What is a nonverbal learning disorder?
Nonverbal learning disorder (NLD) is a constellation of brain-based difficulties. Once considered rare, NLD is now thought to be as prevalent as dyslexia. Strongly genetic in origin, NLD affects girls as freqently as boys and is characterized by poor visual, spatial, and organizational skills, poor motor performance, and difficulty recognizing and processing nonverbal cues – body language, facial expression, and the nuances of conversation. Like Marci, most NLD children have large vocabularies, outstanding memory and auditory retention, and average to superior intelligence. Also like Marci, NLD kids are often misdiagnosed with ADD. “Virtually every child I’ve seen with NLD was first diagnosed with ADD,” says Marcia Rubinstien, an education specialist in West Hartford, Connecticut, and founder of the Nonverbal Learning Disability Association. “Pediatricians ought to be able to recognize NLD and refer children for an evaluation, but teachers and medical professionals are more aware of la
