NVLD and AS- What's the Difference?

Post Reply New Topic

Eerie. Sorry to hear that.

I'm probably left brain dominant, and I naturally pay attention to input from my right eye more than my left for some reason. I don't have problems with visual and spatial cognition though, I'm fairly good at those skills.

I was going to say something similar (but I think Callista worded it better). NLD is not in the DSM. I've been diagnosed with it, and it seems that even among people diagnosed with NLD, our strengths and issues vary quite a bit.

I had both an AS and NVLD Diagnosis so I got re-evaluated recently for the insurance company. The new evaluator was VERY good and I am very pleased with her. The person who diagnosed me with AS did it from a book. The women who said NVLD diagnosed me from tests. I remeber struggling with the math and such and often giving up because she was rushing me through the math. I didn't get the time I needed to do my math.. never told her about my routines because she never asked. She thought my obsessions werent focused enough for as as well. though ussually I try to talk about my 2 obsessions. She mentioned I had idosyncratic manerisms but a flat affect but didn't have the serteotyped behaivior seen in as?

The women who gave me the PDD-NOS diagnosis however was really good she did things the others didn't she asked about what I was like as a child. She asked me what I remebered. I told her about my routines and my scencitivities. What I really liked is Kelly ACTUALY took the time with me I needed on math. My path skills are in the average to low average range I just take a very very very very long time to process it. I think part of that is the mild dyslexia I have with my PDD-NOS. Her remort was well written too and in my diagnosis she wrote "While Non Verbal Learning Disability relfects Ryan's strenghts and weaknesses her presentation and history support a diagnosis of PDD-NOS." I told kelly about my routines and about how I like to spin objects and how as a child I only really liked to play with adults and I related to animals better. How in socail situations I used to make animal noises and mom share the story of ballet clas. The only one I went to because I didn't particapate in class I crawled into the corner and growled and barled at the other kids. I told her about hiding in the tubes at chucky cheese and bonkers that I use a wieghted blanket at night. We told her about the fact that as a child I was almost impossible to get to sleep. I also told her I used to and still do hand flap especaily when excited. I also had a speach delay.


through my research I have learned some diffrences.

other then the ones others have listed

People with NVLD tend to have bad scence of direction and get lost east. I don't have this issue to often. When ever we move to a knew place I wal around for an hour or 2 and find my way home then I know my way around for the most part.

People with NVLD nee verbal input but if you give me to much I meltdown I use both verbal and vissual heavier on the visual. I sed to put things to geather just by looking at the picture of it.

math and spacail difficulties- I do have those I proccess math slowly by I can do it andSpacail is an issue for me.

people with NVLD tend to not like things such as puzzles and drawing both things I love to do and have trouble with chart while I love those because they help me with my math.

I geuss people with NVLD don't tend to stim as much and don't have routines?

I learn best by doing.

I can also reach in a bag and find a certain object by the feel of it with outlooking. I am not sure if anyone else can do that. Oh and I think in a mix of pictures/video and some words. When ever I hear a story my mind turns it into almost video and thats how I plan my days I watch it in my mind. hope this helped a bit sorry it is so long.

I hope the put NVLD on the spectrum in the DSM V I think that is where it belongs.

All right, I stand corrected. I read a medical website that claimed that the symptom list was from the DSM.

Sounds to me like NVLD and Asperger's are the same thing. NVLD being diagnosed more in women and Asperger's more in men seems like they're the same disorder, only displaying themselves slightly differently because of gender differences (for the most part). Of course, we don't have a genetic test for either, so diagnoses are subjective, and there's could be a spectrum within a spectrum along the lines of NVLD through Asperger's with higher prevelences for the two relative genders. Basically two halves of the same disorder... only appears slightly different because of our current, very limited testing methods.

Not that we should advance too far in our testing technology for this. God help us if we do.

I agree 100%! I think NLD belongs on the spectrum.

As someone who's been living with an NLD diagnosis for 10 years, I can't emphasize how frustrating it is to be in this weird diagnostic limbo- NLD isn't in the DSM even though it's widely accepted in the psychological community, and it's not on the spectrum although it's clearly linked to AS and autism. I hate feeling as though I'm on the spectrum, but in fact I'm only on it "unofficially". NLD doesn't "belong" anywhere- I'm not technically part of the autism community, and yet there's no real NLD community either. And thanks to this limbo, NO ONE knows what NLD is. It's a terrible position to be in, and I'd much rather NLD be put on the spectrum once and for all so we can finally get some recognition and support.

*stops ranting*

I feel the same way! I've only ever met one other person who was diagnosed with NLD. And that's probably more than most have...

