# Visual-Spatial Learning Disability / Nonverbal Learning Disorder



## Anxious Angel (Oct 25, 2009)

*Visual-Spatial Learning Disability / Fine Motor Skills Disability*

Some visual discrimination problems are

__ has difficulty telling the difference between similar printed letters or figures; i.e., p & q, b & d, + and x, or square and rectangle 
__ has a hard time seeing the "big picture"; i.e., focuses on the details or patterns within the picture 
__ has difficulty locating items among other items; i.e., papers on a desk, clothes in a drawer, items on a grocery shelf, or toys in a bin/toy box 
__ often loses place when copying from a book or the chalkboard 
__ difficulty controlling eye movement to track and follow moving objects 
__ has difficulty telling the difference between different colors, shapes, and sizes 
__ often loses his/her place while reading or doing math problems 
__ makes reversals in words or letters when copying, or reads words backwards; i.e., "was" for "saw" and "no" for "on" after first grade 
__ complains about "seeing double" 
__ difficulty finding differences in pictures, words, symbols, or objects 
__ difficulty with consistent spacing and size of letters during writing and/or lining up numbers in math problems 
__ difficulty with jigsaw puzzles, copying shapes, and/or cutting/tracing along a line 
__ tends to write at a slant (up or down hill) on a page 
__ confuses left and right 
__ fatigues easily with schoolwork 
__ difficulty judging spatial relationships in the environment; i.e., bumps into objects/people or missteps on curbs and stairs

Motor skill defecits

__ __ difficulty learning to ride a bike or other "moving" equipment __ __ clumsy, uncoordinated, and accident prone 
__ __ difficulty walking on uneven surfaces 
__ __ difficulty with fine motor tasks such as buttoning, zipping, tying, knitting, sewing, playing games with small parts, closing zip loc bags 
__ __ confuses right and left sides 
__ __ difficulty with handwriting; hard to read, takes a long time to write 
__ __ frequently bumps into people and things 
__ __ frequently misses when putting objects on a table 
__ __ messy eater, difficulty with eating utensils, spills and drops food 
__ __ knocks drinks or other things over when reaching for them 
__ __ frequently drops items 
__ __ has to talk self through tasks 
__ __ hums or vocalizes while concentrating on a task 
__ __ significant difficulty learning to tie a tie 
__ __ difficulty with motor tasks requiring several steps 
__ __ difficulty lining up numbers correctly for math problems and/or balancing a checkbook 
__ __ difficulty learning new motor tasks...a new dance, sport or exercise activity, how to drive 
__ __ lose balance frequently 
__ __ significant difficulty learning to type the "proper" way

Other symptoms

__ __ can't identify objects by feel if your eyes are closed 
__ __ difficulty finding things in your purse or pocket without looking 
__ __ don't seem to notice if your hands or face are dirty 
__ __ bothered by hands or face being dirty 
__ __ loves to touch and be touched, has to touch everything 
__ __ have a hard time feeling where a bug has bitten you or whether you are being bitten 
__ __ difficulty heating food to the correct temperature, feeling if it is too hot or too cold 
__ __ difficulty locating items in a cupboard, drawer, in your closet, or on a grocery shelf 
__ __ difficulty with recognizing/interpreting/following traffic signs 
__ __ difficulty judging distances about where your car is in relation to other cars, in parking spaces, or near a curb (fail miserably at parallel parking!!) 
__ __ difficulty merging into oncoming traffic on road, rotary, or highway 
__ __ get disoriented and/or lost easily in stores, buildings, hiking, etc. 
__ __ can't sleep if room isn't completely dark 
__ __ fearful of heights 
__ __ difficulty concentrating on or watching a movie/tv show when there is background noise or distractions 
__ __ difficulty remembering or understanding what is said to you 
__ __ difficulty following directions if given two or three at one time 
__ __ can not complete concentrated tasks if noises present 
__ __ sensitive, or over reacts, to sirens, dogs barking, vaccuum cleaners, blenders, or other sudden/loud sounds 
__ __ talks too loud or too soft 
__ __ become engrossed in one single activity for a long time and seems to tune out the rest of their environment 
__ __ great difficulty settling body down for sleep or waking up in the morning (did you even hear the alarm that has been going off for 15 minutes?) 
__ __ bumps into things frequently 
__ __ often pushes too hard on objects, accidentally breaking them 
__ __ difficulty judging how much pressure to apply when doing tasks or picking something up 
__ __ difficulty identifying which key on your ring belongs to what 
__ __ numbers and letters often reversed or backwards 
__ __ difficulty telling time on an analogue clock 
__ __ difficulty reading and understanding a map, bus schedule, directions 
__ __ difficulty organizing and grouping things by categories, similarities, and/or differences 
__ __ can't seem to find words in word search puzzles 
__ __ unable to identify foods that have gone bad by smell 
__ __ difficulty being able to smell dangerous smells, i.e., smoke, noxious/hazardous solvents 
__ __ difficulty being able to smell when something is burning on the stove or in the oven 
__ __ difficulty distinguishing different tastes and/or flavors of food and/or drink items


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## MandyC (Jun 16, 2010)

Anxious Angel said:


> I have bad handwriting, am bad at arts and crafts, I am really bad at math, bad at science, bad at jewelry and beads, bad with visual memory, am bad at drawing, get lost all the time, drop things, spill things, am bad at driving, am late all the time, have no sense of time, forget things, have trouble focusing, have a bad sense of direction, have trouble organizing thoughts and writing essays, have executive dysfunction, lose things, have trouble finding things, have trouble judging space and distance, I am very disorganized. NLD seems to cover deficits in visual perception and fine motor skills. However, I don't have all the symptoms. I am very good at reading nonverbal communication. I can read facial expressions and body language very well, I understand sarcasm and social cues and pragmatic language well and developed relationships well growing up. I also talk in a normal voice and don't have trouble changing my voice tone. I have a lot of intuition and understand hidden meanings well. I understand nuances and hidden meanings well and don't take things literally. I also have emotional intuition and can sense feelings well. My personality is more ADD than NLD, but I have symptoms of both. Ironically, I am more right brained, creative, disorganized.


that describes me to a T!...i've been diagnosed with ADD-inattentive type, Asperger's and NLD by 3 different dr's...it's impossible to have all 3! - and yet, like you, i don't fit any one category completely....hmmm, maybe you're onto something here - maybe we have an entirely *different* disorder - one that hasn't been discovered yet?!


