NON-VERBAL LEARNING DISORDERS
Definition
According to the Learning Disabilities Association of America, Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NVLD) is "a disorder which is usually characterized by a significant discrepancy between higher verbal skills and weaker motor, visual-spatial and social skills" (LDA, 2017). These skills are weaker because they require "the ability to recognize patterns or concepts and then apply them to new situations" (Miller, 2017). This trouble with understanding concepts and patterns "affects kids visually, socially, and academically" (Miller, 2017). Unlike many other learning disabilities, Nonverbal Learning Disorder does not directly impact language skills such as reading, speaking, and writing. Instead, NVLD is a learning disability that can impact children across multiple domains.
The most obvious of these is the social domain, as NVLD involves trouble understanding nonverbal communication. When children cannot read body language, gestures, and facial expressions or understand conversational rules such as turn-taking and maintaining eye contact, making friends is very difficult. It is even harder because these kids understand that they have social differences and may even develop anxiety because of this (Patino, 2017). In the classroom, this lack of social cognizance means that these children may ask too many questions or interrupt the lesson (LDA, 2017).
In the cognitive domain, children with NVLD may struggle with executive functions and understanding abstract concepts. They often think very literally and pay so much attention to details that they miss the big picture (Patino, 2017). This leads to difficulty with reading comprehension and math problems. Reading and remembering the language is not the problem; it is rather that they struggle to synthesize it and recognize the main ideas. The same trouble with identifying the most salient information can be seen in their note-taking and conversations. Children with NVLD often talk a lot, but they tend to over-share, giving too many irrelevant or socially-inappropriate details (Patino, 2017). The trouble with abstract thinking also leads to difficulty in following multi-step instructions and dealing with transitions and changes in routine (LDA, 2017). Visual-Spatial skills are often underdeveloped as well. This means that children with NVLD may have a hard time visualizing information, processing visual input, and understanding spatial relations (Patino, 2017). Because of this, they often get lost and are tardy (LDA, 2017). The difficulty with spatial relations also impacts social language skills, as it leads to inappropriate conversational proximity (standing too close or too far from the conversational partner).
In the physical/motor domain, children with NVLD tend to have poor coordination (LDA, 2017). This includes gross motor, fine motor, and balance. Because of this, these children are often seen as awkward and clumsy in their large movements (running, throwing, kicking, jumping). They may also have messy handwriting and struggle with other small motor skills such as using scissors (Patino, 2017).
NVLD is a continuum, so not all children will exhibit delays in all domains, and the severity of these delays will also vary.
Instructional Strategies
The following strategies are taken directly from the LDA:
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"Rehearse getting from place to place
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Minimize transitions and give several verbal cues before transition
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Avoid assuming the student will automatically generalize instructions or concepts
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Verbally point out similarities, differences and connections
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Number and present instructions in sequence
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Simplify and break down abstract concepts
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Explain metaphors, nuances and multiple meanings in reading material
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Answer the student’s questions when possible, but let them know a specific number (three vs. a few) and that you can answer three more at recess, or after school
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Allow the child to abstain from participating in activities at signs of overload
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Thoroughly prepare the child in advance for field trips, or other changes, regardless of how minimal
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Implement a modified schedule or creative programming
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Never assume child understands something because he or she can 'parrot back' what you’ve just said
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Offer added verbal explanations when the child seems lost or registers confusion" (LDA, 2017).
*These kids thrive when included in the general education setting with their same-age peers
Useful Websites
https://ldaamerica.org/types-of-learning-disabilities/non-verbal-learning-disabilities/
https://childmind.org/article/what-is-non-verbal-learning-disorder/
http://www.ldonline.org/article/6114/
For age-specific examples:
Video summary:
Research
1. This 2017 study researched the differences in visuospatial processing between children with NVLD, children with dyslexia, and typically-developing children. It used a block-building task to find the differences. The results showed that children with NVLD had more trouble with the visuo-constructive task.
