Weird Not Stupid

Non-verbal Learning Disorder is a neurobehavioral disorder that affects the way the right hemisphere of the brain processes information. It is a difference in cognition that makes it difficult for some one with NLD to interpret the world around him.

The term 'non-verbal' does not mean the problem is with verbal skills, rather the difficulty lies in areas that are 'non-verbal'. These are things such as tone of voice, body language and eye contact.

NLD is not exclusively a children's disorder. A child with NLD will grow up to be an adult with NLD, but childhood and adolescence are the best times to help the child develop effective coping skills.

Because NLD is a dysfunction of the right hemisphere of the brain, it affects each person differently, and involves many steps to be diagnosed. NLD can have a relationship with other disorders which can, but do not necessarily occur together.

NLD affects the same number of girls as it does boys, and is estimated that approximately 1% of the general population has NLD.

A Lack of balance and co-ordination. Difficulty riding a bike, tying shoe laces,

throwing a ball, and always seem clumsy.

2. Visual-Spatial Organization:

Unable to judge how large or heavy an object is, difficulty knowing where their

body is in space, have disorganized binders, papers and locker.

Inability to read social cues, have difficulty interacting, and can't see the other

person's point of view.

NLD Children often have difficulty understanding non-verbal communication such as body language, tone of voice and eye contact. This is a considerable deficit, as only 35% of communication is verbal. In addition, only 7% of emotional meaning is conveyed verbally.

To an NLD child the fact that someone can understand another person's mood, or understand a meaning other than what is actually said is like mind reading.

A person with NLD will often find it difficult to initiate, enter or exit a conversation appropriately and when he or she does, it is often unsuccessful. The conversation is one-sided with no interaction, like reading from a script.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is commonly present with NLD. The child may have repetitive hand movements or facial ticks that the child can't seem to control. He or she may also have 'rituals' such as needing to flick the lights on and off several times, or maybe everything needs to be arranged in parallel lines.

NLD children often have an area of special interest � a narrow category that they become an expert on, like bugs, dinosaurs or the weather. This topic may then become an obsession that he or she will often use as the only topic of conversation. This becomes redundant and annoying to others but the child never seems to notice the boredom of the listener.

Learning in a conventional classroom is ineffective for NLD children. First an accurate diagnosis must be made by a specialist. Depending on each child's individual needs, a range of modifications can be made. These may include the involvement of an occupational therapist, speech therapist, one on one teacher's aide, modified curriculum, advanced scheduling of assignments or other modifications as needed.

Another option is home schooling. For some children, the school system is not willing or is not able to provide the necessary modifications. Also, the presence of bullies or teasing from other children can cause so much stress and anxiety that school becomes counter-productive.

Children with NLD can be extra sensitive to all 5 senses and the triggers and severity vary with each individual. For most, the sound of a ticking clock or an itchy clothing tag can become painful.

Other things they may find uncomfortable are the smell of soap, spicy food, or the feeling of chlorine after being in a pool. Many hate the feeling of moisturizers (even the non-greasy formulas still feel greasy to them) and will go with painfully dry skin to avoid it.

Personal grooming seems to suffer because of these sensitivities, as the child may dislike the tingle of mint toothpaste and the feeling of a toothbrush on sensitive gums.

Organizational skills appear virtually non-existent in children with NLD. The dysfunction is with the part of the brain that controls information processing. It is as if information goes into a filing cabinet in no particular order. When it is time to retrieve the information, it takes much longer to find it. This does not mean they have a poor memory; in fact, they have a very good memory when it comes to things they learned verbally.

Another problem is the lack of executive function. That means they are unable to assign a level of importance to the information they receive. To them every piece of information is of exactly the same importance. That is why they are unable to prioritize, or often focus on the wrong details.

Multi-tasking is another area of difficulty, and usually the only way a complex task can be completed is if it is listed in step by step instructions. That way the child knows exactly what the goal is for each step, and can focus on that one goal until it is completed. It also allows the child to see how many steps remain until the project is completed.

Dysgraphia is the inability to write, and the problem for NLD children is two-fold. The information processing part of the brain can not organize all of the information into a usable order, so they don't know 'what to write'. The second problem is the lack of hand eye co-ordination and fine motor skills needed to actually produce the letters neatly on the page. Using a computer to type rather than write helps produce the letters, but doesn't solve the problem of not knowing what to write.

Math is also particularly difficult, as the right hemisphere of the brain controls the ability to visualize the concepts needed for mathematics. Beyond memorizing multiplication tables, math will probably never be a strong point.

A child with NLD is a very literal thinker. He doesn't understand metaphors or sayings that say one thing but mean another. If you were to say the expression �kill two birds with one stone� he will fear that you are literally going to kill two birds.

NLD children also have very poor problem solving skills. If something does not have the anticipated outcome (that the child has rehearsed in his head several times) he may panic, not knowing what to do and it may even lead to an anxiety attack. The child will often formulate an internal script for all of his daily activities.

This is a check list that can be used as a rough guide, but is not a diagnosis.

Does your child often:

� Have difficulty reading facial expressions

� Take everything literally

� Need to know �what's next�

� Inflexible � can't adapt to spontaneous situations

� Have a lack of problem solving skills

� Difficulty making friends

� Not understand how others are feeling

� Have no flexibility in interpreting rules

� Have obsessive compulsive behavior

� Talk about an area of interest by listing facts in no order of importance

� Have hypersensitivity to visual stimulation, sound, touch, taste or smell

� Have poor hygiene (they don't see how others see them)

� Have difficulty sleeping

� Have monotone speech which is choppy and uninteresting to the listener

� Not understand sarcasm

� Show poor motor skills � can't tie shoelaces, cut paper in a straight line and experience difficulty riding a bike

� Difficulty writing � Doesn't know what to write and can't make the letters neatly on the page

� Not like to be spontaneous or be surprised

� Have difficulty learning to tell time

� Have difficulty with math

� Have directional confusion � difficulty determining right from left

� Have a lack of co-ordination, and is always clumsy

First it is important to get a professional diagnosis, and then try some of these techniques:

� Use straight forward, step by step instructions

� Keep predictable routines

� Clear away distracting sounds and visual clutter from his or her work space

� Modify the classroom and curriculum

� Have a one on one aide or therapist

� Attend support groups

� Slowly introduce them to new activities to broaden their interests

Activities that are most successful for NLD are non-competitive, non-team based activities. Some examples are bowling, swimming or the 4-H club. Another activity they may enjoy is working with animals.

Dogs in particular respond well to routines and are forgiving of the child's lack of co-ordination. Pets also provide a non-judgmental ear for the child to talk to.