What is a Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NVLD)?

For children with NVLDs, everyday challenges can feel overwhelming. However, these struggles don’t define their potential, and there are many ways your child can thrive at home, excel in school, and build a fulfilling future.

This article explores the symptoms and causes behind NVLDs and what parents can do to empower their children.

What is a Nonverbal Learning Disorder?

A nonverbal learning disorder (NVLD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects a person’s ability to understand and interpret nonverbal information, such as patterns and abstract concepts. Due to impaired executive functioning skills, individuals with NVLDs may struggle academically and socially [*].

Despite this, many people with NVLDs have strong vocabulary and rote language skills. Since these strengths can mask the condition, NVLDs can be challenging to diagnose.

Nonverbal Learning Disorder vs. Autism

While both are neurodevelopmental disorders, autism differs from an NVLD because it involves difficulties in social communication and repetitive behaviors [*]. In addition, children with an NVLD learn better by hearing information, whereas kids with autism learn better through visual mediums.

Nonverbal Learning Disorder vs. ADHD

These brain-based conditions have overlapping symptoms in that individuals diagnosed with either might struggle to recognize verbal cues, have impaired motor performance, or struggle with inferential comprehension [*]. However, individuals with attention-deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) may focus better when they’re motivated or interested in the task at hand.

Nonverbal Learning Disorder vs. Dyslexia

Dyslexia is also a learning disorder but primarily affects reading and writing skills [*]. On the other hand, individuals with NVLD don’t tend to struggle with these aspects. Both disorders can benefit from psychotherapy, such as cognitive behavior therapy (CBT).

What are the Symptoms of Nonverbal Learning Disorder?

While symptoms of an NVLD vary from person to person, there are some telltale signs your child might have it:

• Strengths masking underlying problems, such as excellent memory, good reading skills, and superior verbal reasoning
• Poor spatial awareness, such as bumping into things
• Lack of executive functioning, including poor planning, organization, and problem-solving
• Inability to focus, concentrate, or pay attention
• Poor motor skills and coordination
• Inability to interpret social patterns and perform appropriate behaviors in social gatherings
• Trouble recalling visual information
• Trouble understanding humor, sarcasm, and other idioms

What are the Causes of Nonverbal Learning Disorder?

There is no singular cause of nonverbal learning disorders, but experts suggest that they may be associated with differences in the brain’s structure or function, particularly in the right hemisphere [*]. The right hemisphere controls spatial awareness, intuitive processing, big-picture thinking, and nonverbal communication. According to a 2016 study, people with NVLDs tend to have high interhemispheric asymmetry [*].

Other potential causes of NVLDs might include:

• Maternal substance use
• Prolonged labor
• Cord coil
• Illness during pregnancy
• Low birth weight
• Severe infections
  

What are the Common Challenges Faced by a Child with NVLD?

While children with NVLDs are often highly intelligent, they may struggle with certain aspects of daily life, including the following.

Poor visual and spatial awareness

Children with NVLDs struggle to understand spatial relationships, which may manifest as difficulties in assembling puzzles, recognizing landmarks, and forming mental maps of their surroundings.

Children with an NVLD might struggle to organize their belongings at home, while at school, they may perform poorly in geometry or diagram interpretation activities.

Trouble picking up on social cues

Because children with NVLDs struggle with non-verbal communication, they won’t pick up on social cues like body language and facial expressions. Sometimes, this unawareness can make them seem awkward around other people. They might stand uncomfortably close to someone, frown during happy situations, or laugh inappropriately.

Lack of higher-order comprehension

Higher-order comprehension refers to the main idea of something—the “bigger picture.” Children with NVLDs struggle to understand these higher orders because they contain nuanced and abstract information.

For example, if you tell a child with an NVLD that it’s raining cats and dogs, they might understand this concept literally instead of figuratively. They might also struggle to understand a story or film's emotional undercurrents or implied themes.

Poor executive functioning

Because children with NVLDs have poor executive functioning, they might not display goal-oriented behavior or self-regulation. Thus, they need help organizing materials, time, and thoughts. They might also have a dysfunctional working memory, which affects their ability to handle multi-step processes.

How is a Nonverbal Learning Disorder Diagnosed?

