Non Verbal Learning Disability

I have a 5 1/2 year son that was dx by his developmental pediatrian and we are now going through the process to get him dx through the school. I would love to talk more to about this. Where do you live? I live in Eliot, Maine. Thanks.

Hi J.,
My older daughter was dx'd with NVLD at about age 8. At that time there was little known about it and the teachers at her school weren't familiar with it. There's a little more info out there now (thanks to the internet), but not enough to really help teachers. The biggest thing to know about it I think, is that your son probably sees most situations as black/white with no shades of gray; something that will take time to learn. Also, sarcasm and inferences may prove troublesome for him so in conversations with other kids or anyone for that matter, he may take things that they say literally. If the teacher was to tell your son that lunchtime will be after they do their spelling work, he may expect that it will be as soon as they're done so if the teacher decided to give them one more paper to do or read a story or something, he may get upset and question it. And with other children there can be any number of possibilities. The important thing to work on is that NVLD kids don't understand benign thought. Things are cut and dry to them. My daughter is going to be 14 this week and finally understands most of the time that people use metaphors and tones in their voices and that she needs to try to determine from that what they mean and that things don't always happen just the way someone says they will. Does he have difficulty transitioning? If you say you're going to the post office and then home, but then make a quick stop at the gas station is he upset because you're not following what you said about going home after te post office?
Also, though you didn't mention it, keep in mind that your son may struggle with math throughout school as he gets older. This is because the teachers now teach kids skills that are abstract to an NVLD child. Simple add/subtract/multipy/divide are ok,but it's algebra and such that will be tricky. If he doesn't have an IEP you should consider having one put into place for him at some point. This would entail having the teacher giving clear explanations for assignments and providing individual attention and help understanding things if he needs it. Also, he should not be required to take timed tests; someting many parents do not realize they can set in place. I've run into plenty of teachers who insist that she take timed tests just like the other kids,but being timed adds pressure and confusion to these kids. It's not their fault that they process information differently and they should not be penalized for it. The teacher should also be aware so that he or she can step in if necessary when other kids tease or such becuase your son may not grasp what they are saying. These are very smart kids so NVLD has no bearing on their intelligence, it's about processing. Hopefully, I've helped a bit. Feel free to email me if you have more questions. :-)

My daughter has NVLD. As I'm sure you've noticed with your son, anything in school that she can do verbally, she excels in. When she's able to dictate essays instead of write them out, she does A-level work - On the other hand, if she has a long writing assignment, tears and frustration ensue. As soon as my daughter was diagnosed, I spoke with the Sp. Ed. dept at her school. They put her on an IEP, which states that whenever possible (and necessary), she gets a scribe to dictate to, or she is allowed to use a typing tool. The occupational therapy they provide her also helps a lot - She went from barely being able to write her name to being able to write a four-sentence paragraph in two years. Granted, the pargraph isn't the neatest, but she was able to complete the Long-Composition section of the MCAS this year, which I wasn't sure she'd be able to handle.
The first thing you should do is have a conference with the Special Education Coordinator at his school, and begin the process of writing up an IEP for him. Don't worry, he WILL be able to get through school with decent grades, but there are certain accomodations that need to be met when teaching a child with a Non-Verbal LD. If you would like any help or advice, please feel free to message me, or you can email me: ____@____.com luck!

I have 2 boys currently dx'd with PDD-NOS which is a form of austism. However, both my boys talk. I have heard of people teaching sign language to children that are non verbal. In most social situations I end up prompting one of the boys (say Hi to your classmate, shake this person's hand,etc). There is also a book out here that deals with social situations in story form. I used one with my boys.

try picture boards for communications. not quite sure what you mean, by non verbal, does he not speak at all? my autistic son didnt speak till he was 7, we used sign language and picture boards for him to communicate with us to let us know what he wanted. Eventually he learned to speak with words.
hope this helps

Is anyone teaching your child sign language? Do they use communication devices such as a book with pictures showing familiar people, places, etc., to help him be able to express himself.

My daughter has special needs but is verbal. My close friend's daughter is non-verbal, and I know that they utilize all of these things with her.

I am involved with a PAC, parent group for children with special needs.

Hi J.,

My son was diagnosed with non verbal also and what they did for him in school is put him on a 504 plan. He is 9 years old but this is the second time they tested him. When he was in second grade they tested him and his verbal is off the charts and there is a big difference between his verbal and non verbal. What the plan they have in place for him is to modify his work plan. He will be in smaller groups. They give him all kinds of guides to help him keep organized...like checklist. They suggested for him to take verbal test when ever possible. I hope this helps.

Hello J.!

I am the parent of two sons who are dyslexic. Non-verbal learning disabilities are very often the same thing as dyslexia...depending upon your son's symptoms and characteristics, you may want to check into solutions for dyslexia.

After going through YEARS of not understanding my oldest son's learning challenges, we finally found the Davis Dyslexia program, and it completely changed his life. Inspired by his success, I decided to become trained as a facilitator of the program. I have worked with my youngest son (also a non-verbal learner) and he, too, has had amazing results. Many of my clients are diagnosed with non-verbal learning difficulties.

If you are interested in checking out my website to see if any of it describes what you see in your son, please feel free. I also give monthly seminars at my office (next one is April 21st at 6:30 pm). The website is: http://www.ne-dyslexia.com - be sure to check out the Characteristics page and/or take the free on-line assessment.

It is so difficult to see your child struggle (there's really not much worse), especially with the social aspects. As a parent who has been there, I have total empathy for what you're going through. I hope that you'll find some helpful information on my website.

You can also feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions.

Warm regards from Newburyport, MA
K.

Hopefully his school and the doctor gave you information about this disabiity. My son has aeperger's and a lot of the interventions/strategies are the same as NVLD. I would look into some pragmatic language groups to help him with his social language. Ask the speech therapist at his school.
Does he have an IEP? If so, many speech therapists can work on pragmatics. If he does not, is the NVLD impating his academcis? He may qualify for an IEP. (I've seen students with it who do not need an IEP). But maybe the guidance cousenlor does social skills groups and lunch bunches which will help him as well.
Your most important role will be to advocate for him and learn as much as you can about this, especially because this is still a mystery to many schools. I've also had to explicitly teach many social skills to my son (now 16) that others pick up easily. (Things like how to begin a converstaion, the types of things you can talk about with 'strangers', how to ask a potential frined for a phone number, etc).
Good Luck,
M.

You should check on www.ldonline.com they have great information that can help you too!