Nonverbal Learning Disability is a relatively new term in the field of disability. (Common acronyms for the disorder include NLD or NVLD.) The term has gained recognition as a formal diagnostic category, and it has not been added to the DSM-IV as of March 2011. This is partly due to a lack of clarity as to the distinction between NLD and Asperger Syndrome.
Nonverbal Learning Disability is strongly connected to Asperger Syndrome, and many of the diagnostic markers do overlap. However, NLD is a spectrum disorder, much like autism, and as such it can include people at lower and higher levels of functioning. Like autism, NLD is a neurological disorder in which certain areas of the brain (specifically, areas of the right hemisphere) have difficulty communicating with one another. Likewise, NLD has been included under the more general ‘learning disability’ umbrella.
However, certain aspects of NLD (such as a lack of interest in socialization, difficulty accurately interpreting social cues and non-verbal messages) distinguish NLD from other learning disorders. These traits, combined with the high IQ that occurs in people with NLD, often make for a challenging experience. People with NLD have amazing abilities in certain areas, which leads others to expect them to be able to function independently in all areas. This is a natural, yet short-sighted view; people with NLD need support and encouragement in specific areas to allow them to gain the confidence they need to share their gifts with others.
Characteristics of Nonverbal Learning Disability include, but are not limited to:
- weak visual processing skills (challenges with perception, with evaluations of a scene before them)
- tendency to be overwhelmed in situations which include a great deal of visual stimuli
- strong auditory processing skills
- lack of social skills, difficulty interpreting social interactions and communicating with others
- speaking very quickly; talking as a method of avoiding difficult questions or interactions
- inability to interpret non-verbal communications
- sense of stiffness, a lack of fluidity in motion
- tendency to avoid social situations
- avoidance of eye contact
- difficulty with facial recognition
- difficulty with motor skills, particularly fine motor skills such as typing and writing
- lack of ability to gauge spacial distance (such as the distance between oneself and an object) and thereby avoid hazards
- challenge with understanding abstract concepts, such as problem-solving and inference
- high IQ, often in the ‘gifted’ range
- fear of failure, and an inability to process a situation and discern a realistic starting point (particularly in areas of visual challenge, such as graphing a point or reading a map)
- strong capacity for memorization, be it of words, sounds or songs
- hyper-activity when younger, which shifts to hypo-activity as the individual ages
People with NLD may feel as though they are on the ‘outskirts’ of the disability community. Their disability may not be obvious to them or to others, and as such they may feel a need to hide their challenges and keep their areas of learning difficulty a secret. If you or someone you love has NLD, there are supportive resources available for you. Connecting with others who have NLD will help you to learn more about your unique way of being in the world. It will enable you to ask for support in specific areas, and give you an opportunity to celebrate your strengths.