought about consulting a therapist about your problems? I'm sure they'd be able to help you.

NVLD == Non-Verbal Learning Disability to save anybody else the step of typing it into Google.

I have NLD, and I can definitely relate to feeling self-conscious about social skills. It's like, I know they're not great, and I know people notice something "different" about me, especially at work, but I don't really know how I seem to other people, so I often feel self-conscious because I don't know if I'm doing something weird or not. My best advice is to find a group of people who share a common interest, and try to make friends that way, through a structured interest/activity. If you are at a university, there may be groups on campus you would enjoy, or you could also try a site like meetup.com. I know I have a lot more difficulty in unstructured social settings, so I can socialize much more easily around a goal-directed activity.

I would like to find a therapist who knows about NLD or Asperger's, actually not to work on social skills, which are probably a lost cause at this point, but to work on my problems with executive functioning, anxiety, and feelings of being overwhelmed, because those really cause problems at work.

I guess I'm not really sure what to tell you about your negative feelings about yourself. I notice that when I dwell on the things I have difficulty with, especially if I've been reading about NLD lately, that I tend to feel much more down about myself. It can be hard to push those feelings and thoughts away though. Maybe a cognitive behavioral therapist could help you identify when you're dwelling on negative thoughts about yourself, and work on strategies to defuse the potency of those thoughts. I know it can help with social anxiety, which is sort of similar- dwelling on negative feelings about yourself. Is there a mental health clinic at your university?

I am from Poland and had received AS diagnosis few years ago quite easily. My school "founded" it, gave me extra lessons in school and group therapy. I am scholastically talented. I think that the problems of people with so-called NVLD are underestimated. I think that the name NVLD for something which causes social problems is bad and misleading. I think that it has to be lumped under one term with high-functioning ASD, because the symptoms are so similar.

Hello,
I am currently researching NVLD. I would love to hear your story. Would you be interested in being interviewed? My research deals with the experiences one with NVLD has or had in high school. I would be glad to say more about the project or answer any questions you may have.

Is NVLD different from AS? I vaguely remember someone on here saying there was no difference at all. I know nothing about it though- this is a legitimate question, not some arrogant statement.

NVLD is a visual spatial deficit. Not all people with ASD have visual spatial deficits. NVLD often causes social problems, so people with NVLD often get an ASD diagnosis. I do know one person with a visual spatial deficit who doesn't appear to have social problems.

This is a great explanation. Thanks.

I also think that NVLD is just visual-spatial deficit. Not something which can give Aspergian phenotype. Not all sorts of Asperger's are related to Kanner's autism in my opinion. NVLD has not to mean social problems. Asperger's is serious social problem and gives somewhat "odd" mentality. AS should be diagnosed before school age in my opinion. Some sorts of Asperger's are misnamed as NLD.