Hello,

Is anyone here familiar with NVLD? I have not been formally diagnosed with it because I can't afford it but I have many of the classic symptoms along with the ADD symptoms. My life growing up was most difficult and I knew something was "wrong" with me but didn't know what. For anyone that doesn't know what NVLD is, it's a Non Verbal learning disability. What most people can figure out from seeing, those of us with NVLD must "hear it". Someone can "show" you steps to do something and you just don't get it until they "verbally" explain it to you. Of course there are some very simple things I can follow from site but many things I need to hear verbally. There are many people out there that may have this problem and not even know it.

A perfect example of it is when I was about 10 years old and all my friends and sister were learning to dive into our local pool. For the life of me I couldn't do it and didn't understand why. I watched them numerous times but couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. One evening while watching me trying over and over again in total frustration, my father figured out that I was missing one step. All it took was for him to verbally tell me that I had to spring off of my feet. It's amazing that just that little step was keeping me from diving. The other children did not have to be told to spring, they just saw it and did it but I had to be "verbally" told. That example of my NVLD sticks in my head more then anything else for some reason. There are other symptoms of NVLD also. There is a website that explains NLD/NVLD in depth. The site is www.nldline.com I hope this may help someone else like myself that may have the same difficulties.
Your Friend, Dee

There are also a whole bunch of NVLD sites, which can be found at www.bigsplace.com.

Thanks Big, I will be sure to check them out. Dee

Thanks for the site Big. I really can relate to some of the things talked about. I can stare into space & not realise it till I sort of snap back to thinking about the present. I didn't know others had that symptom.

Ok I've thought I might have NVLD but there are so many conflicting things....

Dee i have that same problem with stuff like diving and everything else... I can't really pick up on stuff by watching - I need to be told what is going on. It took me twice as long to learn to drive than everyone else in my class - had trouble learning to ride my bike, tie my shoes, etc etc etc. And now i'm in a kickboxing class and the teacher has to STAND NEXT TO ME and TELL me what to do before I can get ANYTHING right. I dind't realize i had so much trouble following people's sequences of movements until I started this class (started an aerobics class at the same time and it's the exact same story - i can't follow what she's doing for the LIFE of me. It's SOOOO embarressing!!!) It took me years and years of swimming lessons to finally learn the front crawl. I just couldn't do it and couldn't do it...


BUT I've read taht people with a NVLD are often very eloquent speakers and writers - but i'm definately not. I mean I'm not terrible but i've got all the classic ADHD problems with it... forgetting what i'm saying, bad handwriting, can't organize a thought, etc.

That could maybe be explained away by the ADHD but the thing I can't figure out is that there ARE some cases where "telling" me doens't work - instead I have to be shown. I have a bad memory for verbal directions and anything like that, and also there are a lot of times in class... I dunno... maybe i just have to pay more attention :D

Another thing I've noticed that's very confusing is that SOME resources say NVLD is characterized by fantastic rote memory and also reading skills. other's say the exact oposite and others don't comment on it at all. I definately have terrible memory skills and am a slow reader - the slow reading is ADD-related though becuase it's things like zoning out & re-reading over and over, adn just a general 'slow reading' - it's not like dyslexia at all as far as I can tell. (but maybe it's hard to see it? I dunno)

anyway I just found an article through Bigs Place thatactually DOES fit me really welL!! And actually, it fits my DAD even better which means somthing might be going on. One of the biggest things is the social stuff and the talking/rambling, overfocusing on details.... and those things.

http://ericec.org/digests/e619.html

Here is a very interesting interview with a college student (Amy) who seems to be doing very well in school dispite her NVLD. My daughter, though not diagnosed, displays almost every symptom of NVLD. She is starting college this semester, this was a very good interview to share with her.

http://welkowitz.typepad.com/aspergers_conversations/files/pr17_complete.mp3

Hi

I can really relate to what you were saying about not being able to follow the sequence of movements. I had a similar experince during martial art classes, people would demonstate and then we were to copy, except i just couldn't remember the order of what i'd just seen. Also had the problems with driving and diving, so many people were telling me how to dive that i forgot to push off when learning to dive and it my legs on the edge of the pool, ouch. When people teach me how do something i usually do it a different way because i can't remember how they did it.

I'm not sure if NVLD explains this problem in my case though because even when people verbalise it although it helps i still get confused. What else could cause such problems?

I think it might have something to do with left/right confusion.

As of today anyway, there's no "formal" NVLD diagnosis.

It really refers to a significant difference between verbal & non verbal abilities.