What is nld nonverbal learning disability

Nonverbal learning disorder is a little-known condition that impacts more people than you might imagine, causing real daily difficulties for the adults and children who have it. Learn the signs of this confusing condition, and what you can do to treat it. Nonverbal learning disorder NLD or NVLD , otherwise known as nonverbal learning disability, may be the most overlooked, misunderstood, and under-diagnosed learning disability. The brain-based condition is characterized by poor visual, spatial, and organizational skills; difficulty recognizing and processing nonverbal cues; and poor motor performance.

Approximately 93 percent of communication is non-verbal — body language, facial expressions, tone of voice. Those with NLD have trouble interpreting this non-verbal language, relying on the seven percent of communication that is verbal to understand what others mean. Because individuals with NLD rely so much on verbal expression, given their difficulties with body language, facial expressions, tone of voice and other cues, they often talk excessively to compensate for their difficulties — a child or adult with NLD will hold you to every word you say.

Most children with NLD, as a result, also have large vocabularies and outstanding memory and auditory retention. Once considered highly rare, NLD may also be as prevalent as dyslexia — though the high incidence of missed diagnoses makes it difficult to estimate its true impact.

We do know that NLD affects girls just as frequently as it does boys, and tends to run in families, like most other learning disabilities. NLD and anxiety tend go hand in hand, because of the inability to understand and connect with parents, teachers, peers, and spouses.

Young children with NLD are usually good at hiding or compensating for their challenges — and often charm adults with their precocious conversation skills. But once puberty hits, NLD can cause serious trouble — teenagers with the condition often develop extreme anxiety over their inability to connect with their peers; trouble setting priorities or picking up social cues may cause an adult with NLD to lose jobs or jeopardize relationships.

In addition to the different combinations of symptoms, kids with NLD also vary along a spectrum of severity. At Winston Prep, a study of more than students with NLD showed that there were 6 combinations of the 5 deficits. The largest group had all five of the deficits, but the second largest group had just two: social communication and executive functions.

Many kids with NLD symptoms can do well enough in elementary school because they are very good at memorization and rote learning. The more that schoolwork, math concepts, and socialization become complex rather than rote, the more those difficulties start to show up.

NLD is not one of the official diagnoses mental health professionals and schools use to categorize kids with psychiatric or learning problems. Kids who have it usually have other diagnoses—often autism or ADHD. For instance, if a child is disorganized and inattentive, he is likely to be diagnosed with ADHD. Similarly, a child diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder will be described as having social and communication deficits.

Those behaviors, too, can reflect NLD—not being able recognize patterns in facial expression, body language, and other forms of nonverbal communication can make kids unresponsive socially.

Take the kids in the Winston Prep study who had all five of the deficits. Most of them had a diagnosis of either ADHD or autism spectrum disorder. Get this as a PDF. Enter email to download and get news and resources in your inbox.

Share this on social. Family Resource Center Learning Disorders. Difficulty picking up concepts and patterns affects kids visually, socially and academically Caroline Miller. What You'll Learn What is a non-verbal learning disorder? For those who struggle with social language skills, speech and language therapy is typically prescribed. Physical therapy is the treatment of choice for children who have problems with gross-motor coordination and strength.

Other prescribed treatments include:. Many, if not most, children with a nonverbal learning disability are quite capable of succeeding in school and having satisfying , competitive careers — particularly if they receive appropriate treatment. Getting an appropriate diagnosis that focuses the treatment o n the specific areas of need is important. Finding the right treatment resources can be difficult , as there is a lack of good tutors and allied services providers in many areas of the country — but be persistent!

Research in the field of learning disabilities is constantly yielding advances in understanding and treating NLD , and there is much reason to stay h o peful in the diagnosis and treatment of children with a wide variety of learning issues. To read full bio click here. There are no medical treatments for NLD, but there are strategies and interventions that can help.

Because of their social awkwardness, adults should monitor peer relationships, provide training in social skills development, and encourage self-confidence and self-esteem. Due to poor visual-spatial abilities, these children are sometimes sidelined when it comes to sports, but for their health and wellbeing it is important to find physical activities they can participate in e.

Children with NLD typically have good reading skills, often outpacing their peers in elementary school.