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## rndmname (Dec 7, 2010)

that describes me too, except im a little more coordinated, and dont get lost too often, but every once in a while if im not paying attention ill just get swept up and not know where i am or anything, its actually kind of interesting when it happens, like your floating in a sea of nothingness... i too was diagnosed with inattentive add, then a neurologist diagnosed me with nonverbal learning disorder. its strange how im left handed for one and dont fit any of the major things with the disorder about understanding hidden meanings, intuition, right brained thinking, all that nonsense, and still "have it". but idk ever since then i might as well be deficient in all those areas since i got stuck believing all that about myself. but they said it was just the gap between my verbal abilities and nonverbal abilities that was the problem, but they were both pretty high so it might just not be too bad of a problem anyways idk


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## kmweiss5 (Sep 11, 2011)

*Our 11 year old has similar issues...*

I know these threads are old - have any of you found any information or gotten any clarification about these multiple disorders? We have an 11 year old who has the same multiple diagnoses and issues. She's had much PT and OT over the years but seems not to be progressing as she gets older.

Have any of you tried anything that has improved things for you? Do you have any suggestions? Thanks.


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## LynnNBoys (Jul 13, 2011)

kmweiss5 said:


> I know these threads are old - have any of you found any information or gotten any clarification about these multiple disorders? We have an 11 year old who has the same multiple diagnoses and issues. She's had much PT and OT over the years but seems not to be progressing as she gets older.
> 
> Have any of you tried anything that has improved things for you? Do you have any suggestions? Thanks.


Was she ever evaluated for Sensory Processing Disorder? Much of what the OP mentioned can be found under the classification of SPD. SPD often gets misdiagnosed as ADD, or as some learning disorders. If she still goes to OT, ask the therapist if she/he is trained to evaluate SPD. Some PT/OT is strictly for fine and gross motor skills but don't actually help SPD-wise. The OT has to be specific to the person's needs.

There's a link to the SPD checklist in my siggy.

My 10 year old has SPD and anxiety. He did OT for a little more than a year. Now we are more focused on his anxiety and social interactions. He goes to a weekly social skills group.


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## mystory (Nov 28, 2011)

Anxious Angel said:


> Some visual discrimination problems are
> 
> __ has difficulty telling the difference between similar printed letters or figures; i.e., p & q, b & d, + and x, or square and rectangle
> __ has a hard time seeing the "big picture"; i.e., focuses on the details or patterns within the picture
> ...


I have some of the Visual discrimination problems and most if not all of the motor skills deficits. It sucks living like this.


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## mystory (Nov 28, 2011)

> Originally Posted by *Anxious Angel*
> _I have bad handwriting, am bad at arts and crafts, I am really bad at math, bad at science, bad at jewelry and beads, bad with visual memory, am bad at drawing, get lost all the time, drop things, spill things, am bad at driving, am late all the time, have no sense of time, forget things, have trouble focusing, have a bad sense of direction, have trouble organizing thoughts and writing essays, have executive dysfunction, lose things, have trouble finding things, have trouble judging space and distance, I am very disorganized. NLD seems to cover deficits in visual perception and fine motor skills. However, I don't have all the symptoms. I am very good at reading nonverbal communication. I can read facial expressions and body language very well, I understand sarcasm and social cues and pragmatic language well and developed relationships well growing up. I also talk in a normal voice and don't have trouble changing my voice tone. I have a lot of intuition and understand hidden meanings well. I understand nuances and hidden meanings well and don't take things literally. I also have emotional intuition and can sense feelings well. My personality is more ADD than NLD, but I have symptoms of both. Ironically, I am more right brained, creative, disorganized._


I have all the things you say you have (except the part about creativity) and all the things you say you don't have. Basically every single negative trait I have. Evolution has not been too kind to me.


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## alan78 (Feb 3, 2012)

I am still trying to figure out whats up with me. I was diagnosed with ADHD inattentive 15 years ago. I have just found out about NVLD and it fits me to a T. Also i have severe communication problems and always thought i could be on the autistic spectrum. I would say i am a mix between ADHD, social anxiety, avoidant personality, agoraphobic, NVLD and possibly mildly autistic. I'm not sure a label exists for what i have yet.


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## WarriorGamer (Jun 6, 2013)

That describes me pretty well, especially the visual parts. I have never herd of this disorder but I think I may have it


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## ScottHalden (Jan 29, 2016)

I'm a truck unloader who spends a lot of time stocking grocery. I can pretty easily tell customers and coworkers where items are located. In fact, I am the go-to guy when it comes to grocery. Most the time I can even take them to the correct section of the correct aisle. But I almost always have trouble finding the specific product on the shelf. And then, I often mis-judge whether or not a full case of my item will fit on the shelf. Also, I am a bit of a hugger (which, as a straight American male, I have to take my hugs where I can get them) and have no sense of smell, so I can relate to this post a lot


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