What is Nonverbal Learning Disability?

The nonverbal learning disability syndrome was first identified in the early 1970s. It is quite different from what we usually think of as a "learning disability." Children with this problem may have difficulty when first learning to read but then master the basics of reading quite well. They may even do well overall in school while in the elementary grades, but then begin to have more trouble in junior and senior high school, as subjects become more complicated or abstract. Often these children just seem to have more trouble getting along in life than others their age. While every child is different, common characteristics of nonverbal learning disability include the following:

• Clumsiness or poor coordination
• Difficulty with visual-spatial organizational tasks
• Difficulty recognizing faces which should be familiar
• Poor handwriting
• Difficulty with math
• A poor sense of direction
• Trouble finishing homework assignments in the allotted time
• Tendency to make inappropriate social comments
• Difficulty relating in an age-appropriate manner to other children
• Incessant talking
• An aversion to anything novel
• Difficulty seeing the "big picture."

Nonverbal learning disability involves three general categories of difficulty:

• Motor - lack of coordination, balance problems, difficulty with writing or drawing
• Visual-spatial and organizational skills - poor ability to visualize things, poor visual recall, faulty spatial perceptions and/or difficulties with spatial relations
• Social - poor ability to comprehend nonverbal communication, or trouble "reading people"; difficulty adjusting to transitions and novel situations; poor social judgment and difficulties with age-appropriate social interaction.

A child identified with nonverbal learning disability may be puzzled or mystified by much of life and can be predisposed to:
• Depression
• Withdrawal
• Panic attacks
• Anxiety
• Obsessive-compulsive behaviors.

Attention problems frequently co-exist with this syndrome.

What can be done to help these children?
• Academic assistance and accommodations in the classroom
• Social skills training to improve social interaction and self-esteem
• Occupational therapy to improve perceptual-motor skills
• Psychological support or counseling to address emotional issues