I'm going to be VERY interested in the answer here, ESPECIALLY since the DSM AS classification is being written out, and HFA is being changed such that APPARENTLY, it won't fit me anymore.

This response is interesting. My two MAIN interests have been electronics(which I planned to go into before the FIRST GRADE), and Computers(which I actually DID go into). I COULD have picked better "asset based interests", but they didn't interest me.



Frankly, it earlier seemed that "fixations", like train schedules, or a particular train, were more HFA.



Well, I never saw "body language" AS a language. In fact, when pointed out, I said it was BS, and PROVED it! I mean if a particular word, or language, does NOT reliably mean the same in context of the culture, it is NOT language! PERIOD! It is like the idea of a "tell". I have been accused of having tells, but there is no correlation. They may happen contrary to the event, or not happen at all. So maybe I fit the NVLD more HERE as well.





This is subjective. My visual and spatial processing COULD be a lot better, but they are better than many.



Since there is such a BIG overlap of NVLD and AS, one would wonder WHY you were diagnosed with both. There are SMALLER diagnosis that can be used. SPD, for example, is common with both.

Steve

yes, that's one more than I've met! That's probably my biggest problem with NLD, the fact that no one knows what it is/there's no community for it.

I've just started telling people that I have an "Asperger's-related disability" because it's much simpler!

Right on, I completely agree.
I think what is particularly frustrating is trying to explain why I do things and what I need in the context of my NLD and having it come across as some 'minor quirks' or 'junk/pop psychology' of which people seem to question the legitimacy. I have plenty of qualms about the fact that we as a society have the DSM at all and given enough brain time could marshall quite a long essay on all of the intricacies of the pros/cons and impacts of such a compendium in regards to people. Like a favorite professor used to say "labels belong on soup cans, not on people".

However, the fact remains that the DSM is the gold standard for access to resources and the seal of legitimacy in the society at large when it comes to psychological/cognitive issues. At least if NLD is included in the DSM as being on the spectrum, then it gives us a starting point to work from to begin getting the word out, and would provide a small but needed bit of structure to direct future research. There's a small body of information out there now but it is fragmented and takes a lot of energy to locate, much less to sift through and synthesize all the bits into understanding. Without an anchor point to refer back to, each author approaches the topic with their own slightly different perspective as to what NLD is and its manifestations and it is hard to follow the nuances. Right now it's like we are wandering in the dark and stumbling over the same things from different directions. At least with inclusion in the DSM there would be a specific set of commonly accepted criteria that could serve as a reference point to discuss differences in theoretical perspectives; the DSM gives us a flashlight and a piece of map. Before information can be accurately conveyed, we have to define the terms involved.

If I could at least point to the DSM and say "Here, this is what NLD is, obviously there are individual differences but these are the main points" it would give me a starting point to educate others. More correctly, it would give those people that I have to deal with a starting point to educate themselves (not that many are that motivated to do so, but even getting a little motivation to look up one common source would be a win in my book; those that care enough to investigate further I'd count as my friends). If nothing else, the perceived legitimacy that the DSM lends would hopefully give me a bit of a break from the skepticism I initially encounter I have to do my "NLD 101" educational bit. Being able to say "Yes, NLD is real, I'm not making this stuff up to be special or to get some sort of break. Look it up for yourself if you doubt me." is a lot better than trying to explain where it fits into the whole scheme as it is now.

Last edited by GreyThorn on 08 Feb 2010, 12:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I think I'm gonna copy this post into a Word document and save it

Since I was diagnosed when I was 7, my parents and I have spent a ridiculous amount of time educating teachers and other people about NLD. My mom has a small file of articles about NLD that she gives to my teachers if they want to know more about it. Whenever I have to tell another teacher about it, it's the same old drill: "I have NLD." "oh... what's that?" "*insert long explanation here*", and they never quite get it.

All I want is for NLD to get into the DSM, because like you said, it would give a reference point and a common definition that we could point to. I completely agree when you say "it's like we are wandering in the dark and stumbling over the same things from different directions"... there's absolutely no coherency in the so-called NLD community or the wider psychiatric community. And therefore, there's no information out there. what a mess.

I'm at a small private school now where all of my teachers know about my NLD by now. But I'm starting college in the fall, and I'm absolutely dreading having to start educating everyone all over again, as well as trying to get accommodations for a disability that's not in the DSM. It'll be a nightmare...

