How 'typical' is my Nonverbal Learning Disorder?

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Here are the results that led, in part, to a professional finding I had it. () shows percentiles.

Verbal Comprehension: 132 (98th)
Perceptual Reasoning: 88 (21)
Working Memory: 100 (50)
Processing Speed: 81 (10)

VIQ: 132
PIQ: 89

Verbal Comprehension
Similarities: 14 (91 percentile)
Vocabulary: 18 (99.6)
Information: 15 (95)
Comprehension: 13 (84)

Perceptual Reasoning
Block Design: 8 (25)
Matrix Reasoning: 7 (16)
Visual Puzzles: 9 (37)

Working Memory
Digit Span: 9 (37)
Letter-Number Sequencing: 9 (37)
Arithmetic: 11 (63)

Processing Speed
Symbol Search: 8 (25)
Coding: 5 (5)

NLD is the most accurate but most useless diagnosis I've ever gotten. There are literally no approved treatments for it other than BS like talk therapy.

All I can tell you is that your scores are similar to mine (only mine are a bit lower ) and I was also diagnosed with NVLD. I also have a verbal IQ in the superior range and a PIQ in the low average range (mine is low average/borderline ID). My comprehension score is also very high which is inconsistent with the diagnosis. When I was a kid my comprehension score was in the 60 something-th percentile and my other VIQ scores were in the 91st or 93rd (one was 80 something). It was mentioned in the report that I had difficulty with context and my social reasoning was very rigid. As an adult though, my comprehension score is in the 93rd percentile and it was one of my highest VIQ scores , along with vocabulary.My processing speed is also really low.

Yes, NVLD does really suck and there are no particular treatments for it. My old psychologist (the one who did my psycho-ed assessment) suggested that I read comic books and play video games! The purpose of the video game playing is to improve spatial awareness and the purpose of reading comics is to improve understanding of non-verbal communication. I never tried these things for longer than one go because I don't enjoy them and am too lazy and unmotivated to make myself persist so I can't tell you if they help at all.

I think stem cell therapy is a promising development but i think its too early to tell if it is worthwhile doing. Jeremy Lowery is the only person i know of whom has had stem cell therapy and while he has seem improvement in his nld that doesn't mean that he is the norm. I think more research has to be done before saying this is a viable option.

^^^
Yeah, we'll know when it's at a stage where it's safe (if it gets there) because doctors will be pushing it as a miracle cure and making as much money as they can off of it all over the western world. I'm definitely not desperate enough to try anything that risky. I've lived with the disorder my entire life and I can continue to live with it. I just need to swallow my pride and accept more help than I thought I would need to in life. Just yesterday I found out that I got into graduate school for Library Science. I'm going to do the program at a reduced course load with accommodations (taking my exams in a separate , quiet room and more time) and not try to work at the same time.That way I won't get overwhelmed and exacerbate my co-morbid anxiety disorder symptoms to the point where I just give up and drop out. Then when I finish the program I'm going to hire a job coach and advocate who works with people with ASD to help me find and keep a job because I have been a miserable failure so far in that respect. There is help available for people with an ASD diagnosis, not a cure but support and accommodations for living with the disorder.

I didn't know the suicide rate was so high. I know it's the highest suicide rate for any specific learning disorder but that kind of makes sense because NVLD is a specific LD/developmental disorder hybrid. Still, that's higher than the rate in Schizophrenia (around 15%) and depression (between 8-12%). It is very difficult for people to understand that seemingly intelligent, articulate people can't do very simple tasks that involve spatial relations or manual dexterity or miss really obvious social cues.


Tyrion, I know you also have the ASD (Asperger's) diagnosis as well and that you live in Canada.We are fortunate to have some specialized resources here. The job coaching agency that I'm planning to go to specializes in ASD but will work with people with co-morbids as well. Are you in Toronto? If so, I can give you the name of the agency and a clinic that specializes in CBT for adults with ASD and co-morbid mental illness (anxiety, depression ect). I know you aren't sure of your diagnosis and have mental heath problems (Bipolar or Borderline Personality Disorder or PTSD), I do remember all of that. I also remember you saying that you do meet criteria for ASD in the DSM V although you think the etiology of your condition is different from the average bear ( childhood abuse and trauma combined with NVLD). Does it really matter if that's true or not? If you have the symptoms and the impairment and meet the criteria then you have the disorder. Probably, the best thing for you to do is to just accept it and find enough support for it to be able to live with it. I think either NVLD or ASD and co-morbid mental illness due to childhood trauma and consequences of said developmental disability is the most parsimonious explanation for your problems. Just early onset BP doesn't account for things like your obvious stimming as a child and prosody problems ect. Of course I'm not a professional and my opinion should carry little weight but those are just my thoughts on your situation.

