When we consider learning disabilities, conditions like dyslexia often come to mind. These typically involve challenges with language, specifically decoding words and mastering reading. However, there exists another category of learning disorder, one that is less widely recognized and doesn’t revolve around verbal communication. This is known as Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NVLD) or sometimes Non-verbal Learning Disability (NLD).
Recent research suggests that NVLD affects approximately 3 to 4 percent of children in North America. It’s important to note that NVLD isn’t a formal diagnosis in the same way as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In fact, many children exhibiting nonverbal learning challenges may also have diagnoses of ADHD or autism. However, experts in the field argue that focusing on NVLD provides a more precise explanation of the difficulties these children face and, crucially, offers a more effective framework for educational support and intervention. This article, developed in collaboration with Winston Preparatory School, a leader in educating students with NVLD, aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of what nonverbal learning disorder is and how it impacts individuals.
Decoding Nonverbal Learning Disorder: Beyond Words
Children with Nonverbal Learning Disorder do not struggle with the mechanics of language. Reading, decoding words, and memorizing facts are often areas of relative strength. In fact, as Scott Bezsylko, Executive Director of Winston Preparatory Schools, explains, NVLD can be seen as “the opposite of dyslexia.” The core challenges for individuals with NVLD lie in the realm of nonverbal learning. This encompasses understanding information that is not explicitly stated verbally – the nuances, the implied meanings, and the connections between concepts. It’s about grasping “relationships, concepts, ideas, patterns,” as Bezsylko describes.
These deficits, rooted in the brain’s right hemisphere functions, can manifest in a surprisingly diverse array of difficulties. From physical coordination and social interaction to problem-solving, organization, and planning, the impact of NVLD can be broad. While these areas may seem disparate, they are unified by a common thread: each relies heavily on the ability to recognize patterns, understand abstract concepts, and apply these understandings to new situations. This is the essence of what is impaired in nonverbal learning disorder.
The Five Key Areas Affected by NVLD
There are generally identified five core areas where children with NVLD typically exhibit weaknesses. It’s important to remember that the presentation of NVLD is varied; not every child will experience difficulties in all five areas, and the severity can differ significantly.
1. Visual-Spatial Awareness Challenges
A significant aspect of NVLD involves difficulties processing visual information and spatial relationships. Many children with NVLD struggle with visual imagery and perception. For instance, when asked to replicate a simple shape like a cube, they may produce drawings with “profound distortions,” as noted by Bezsylko. This isn’t simply a matter of artistic skill; it reflects a fundamental difficulty in accurately perceiving the cube’s form, the shapes that compose it, and their spatial relationships.
This deficit extends to evaluating visual-spatial information in their environment. Children with NVLD can have trouble understanding the relationships between objects they see and maintaining a clear sense of their own position in space. This can contribute to physical clumsiness and difficulties with tasks that require spatial reasoning, such as navigation or understanding maps.
2. Higher-Order Comprehension Deficits
Higher-order comprehension is crucial for making sense of information beyond the literal level. It involves identifying the main idea, recognizing supporting details, and understanding the connections between them. This ability is fundamental for reading comprehension, effective storytelling (both written and oral), and grasping complex concepts in academic settings.
For students with NVLD, higher-order comprehension can be a major hurdle. Bezsylko observes that some students may attempt to write down everything a teacher says verbatim, struggling to discern what is truly important. Others, conversely, may miss key information entirely, leading to the misperception that they are not paying attention. The challenge lies in filtering information, identifying relevance, and structuring notes effectively – all skills that rely on nonverbal understanding of context and importance.
3. Social Communication Difficulties
Social interaction is heavily reliant on nonverbal cues. Individuals with NVLD often have difficulty interpreting emotions conveyed through facial expressions and body language. This can lead to significant challenges in social situations, as they may miss the subtle social signals that neurotypical individuals pick up instinctively. They struggle to grasp unwritten social rules and expectations, leading to misunderstandings and feelings of social isolation.
The reliance on technology among some individuals with NVLD can be partly understood in this context. As Bezsylko points out, online environments like chat rooms or video games often minimize the need to navigate complex nonverbal social cues. While technology can offer connection and engagement, it’s crucial to also develop strategies to improve real-world social communication skills.
4. Math Concepts and Abstract Reasoning
While many children with NVLD excel at rote memorization, which can be beneficial in early mathematics, they often encounter increasing difficulties as math becomes more conceptual. Advanced mathematical problem-solving requires recognizing underlying concepts and patterns, not just memorizing formulas. Even when faced with problems that are superficially similar to those they’ve encountered before, individuals with NVLD may struggle if the problem is presented in a slightly different way or requires a flexible application of concepts.
This difficulty with abstract reasoning extends beyond mathematics and can impact understanding of science, logic, and other subjects that rely on conceptual thinking rather than rote learning.
5. Executive Function Weaknesses
Executive functions are a set of crucial cognitive skills that enable us to organize our thoughts, plan and execute actions, and solve problems effectively. These skills include planning, organization, time management, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. Many individuals with NVLD experience weaknesses in these executive functions, particularly in organization and planning.
They may struggle to break down large projects into manageable steps, sequence tasks effectively, or even conceptualize the necessary steps to achieve a goal. As Bezsylko notes, “These kids have trouble figuring things out—in fact they don’t really know what figuring something out means.” Developing strategies and explicit instruction in executive function skills is a critical aspect of support for individuals with NVLD.
