When we consider learning disorders, conditions like dyslexia often come to mind. These are primarily associated with difficulties in language, specifically the challenges children face in decoding language and mastering reading. However, there exists another type of learning disorder, less widely recognized, that doesn’t revolve around verbal communication. This is known as Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NVLD) or sometimes referred to as Nonverbal Learning Disability (NLD).
Recent research indicates that NVLD affects approximately 3 to 4 percent of children in North America. It’s important to note that NVLD is not formally classified as a distinct diagnosis in the same way as conditions like ADHD and autism spectrum disorder. In fact, many children diagnosed with NVLD may also have these other diagnoses. However, experts in the field suggest that understanding NVLD provides a more precise lens through which to understand the specific challenges these children face and, crucially, how to effectively support their learning journey.
Decoding Nonverbal Learning Disorder: Beyond Words
Children with Nonverbal Learning Disorder do not struggle with language decoding, reading proficiency, or rote memorization. In fact, as Scott Bezsylko, Executive Director of Winston Preparatory Schools, explains, NVLD can be seen as “the opposite of dyslexia.” The core difficulties for these children lie in the realm of nonverbal learning – encompassing the comprehension of information related to relationships, concepts, ideas, and patterns.
These deficits, largely associated with the right hemisphere of the brain, can impact a surprisingly broad range of abilities. From physical coordination and social interaction to problem-solving, organizing thoughts, and planning – all can present significant hurdles. While seemingly diverse, these challenges are unified by a common thread: each requires the ability to recognize patterns or concepts and apply them flexibly to new situations.
The Five Key Areas of NVLD Weakness
Children with NVLD typically exhibit weaknesses in five primary areas, though not every child will experience difficulties in all areas. These areas are crucial for understanding the multifaceted nature of NVLD:
1. Visual and Spatial Awareness:
A significant number of children with NVLD struggle with interpreting visual information. For instance, when asked to replicate a shape like a cube, their drawings often show “profound distortions,” according to Bezsylko. This difficulty stems from an impaired ability to accurately perceive the cube, recognize its component forms, and understand the spatial relationships between them. Consequently, copying the shape becomes a significant challenge.
Furthermore, these children often have difficulty processing visual-spatial information, impacting their grasp of spatial relationships and their sense of orientation. This can manifest as physical awkwardness and difficulties with tasks requiring spatial reasoning.
2. Higher-Order Comprehension:
Higher-order comprehension refers to the ability to discern the overarching main idea, identify supporting details, and understand the connections between them. This skill is fundamental for effective reading comprehension and the ability to construct coherent written or spoken narratives.
Note-taking is also significantly affected. Some students with NVLD may attempt to transcribe everything a teacher says, unable to differentiate between essential and less important information. Others may miss key information entirely, leading to misinterpretations of inattentiveness. They may also record irrelevant details while missing crucial points.
3. Social Communication:
A hallmark of NVLD is difficulty in interpreting nonverbal social cues. Children with NVLD often struggle to read emotions conveyed through facial expressions and body language. This can lead to misunderstandings and difficulties navigating social interactions. They may miss subtle social patterns that neurotypical children acquire instinctively, resulting in uncertainty about appropriate behavior in various social contexts.
This challenge in social communication is a contributing factor to why some children with NVLD gravitate towards technology. Online environments such as chat rooms or video games can feel more comfortable as they minimize the need to interpret complex nonverbal social signals.
4. Math Concepts:
Many children with NVLD possess strong rote memorization skills, which can enable them to perform well in mathematics, particularly in early grades that emphasize memorization of facts and procedures. However, as mathematical concepts become more abstract and require conceptual understanding and pattern recognition, they often encounter difficulties. Even when faced with problems they have encountered before, slight modifications or different presentation styles can hinder their ability to recognize and solve them.
5. Executive Functions:
Executive functions encompass a set of cognitive skills essential for organizing thoughts, planning and executing actions, and problem-solving. These include skills like planning, organization, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. Weaknesses in these areas are common in children with NVLD. They may struggle with breaking down large projects into manageable steps or developing a logical sequence of actions to achieve a goal.
As Bezsylko aptly puts it, “These kids have trouble figuring things out—in fact they don’t really know what figuring something out means.” They require explicit instruction and support to develop these crucial problem-solving and organizational skills, learning the step-by-step processes involved in “figuring things out.”
Alt text: A child’s drawing of a cube demonstrating distortions, illustrating visual-spatial challenges associated with Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NVLD).