A nonverbal learning disorder isn’t an official diagnosis, as it isn’t part of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Instead, healthcare professionals can analyze overlapping symptoms with other disorders like ADHD and ASD.

A psychologist or mental health professional will conduct a clinical interview to understand your child's struggles and gather their detailed developmental and medical history. They’ll likely ask about NVLD-related symptoms and your child’s academic performance.

From there, your child may undergo neuropsychological testing, such as the Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), to assess verbal and visual-spatial reasoning. The clinician may also facilitate the Grooved Pegboard Test to evaluate the child’s motor skills.

Finally, clinicians gather additional insights from family members and teachers through interviews or questionnaires, such as the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC) or Conners Rating Scales.

How is a Nonverbal Learning Disorder Treated?

NVLD doesn’t have a standard treatment, but therapists can help treat specific aspects of the disorder. Below are some common treatments for NVLDs:

• Occupational therapy. This therapy can help build tolerance for outside experiences, as it teaches children to manage sensory overload. It also improves a child’s motor and coordination skills.
• Physical therapy. Children who struggle with their hands and movements can benefit from physical therapy, as it improves general strength, balance, and coordination.
• Social skills training. Improving a child’s social skills might involve role-playing real-life scenarios, explicitly teaching conventional norms like turn-taking and eye contact, and group sessions with other children.
• Executive function coping. Children with NVLDs may need extra steps to be more organized. Thus, professionals might teach them to use tools like planners and calendars. They’ll also teach them to break down tasks into more manageable steps.
• Cognitive behavior therapy. Struggling with an NVLD can make a child depressed and anxious, but CBT can help build confidence and develop coping skills for managing frustration.

How to Support a Child with Nonverbal Learning Disorder

Providing ample support outside of the therapist’s office is part of improving a child's symptoms. Here’s how you can help your child cope with their NVLD.

Create a supportive home environment

What does a supportive home environment look like for a child with an NVLD? Expectations of them should be clear. They should have structure and routine. They should feel safe expressing themselves to family members.

You can achieve all these levels of support through small efforts, such as using visual calendars and checklists to keep your child’s day predictable and validating their emotions, even when they struggle to articulate themselves.

Use assistive technology

Assistive technology is available to anyone with an internet connection. You can support your child’s learning using text-to-speech tools and software to help them organize themselves.

Apps like MathPlayground and BrainingCamp offer interactive tools to help children with NVLDs more concretely grasp mathematical and visual-spatial concepts.

Build strong parent-child relationships

It can be challenging for a child with an NVLD to ask for help, so it’s essential to reinforce a supportive and loving environment. Spend regular quality time with your child exploring things they love, whether sports, nature, or art.

Practice patience and empathy when you notice your child struggling with tasks that may be hard for kids with an NVLD. More importantly, provide lots of encouragement when they succeed.

The Bottom Line

Children with nonverbal learning disorders face unique challenges but can easily overcome them with the right tools and support.

Help equip your child with the coping skills and abilities they need to overcome the struggles associated with NVLDs with our CBT worksheets.

Sources:

1. Margolis AE, Broitman J, Davis JM, et al. “Estimated Prevalence of Nonverbal Learning Disability Among North American Children and Adolescents.” JAMA Network Open, 2020.
2. Frechette J. “Differential diagnosis: Understanding nonverbal learning disorder and autism spectrum disorder.” Applied Neuropsychology: Child, 2024.
3. Mammarella IC, Cardillo R, Semrud-Clikeman M. “Do comorbid symptoms discriminate between autism spectrum disorder, ADHD and nonverbal learning disability?” Research in Developmental Disabilities, 2022.
4. Fisher PW, Reyes-Portillo JA, Riddle MA, Litwin HD. “Systematic Review: Nonverbal Learning Disability.” Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2022.
5. Gillis JM, M. Sevlever, Roth M. “Asperger’s Syndrome and Nonverbal Learning Disorder.” Elsevier eBooks, 2012.
6. Bernardes A, Bianco B, Barbosa CP. “Prevalence of inter-hemispheric asymmetry in children and adolescents with interdisciplinary diagnosis of non-verbal learning disorder.” Einstein (São Paulo), 2016.