My scores are similar, high verbal and low nonverbal, with a 48 point difference between them. And I can say without any doubt do not try to be a surgical tech with NVLD. The visual-spatial issues and inability to hear to certain words did not work well in the OR. Suddenly, I know why I had a nervous breakdown in the fourth grade! But that was in in 1970. I was labeled as a sensitive, smart but lazy kid who refused to try hard enough to do math. Then, I could not finish my bachelors degree because of chemistry and pre calculus. I kept killing my GPA trying to pass those classes. So I went the technical school route as birthday fifty approached, passed it with honors, and found I could not do the job. That led to finally being tested.

NVLD sucks. I'm in therapy now for it, but I'm not sure how therapy will pan out as far as being employable in something other than the crap jobs I've had over the years. My interests outdo my abilities by a mile, and at least now I know why. Still, it does not make it any easier dealing with this mess.

I have been in therapy off and on for years and in general it hasn't been too helpful. I just don't think there is a lot of wiggle room to change when you have nvld. I still go though because I have some hope that I can still have a more rewarding life. I am just not sure whether or not its possible.

^^^
I'm not sure why I thought you lived in Canada. Well, since you have a lot of diagnoses of serious disabilities you should be able to get some help through government disability employment support programs. If you lose this job because they just prefer someone with better interpersonal skills (which has happened very often to me) you could look into something like that. If someone can help you disclose your disabilities properly and then help with any issues that come up, in theory that should help you keep a job. Some companies have a quota of people with disabilities to hire (like they do with visible minorities) or are given money from the government to hire people with disabilities. A job coach or job developer might also be able to help you find something like that. Congratulations on finishing law school and passing the exam btw.

Yeah, CBT is much better than talk therapy for treating particular issues (like anxiety, depression symptoms ect) but even that can't fix cognitive deficits like spatial reasoning problems, of course. Making you feel better about the deficits you have is about the best it can do, in my experience. I guess you'll see how much of your problems can be accounted for by the Bipolar diagnosis soon, depending on how well/whether any of the medications for BP work for you.

I can already tell things aren't going to get much better, if at all. I'm on meds for anxiety, and I'm told I have a pretty significant depression problem and low self esteem. Duh, after 50+ years of hearing "We thought you were smart" and "You just don't want it bad enough" and other similar judgments about my 'lack; of character, I can understand why suicide is so high for NVLD.

Talk therapy I'm in now is so far next to useless. Next is a speech therapist. Then the unemployment line. Woopie.

I won't lie to you, I feel the same. Before I knew I had NVLD, it seemed like some malevolent force continuously kept me from achieving goals, jobs and relationships. I'd be on the cusp of a good job except for that fifth grade arithmetic test which I could not pass. The HR people look at me like 'WTF', and say in a nice way, forget it. I beat myself up badly over things like that. And I know I've had at least three nervous breakdowns from this disorder, two divorces, thirty years of college and no degree, and too many jobs to count. I am used up, worn out, done. I have given up. I gain weight and I don't care. My liver is enlarged and I don't care. I have celiac disease and eat gluten now because I don't care. What good is therapy? I get the diagnosis, hear that I ought to be kind of proud to have gone so long and done relatively well considering my brain is like a stroke patients. But then what? I still can't do math, I still have depression , I still have no employment. I still have white matter missing from my right hemisphere. I still have a third wife who sort of understands but not really. How could she?

Yeah, I'm sorely tempted to hurry things along. Is it wrong to hope for a tumor, so I can out somewhat nobly? I've had enough of this f****d up disorder. Sorry for whining. Just saying...........

Our NVLD scores are very close, how come I can't do math to save my life?

Someone recently told me NVLD was like aspergers only more social. I guess that's partially true. I may have the social skills to get married, but this in number three. I don't honestly know what real love is, and because of the way the NVLD sabotages my employability, I'd be homeless if not married. I can't say I'm real happily married, in other words.

I have another guess that my brain has some autistic characteristics, but extremely mild compared to others. But I can't say anyone has an advantage with these disorders. The weaknesses far outweigh any strengths as far as I'm concerned. I just feel screwed.