Cardillo, R., Mammarella, I. C., Garcia, R. B., & Cornoldi, C. (May 2017). Local and global processing in block design tasks in
children with dyslexia or nonverbal learning disability. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 64, 96-107. Retrieved from: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0891422217300938
2. This 2008 study researched the differences in humor comprehension between children with NVLD as compared to children with reading disabilities and typically developing children. When the NVLD group consisted of children with mainly visual-spatial deficits, there was no significant difference in humor comprehension. When the NVLD kids were split into 2 groups (one with social-perceptual deficits and one without), however, there were significant differences between the groups' humor comprehension. This supports the idea that children with NVLD are not homogeneous.
Semrud-Clikeman, M. & Glass, K. (Dec 2008). Comprehension of Humor in Children with Nonverbal Learning Disabilities,
Reading Disabilities, and without Learning Disabilities. Annals of Dyslexia, 58 (2), 163-180. Retrieved from ERIC:
3. This 2001 article gives tips for recognizing NVLD as well as for creating and implementing educational interventions for students with NVLD.
Foss, J. M. (Dec 1, 2001). Nonverbal Learning Disability: How To Recognize It and Minimize Its Effects. ERIC Publications.
Retrieved from: http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lewisu.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=12&sid=62283a07-2a50-
4eb9-8417-69a7ec6764d4%40sessionmgr104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN=ED461238
Other Information
Incidence: It is difficult to measure how many kids have NVLD because it is such a broad disability. It is clear, however, that the incidence of NVLD is much less than that of language-based learning disorders, and it affects males and females equally (Thompson, 1996). It is estimated that only 1% or less of kids in the US have NVLD (Patino, 2017). Although NVLD is different from Asperger's syndrome, they tend to occur alongside each other, as "up to 80 percent of kids with Asberger's also have NVLD-related symptoms" (Patino, 2017).
Cause: The cause of NVLD is also unknown. It does, however, seem to be linked to neurological differences. According to Thompson, brain scans of children with NVLD "often confirm mild abnormalities of the right cerebral hemisphere" and a number of these children had head injuries, received radiation on their heads, were born without a corpus callosum, were treated for hydrocephalus, or had right hemisphere brain tissue removed (Thompson, 1996). Therefore, it is thought that NVLD is caused mainly by right cerebral hemisphere damage that leaves the left hemisphere to function largely on its own (Thompson, 1996).
Identification: NVLD is usually present from birth or a very young age as a result of early brain damage, but it often is not clearly manifested until the late elementary years or early adolescence. This is because the signs of NVLD in young children often overlap with the signs of giftedness. These children seem "bright and precocious because they have good verbal skills" (Patino, 2017). These "remarkable rote memory skills, attention to detail, and a natural facility for decoding, encoding, and early reading development do not generally cause red flags to go up" (Thompson, 1996). What often goes unnoticed is that these advanced verbal skills are a form of compensation for the difficulty interpreting and using nonverbal skills. It is often not until academic material becomes more abstract that children with NVLD are diagnosed.
Common Strengths: As educators, it is important to focus on strengths. Although each child is unique and must be treated as such, in general, children with NVLD tend to have average or above average intelligence, advanced verbal language skills, and great rote memorization of spoken information (Patino, 2017).
References
LDA (Learning Disabilities Association of America). (2017). Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities. Retrieved from
https://ldaamerica.org/types-of-learning-disabilities/non-verbal-learning-disabilities/
Miller, C. (2017). What Is Non-Verbal Learning Disorder?. Retrieved from Child Mind Institute:
https://childmind.org/article/what-is-non-verbal-learning-disorder/
Patino, E. (2017). Understanding Nonverbal Learning Disabilities. Retrieved from Understood:
Thompson, S. (1996). Nonverbal Learning Disorders. Retrieved from LD Online: http://www.ldonline.org/article/6114/
The Understood Team. (2017). Nonverbal Learning Disabilities: What You’re Seeing. Retrieved from Understood:
The Understood Team. (2017). Video: Nonverbal Learning Disabilities Basics. Retrieved from Understood: