Zoom Autism Magazine Issue 3 Spring 2015 | Page 20
Is it Asperger’s, or
is it Non-Verbal
Learning Disorder?
By Helen Teasdale
Eight-year-old Rosie has always been a brilliant
little girl. Despite a significant hearing loss that
was present from birth, her speech progressed
quite normally. In fact, she was able to use complex sentences, count, memorize facts and recall
the smallest details regarding what she had seen
or heard from a very early age.
Around Rosie’s third birthday, her mother Joanna started noticing a few more things about her
sweet daughter. Rosie suddenly developed an
extreme fear of baths yet hated being dirty. She
had restricted interests, and she didn’t acknowledge her peers or show any interest in being
with them. In fact, she was scared to enter a busy
playground or even join in small group play.
Yet, Rosie talked openly with adults and was
extremely confident with them. Joanna began to
question, “If she is able to engage with adults,
why can’t she with her peers?” Joanna started to
believe that her daughter might be autistic and
initiated the long and sometimes complicated
process of testing and evaluations.
When Rosie was six, Joanna finally got some answers. Joanna, who had already prepared herself
to hear that her daughter was on the spectrum,
was surprised when she was told that Rosie had
Non-Verbal Learning Disorder instead!
What is Non-Verbal Learning Disorder?
Non-Verbal Learning Disorder (NVLD) is something of a misnomer. Contrary to its title, people
with Non-Verbal Learning Disorder (NVLD-ers)
are usually quite verbal. According to Nonverbal Learning Disorder on the web, up to 80% of
20 Zoom Autism Through Many Lenses