InaWoodenHouse, this just made my day! Part of my difficulty related to my NLD is being able to form my thoughts into written format as anything more than fragmented phrases (though you'd never guess from these end-product posts). So I was pretty proud of myself for having spent a couple hours writing that post to make it a finished product. I saved it too. But seeing someone else understand it and think it was good enough to refer back to makes me grin Incidentally, I saved your initial post since you were the first to write what I hadn't been able to get out of my head. You get some credit for a key piece that helped me spark my brain to write my response.

I wasn't diagnosed until I was a senior in high school, so I had no experience with accommodations going into college. I'm glad I took the time to figure out how I worked and learned. The hard part was that I was doing that while simultaneously attempting higher lever college studies and working through my reluctance to actually accept accommodations and be officially 'different' . It was a bumpy road to say the least- I owe a lot to my LD advisor who worked very hard to help me survive in college. I eventually took 2 years off halfway through college to figure out what I needed to do and explore other options. I think the time off helped me develop the skills and confidence I needed to advocate better for myself and accept that I worked very differently than typical students and that accommodations were OK. And my brain was able to grow/mature so that when I went back I was more cognitively able to handle the level of processing required.

I was very lucky to be able to attend a small college that was the right fit for me. I was a psychology major, and the department was small so I got to know most of the professors well and I worked very closely with a few who were especially understanding, willing to learn from me, and supportive in finding alternate ways for me to demonstrate my learning when it became clear we needed to. Outside of working directly with my professors, I always worked with a learning coach/tutor or two who helped me organize and execute my written work (my parents hired someone with experience, since the available peer tutors through school were not equipped to work with my NLD difficulties). I owe a lot of gratitude and respect to all those in the community at my school who worked with me as I progressed through. I am still in touch with most of them and though we are not exactly peers, they have become my friends. When I started school in 2002, I was the first student with NLD my LD coordinator ever had, but she was willing to listen and learn. This year, she has about 10-13 students with AS and 3 or 4 with NLD, and its sort of a good feeling to know that at least for all my struggle and hard work, a few faculty at the school now have at a little better familiarity of NLD. Maybe it will be just a little bit easier for these students to navigate.

For anyone looking ahead to college, the best advice I can give is: Learn who your allies are. Learn how you think and function if you haven't already- you are the one responsible for your work, your learning; if you don't take the lead no one else will, nor should they. Be willing to explain how you think to others, and have patience because you will probably have to explain over and over. Be patient and try to be understanding of the person you are explaining to- give them the benefit of the doubt- they are in unfamiliar territory and that can be uncomfortable. Figure out what you need and clearly explain your needs. Be upfront right away with professors and try to find a way to work directly with them to develop a plan to demonstrate your learning. Communicate early and often- even if it is to say, "hey, I messed up and didn't plan enough time properly do this assignment" or "I'm really struggling and I need some help to redirect me and little extra time to show you what I know". Be honest with yourself and others about where/when your NLD or AS is affecting the problem at hand and where/when it is regular old college kid distraction or lack of motivation. Go out on a limb and ask for what you think will help you demonstrate your knowledge. Realize that you may have to compromise at times to get some, but not all, of the accommodations you have asked for (not always fair or equitable, but we are pioneers and it won't be perfect the first time). Also know when to hold a hard line and how to go through your proper channels to get basic accommodations such as extra time or a quiet room. Be willing to work harder than you ever have. Keep your head up. Practice integrity in your work and in your interactions with others. Be creative to find solutions, even if they seem strange- if it works it works! Always have faith in yourself, regardless of the grades or of others faith in you. There is no such thing as perfect, but where there is a will there is a way, it just might take a lot of work to find it. Persevere.

Wow! Bravo again *prepares to respond*

1. I've worked VERY hard for a long time to understand as best I can how I operate/ how my brain works. That way I can sit down with my teachers and tell them exactly what I need from them. It also helps me compensate better- I absolutely love school more than anything, and have no academic troubles (straight A's for the past 5 years! ). But it's taken A LOT of work to get to where I am, so I can't imagine starting as a senior in high school. yikes!

2. I'm very comfortable advocating for myself, which is lucky. Actually, my favorite activity is talking with my teachers, I do it during all of my spare time at school I used to have trouble with it, but the main focus of my current school is teacher-student interactions, so that's helped A LOT. My school is the absolute PERFECT fit for me.

3. Can I ask, what college did you go to? I'm also going to a small college (Bryn Mawr College), and I think they'll help me out a lot. It's just the idea of starting all over with educating people about NLD that fills me with dread... But I'm set on being a Classics major, which is also a very small, intimate department, so hopefully I'll have the same experience that you did with your psychology department!

Hopefully all of these elements together will mean that I'll have a smooth transition into college... I'm nervous enough already without worrying how my NLD will interfere!