Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NLD), also called Nonverbal Learning
Disabilities, is a developmental disability which all too often goes
undiagnosed. Individuals with this potentially debilitating disorder
generally suffer in silence.
They are often bright, sometimes incredibly so. As young children they
may actually be targeted as gifted, due to their mature vocabulary, rote
memory skills, and apparent reading ability.
However, parents likely realize early on that something is amiss. As
preschoolers, these youngsters probably have difficulty interacting with
other children, with acquiring self-help skills, are not physically adept,
are not adaptable, and present with a host of other troublesome problems
that are of concern, but not alarming.
In all likelihood, the children bump along (figuratively and literally)
through their early elementary years, handling the academic demands fairly
well, except when their fine motor difficulties get in the way, or they fail
to attend to a math symbol calling for addition or subtraction, or some
other subtle symptom of their disorder derails them.
As these children enter the upper elementary grades or begin middle
school, they are left to handle more tasks on their own. Things rapidly
begin to deteriorate. They get lost, forget to do homework, seem unprepared
for class, have difficulty following directions, struggle with math, can't
read their social studies textbook, can't write an essay, continually
misunderstand both their teachers and their peers, and are often anxious in
public and angry at home. They are accused of being lazy, rude,
uncooperative, and worse. Nothing could be farther from the truth! They are
hardworking, persistent, goal-oriented, and incredibly honest. They have
NLD.
If the child has not benefited from diagnosis and an intervention plan at
this point, the cognitive, social, and emotional demands of high school
years and beyond can be overwhelming. But on the positive side, there
have been great strides in understanding and treating this disorder in
recent years. Much of that information is contained within these
pages.
Whether you are the parent of a newly diagnosed child, a teacher looking
for information on this disorder, or a professional interested in broadening
your understanding of NLD, we hope you find this web site helpful.
**********
Nonverbal
Learning Disabilities at Home: A Parent's Guide
(published Spring,
2001)
and
Nonverbal Learning Disabilities at School:
Educating Students with
NLD, Asperger Syndrome, and Related Conditions
(published Spring, 2002)
Click on the covers to read excerpts from
these books