Manifestation and Severity of NVLD Symptoms
The way NVLD manifests varies significantly from person to person. Beyond the different combinations of symptoms across the five core areas, there is also a spectrum of severity.
At one end of the spectrum, there are individuals who are highly intelligent and functional but may present as socially awkward, somewhat clumsy, or disorganized – what Bezsylko describes as “the absentminded professor type.” These individuals may succeed academically but struggle with social nuances and practical organization. At the other end of the spectrum are individuals who are more broadly affected and experience significant challenges across multiple areas of functioning. These individuals may struggle with a wider range of academic tasks and daily living skills that require non-rote learning and flexible thinking.
A study at Winston Prep involving over 100 students with NVLD revealed the diverse presentations of the disorder, identifying six distinct combinations of the five core deficits. While the largest group exhibited all five deficits, the second largest group presented with just two: difficulties in social communication and executive functions. This highlights the heterogeneity of NVLD and the importance of individualized assessment and support.
When Do NVLD Deficits Become Noticeable?
Many children with NVLD can perform well in elementary school due to their strengths in rote learning and memorization. However, the challenges associated with NVLD often become more apparent around middle school. This is a critical transition point where academic demands shift from basic skills acquisition to higher-order reasoning, abstract thinking, and independent learning. As Bezsylko points out, “There’s a saying that in fifth grade you stop learning to read, and now you read to learn.” This shift towards learning through reading and more complex conceptual tasks is often when students with NVLD begin to struggle and fall behind academically. Recognizing these challenges early is crucial, and Winston Prep has even started admitting students as young as fourth grade to provide timely intervention.
Bezsylko further notes that many children with NVLD may appear inattentive and disorganized, particularly as they get older. As academic work, mathematical concepts, and social interactions become increasingly complex and less reliant on rote learning, the underlying difficulties associated with NVLD become more pronounced and impactful.
NVLD: Towards a More Comprehensive Understanding
While NVLD is not currently recognized as an official diagnostic category in major classification systems like the DSM-5, it is a clinically significant pattern of challenges. Often, children with NVLD receive diagnoses of ADHD or Autism Spectrum Disorder. However, while these diagnoses may capture some of the outward symptoms, they may not fully explain the underlying cognitive profile and learning style of individuals with NVLD, argues Bezsylko.
For example, a child who is disorganized and inattentive might be readily diagnosed with ADHD. However, the reason for this disorganization and inattention may stem from an inability to understand the material being presented, whether in lectures, readings, or problem-solving tasks. This is where the NVLD framework becomes illuminating. “You can’t pay attention if you can’t understand,” Bezsylko emphasizes. NVLD provides a lens to understand the root cause of these seemingly ADHD-like symptoms.
Similarly, social communication deficits are a hallmark of Autism Spectrum Disorder. However, in some cases, these social difficulties may be primarily driven by the NVLD-related challenges in interpreting nonverbal cues like facial expressions and body language. Failing to recognize these patterns in nonverbal communication can lead to social unresponsiveness, which may be misattributed solely to autism.
Considering the Winston Prep study, the students who exhibited all five NVLD deficits often carried diagnoses of ADHD or Autism Spectrum Disorder. However, Bezsylko highlights that these diagnoses alone fail to identify crucial areas of struggle for these students – higher-order comprehension, math concepts, and visual-spatial relations. Without recognizing and addressing NVLD, these students may not receive targeted interventions to strengthen or compensate for these core weaknesses. Understanding “What Is Nonverbal Learning Disorder” is therefore essential for providing appropriate and effective support.
Frequently Asked Questions About Nonverbal Learning Disorder
What is Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NVLD)?
Nonverbal Learning Disorder, or NVLD, is a learning disorder characterized by difficulties in understanding concepts, recognizing patterns, and organizing nonverbal information. Individuals with NVLD also struggle to apply learned patterns and concepts to new situations. Challenges with physical coordination and social interactions are also common features.
Is NVLD related to Autism Spectrum Disorder?
NVLD shares some overlapping symptoms with Autism Spectrum Disorder, particularly in the areas of social skills and communication. Both groups may experience difficulties with recognizing facial expressions and understanding body language. It is common for children with NVLD to also be diagnosed with autism. However, NVLD highlights a specific set of cognitive challenges related to nonverbal information processing that may be distinct from or co-occurring with ASD.
What are the key areas of weakness in NVLD?
The five key areas of weakness commonly observed in children with Nonverbal Learning Disorder include:
- Visual and Spatial Awareness: Difficulty understanding visual imagery and spatial relationships. For example, struggling to copy shapes or understand spatial arrangements.
- Higher-Order Comprehension: Challenges in identifying main ideas, understanding supporting details, and grasping relationships between concepts in written or spoken information.
- Social Communication: Difficulty interpreting nonverbal social cues like facial expressions and body language, leading to challenges in social interactions.
- Math Concepts: Struggles with understanding mathematical concepts and abstract reasoning, even when rote memorization of math facts is strong.
- Executive Functions: Weaknesses in organizational skills, planning, time management, and problem-solving strategies.
By understanding “what is nonverbal learning disorder”, educators, parents, and individuals themselves can be better equipped to recognize, support, and advocate for the needs of those with NVLD, fostering their strengths and addressing their unique challenges.
