NLD is a developmental disability which all too often goes undiagnosed.  NLD individuals 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, NLD youngsters probably have difficulty interacting with other children and acquiring self-help skills. They are often not physically adept or adaptable and present with a host of other troublesome problems that are of concern, but not alarming.

In all likelihood, such NLD 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 and 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 have NLD.

The term Nonverbal Learning Disability is actually quite misleading.  These children are clearly quite verbal, with their areas of deficit being in the nonverbal domains.  In  addition, NLD is not a learning disability in the classic sense.  We understand a learning disability, such as dyslexia, to be academically-based.  NLD, on the other hand, is a life learning disability.  NLD children and adults require instruction in all areas, from academic, to social, to problem-solving, to independent living.

Virtually all of the NLD assets and deficits are found in individuals with ASPERGER'S SYNDROME, WILLIAM'S SYNDROME, de LANGE SYNDROME, TURNER'S SYNDROME, HYDROCEPHALUS and VELOCARDIOFACIAL SYNDROME. For this reason, MANY of the educational and social skill interventions for NLD individuals are also valuable for those with these disorders.

Copyright 2002 Pamela B. Tanguay

This article was authored by Pamela B. Tanguay, who retains all rights. It is posted on this web site with the express permission of the author. Reproduction of this material, in whole or in part, in any form other than the printing of a single copy for individual educational purposes, without the express written permission of the author, is strictly prohibited. You may not in any way modify or distribute any information contained within this article, without specific permission from the author. 

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Diagnosis & Intervention Strategies for
Non-Verbal Learning Disorders (NLD)

by

Margaret J. Kay, Ed.D, NCSP, DABPS

The term "Non-Verbal Learning Disorder (NLD)" was first used by Johnson and Myklebust in the 1960’s to describe a syndrome of learning abilities and disabilities which have predictable academic and social outcomes (Johnson & Myklebust, 1960; Rourke, 1995).

Although there was relatively little research or educational interest in NLD prior to the 1990’s, it is now believed that when non-verbal functions are disturbed, special education intervention is necessary because the NLD student has difficulty comprehending the significance of many aspects of the environment (Badian, 1992; Thompson, 1997).

Early Indicators of Right-Hemispheric Dysfunction

Infants with NLD are often described by their parents as "difficult" from the beginnings of life. As newborns, some NLD children may be sleepy, inactive, and disinterested in social interaction. Other NLD babies may be highly reactive and unable to adapt to external stimuli (Voeller, 1994). These children may overreact, scream inconsolably for long periods of time, and have difficulty settling into a regular sleep-wake cycle (Voeller, 1994).

During the first six months of life, babies with NLD may have an absence of "social gaze" and fail to maintain eye contact. Once they have begun to crawl and walk, they may exhibit one of two behavioral patterns (Voeller, 1994):

Hyperactive/Fearless Type

• Exceptionally active and fearless
  
  
• Significantly accident error prone
  
  
• Intensely motor active (running & climbing)
  
  
• Cannot be contained
  
  
• Does not perceive hazards in the environment
  

Restrained/Timid Type

• Remains in one place
  
  

• Timid in exploring and manipulating objects
  
  
• Hypoactive
  
  
• More interested in verbally naming objects than exploring them
  
  
• Interested in what things are called
  
  
• Develops an extensive knowledge of names for objects but learns little about physical properties (Voeller, 1994).
  

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Last modified: July 11, 2010