by Galen Gregory

Created on: March 11, 2009

Non-verbal Learning Disability (NLD) is a specific category of learning disability identified in the mid-1990s. Children and adults with NLD exhibit a pattern of behaviors that impact learning, as well as social functioning.

They have relative strengths in some verbal skills, such as vocabulary and syntax, word identification in reading, and rote spelling. Some may be quite verbose, but there is little meaningful content in what they say. (Rourke and Tsatsanis, 1996). This quality has long been known as "cocktail party language." As they get older, they fail to grasp the more complex semantics of language, such as irony, humor, or idioms, as they understand language superficially and literally. Their language difficulties are most glaring in the realm of pragmatics, which is the appropriate social use of language. People with NLD have difficulty reading body language or facial expression, taking turns in conversation, initiating a topic of conversation and keeping it going,

People with NLD have very poor non-verbal reasoning abilities, visual-spatial-organizational skills, tactile perception, and visual-motor integration. They tend to focus on detail, while missing the big picture. These weaknesses result in poor classroom performance in mathematics, handwriting, and organizational skills.

Assessment of NLD relies on a battery of psychometric and achievement tests, usually administered by a neuropsychologist or clinical psychologist. On the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), the student will demonstrate a Verbal IQ which is significantly higher than the Performance IQ. On tests of academic achievement, the child will have higher scores on tests of oral reading, word identification, word decoding, rote spelling, and mathematical computation, with lower scores on reading comprehension and mathematical concepts and applications. Classroom observations from teachers will often indicate problems with organizational skills, difficulty understanding abstract concepts, and poor social skills with peers.

It should be noted that the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV (DSM-IV) does not recognize the diagnosis of Non-verbal Learning Disability. For the purpose of special education planning and services, most students with NLD are categorized as "Other Health Impaired," or they may fall into another category if they are also diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome or ADHD.

References:

Rourke, B., & Tsatsanis, K. (1996). Syndrome of nonverbal learning disabilities: Psycholinguistic assets and deficits. Topics in Language Disorders, 16, 2, 3044.

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