What is Nonverbal Learning Disorder?

Nonverbal Learning Disorder impacts various types of nonverbal learning, such as recognizing visual patterns, understanding social cues, and grasping concepts in language and math.

What You’ll Learn

• What is Nonverbal Learning Disorder?

• When do adults usually start to notice something is wrong?

• Nonverbal Learning Disorder symptoms

When we think of learning disorders, dyslexia and other language-related issues often come to mind—specifically, children who struggle with decoding language and learning to read. However, there is another, less widely recognized type of learning disorder that isn't related to verbal communication, known as nonverbal learning disorder (NVLD). A recent study estimates that NVLD affects about 3 to 4 percent of children in North America. Although NVLD is not an official diagnosis like ADHD or autism, many children with nonverbal learning difficulties may have those diagnoses. Experts suggest that focusing on NVLD can offer a better understanding of these children's challenges and how to effectively support their learning, compared to traditional diagnoses.

Recognizing Nonverbal Learning Disorder patterns

Kids with NVLD do not struggle with decoding language, reading, or learning information through memorization. The challenges these kids face involve everything beyond basic language decoding—specifically, understanding relationships, ideas, patterns, and concepts.

These difficulties, which are linked to the right hemisphere of the brain, can impact a child’s ability to perform a wide range of tasks. Physical coordination, social interactions, problem-solving, organizing thoughts, and planning can all be challenging. While these tasks may seem unrelated, they share a common thread: each requires the ability to recognize patterns or concepts and apply them to new situations.

5 areas of Nonverbal Learning Disorder

1. Visual and Spatial Awareness

Many children with NVLD struggle to understand visual imagery. For instance, when asked to copy a shape like a cube, they often cannot replicate it as they can’t accurately perceive the cube, the forms that make up the cube, or the relationships between them.

They also have difficulty processing visual-spatial information, which means they struggle to understand the relationships between the things they see and to have a clear sense of their own spatial orientation. As a result, this can lead to physical awkwardness.

2. Higher-Order Comprehension

Higher-order comprehension refers to the ability to identify the main idea, recognize the supporting details, and understand the relationships between them. This skill is crucial for reading comprehension, as well as for writing or telling a coherent story.

It also plays a significant role in note-taking. Some children with NVLD try to write down everything the teacher says because they can’t discern what’s important. Conversely, other kids don’t take any notes because they aren’t sure what’s relevant, leading people to mistakenly think they aren't paying attention. Some may even take notes but focus on the wrong details.

3. Social Communication

Many children with nonverbal learning disorders struggle to interpret emotions through facial expressions and body language, which can leave them uncertain about what’s happening in social situations. They often miss social cues and patterns that other kids intuitively understand, making it hard for them to know what behavior is appropriate in different contexts. These challenges with social communication can lead kids with NVLD to gravitate toward technology, where they don’t have to navigate the complexities of nonverbal communication.

4. Math Concepts

Many children with NVLD excel at rote memorization, which can help them perform well in math by memorizing facts and formulas. However, as they progress to more advanced levels, they often struggle with solving complex mathematical problems that require understanding concepts and recognizing patterns. Even when faced with a familiar problem, they may have difficulty if it is presented in a different way or altered slightly.

5. Executive Functions

Executive functions are the skills we rely on to organize our thoughts, plan and execute tasks, and solve problems. Many children with NVLD have difficulty with these organizational and planning abilities. For example, they may struggle to break a project into smaller, manageable tasks or to identify the steps needed to complete an assignment.

How do these challenges appear in children with Nonverbal Learning Disorder?

Children with NVLD can exhibit a range of symptoms and vary in the severity of their challenges. On one end of the spectrum are those who are highly functional but may be socially awkward, slightly clumsy, or disorganized. On the other end are children who are more significantly affected, experiencing difficulties across multiple areas. These kids often struggle to learn anything that isn’t based on rote memorization or literal understanding.

When do these deficits become noticeable?

Many children with NVLD can manage well enough in elementary school due to their strong memorization and rote learning skills. However, they often begin to encounter difficulties in middle school, when the need for higher-order reasoning—such as identifying the main idea, understanding supporting details, and recognizing relationships—becomes more critical, causing them to fall behind. Many of these kids appear inattentive and disorganized as they grow older.

Nonverbal Learning Disorder diagnosis

NVLD is not an official diagnosis used by mental health professionals or schools to categorize children with psychiatric or learning issues. Children with NVLD often receive other diagnoses, such as autism or ADHD. However, while these diagnoses identify certain symptoms or behaviors, they do not fully explain the underlying issues.

For example, a child who is disorganized and inattentive might be diagnosed with ADHD. Yet, their disorganization and lack of focus could stem from not understanding what is being discussed, what they are reading, or the problem they are expected to solve. This is where NVLD becomes relevant as you can’t pay attention if you don’t understand.

Similarly, a child diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder may be noted as having social and communication deficits. These behaviors can also reflect NVLD—difficulty recognizing patterns in facial expressions, body language, and other forms of nonverbal communication can lead to social unresponsiveness.

Additional support

While NVLD is not officially recognized as a standalone diagnosis, its impact on various cognitive and social domains can significantly affect a child's academic and personal development. Understanding NVLD can provide deeper insights into challenges that might be masked by other diagnoses such as ADHD or autism. By identifying and addressing the specific deficits related to higher-order comprehension, math concepts, and visual-spatial skills, educators and therapists can better support affected children. For families seeking more information, Tampa Pediatric Psychology offers expert guidance from Licensed Child Psychologists in navigating these complex issues to support children with NVLD. For additional information, check out our psychologist’s top book recommendations!