Varied Manifestations and Severity of NVLD
The presentation of NVLD is not uniform. Children experience varying combinations of symptoms and range in severity along a spectrum.
At one end of the spectrum are high-functioning individuals who may be socially awkward, somewhat clumsy, and disorganized – what Bezsylko describes as “the absentminded professor type.” At the other end are children more profoundly affected, experiencing significant challenges across multiple areas of functioning. These children may struggle with learning concepts and skills that are not explicitly taught through rote memorization or literal instruction.
A study conducted at Winston Prep involving over 100 students with NVLD identified six distinct combinations of the five core deficits. While the largest group exhibited all five deficits, the second largest group presented with a combination of social communication difficulties and executive function weaknesses.
When Do NVLD Deficits Become Apparent?
Many children with NVLD symptoms can thrive in elementary school due to their strong rote learning abilities. Challenges often begin to emerge around middle school. This is when academic demands shift towards higher-order reasoning skills, such as identifying main ideas, understanding complex relationships, and applying concepts. As Bezsylko notes, “There’s a saying that in fifth grade you stop learning to read, and now you read to learn,” and this transition often becomes a significant stumbling block for children with NVLD. Historically, Winston Prep catered to students from sixth to tenth grade, but they have since started admitting some students as young as fourth grade to provide earlier intervention.
“Almost all of these kids look inattentive and disorganized,” Bezsylko adds, “especially as they get older.” As academic work, mathematical concepts, and social interactions become increasingly complex and less reliant on rote memorization, the underlying difficulties associated with NVLD become more pronounced.
Alt text: A teenager looking stressed and overwhelmed by schoolwork, illustrating the increasing academic challenges faced by students with Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NVLD) as schoolwork becomes more complex.
NVLD: A More Comprehensive Understanding
NVLD is not currently recognized as an official diagnostic category used by mental health professionals and educational institutions for classifying learning and psychiatric challenges in children. Children with NVLD are often diagnosed with other conditions, frequently autism spectrum disorder or ADHD. However, while these diagnoses describe certain symptoms or behaviors, Bezsylko argues they may not fully explain the underlying causes of these difficulties.
For instance, a child who is disorganized and inattentive might be diagnosed with ADHD. However, their disorganization and inattentiveness could stem from an inability to comprehend the material being discussed, the text they are reading, or the problem they are asked to solve – core challenges associated with NVLD. “You can’t pay attention if you can’t understand,” Bezsylko points out.
Similarly, social and communication deficits, often attributed to autism spectrum disorder, can also be rooted in NVLD. The inability to recognize patterns in facial expressions, body language, and other forms of nonverbal communication can lead to social unresponsiveness, a characteristic sometimes misattributed solely to autism.
Consider the Winston Prep study group who presented with all five NVLD deficits. The majority had been diagnosed with either ADHD or autism spectrum disorder. “But those diagnoses don’t identify three important areas where they are struggling,” Bezsylko emphasizes: “higher-order comprehension, math concepts, and visual and spatial relations. Unless their NVLD is recognized, they’re not likely to get help that strengthens or compensates for weaknesses in those core areas.” Recognizing NVLD provides a more nuanced and comprehensive understanding of these children’s learning profiles, paving the way for more targeted and effective interventions.
Frequently Asked Questions about Nonverbal Learning Disorder
What is Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NVLD)?
Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NVLD) is a learning disorder characterized by difficulties in nonverbal skills such as understanding concepts, recognizing patterns, and organizing information. Individuals with NVLD also struggle to apply these patterns and concepts to new situations. Physical coordination and social interactions can also be challenging.
Is NVLD related to Autism Spectrum Disorder?
NVLD shares some overlapping symptoms with autism spectrum disorder. Both conditions can involve challenges with social skills and communication, such as interpreting facial expressions and body language. Children with NVLD are sometimes also diagnosed with autism.
What are the five key areas of weakness in NVLD?
There are five primary areas where children with Nonverbal Learning Disorder often exhibit weaknesses:
- Visual and Spatial Awareness: Difficulty understanding visual information and spatial relationships.
- Higher-Order Comprehension: Challenges in grasping main ideas, supporting details, and relationships between them.
- Social Communication: Difficulty interpreting nonverbal social cues like facial expressions and body language.
- Math Concepts: Struggles with advanced math concepts that require pattern recognition and conceptual understanding.
- Executive Functions: Weaknesses in planning, organization, problem-solving, and other executive skills.
