Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NVLD) is a lifelong condition that affects visual and spatial processing, motor skills, abstract thinking, and social skills.
As many as 1 out of 25 people has NVLD, but the condition has long been misunderstood and misdiagnosed. (Even today, it is not listed in the DSM.) Because the disorder is poorly understood, many adults living with NVLD were never diagnosed or treated as children.
While early intervention is helpful, adults living with NVLD can still benefit from therapies and accommodations. If you believe you may have NVLD, seeking a diagnosis and treatment can help you understand yourself better and adjust your life to accommodate the condition.
What does NVLD look like in adults?
NVLD looks different for everyone, but adults with NVLD may face challenges with social interactions, work life, and navigating daily responsibilities. They often recall having challenges in childhood, and they may grow into “homebodies” who prefer predictable routines.
Childhood memories and mental health of people with NVLD
People diagnosed with NVLD as adults often remember difficult childhoods, and they might be relieved to finally have an explanation for all of the challenges they faced as children—from having trouble solving puzzles and playing games, to feeling left out socially, to struggling with math and reading comprehension in school. Because of these tough childhoods, many people with NVLD suffer from low self-esteem and anxiety. Seeking treatment such as behavioral therapy can be extremely helpful for adults with NVLD.
Social challenges for adults with NVLD
Many adults with NVLD struggle to maintain friendships and romantic relationships, and they may have a hard time navigating other social situations. Signs of NVLD include:
- Being accused of being “too literal” and struggling to understand jokes, sarcasm, and metaphors
- Feeling anxious in social situations
- Talking for too long or sharing too much personal information
- Asking inappropriate questions, or too many questions
- Getting easily distracted and not listening well
- Misunderstanding body language, tone, and facial expressions
- Missing social cues
Symptoms of NVLD at work
Adults with NVLD can have successful careers, but they may face unique challenges at work. Signs of NVLD at work include:
- Trouble staying organized and tracking tasks
- Missing deadlines
- Struggling to follow multi-step directions; may skip steps or fail to finish work
- Difficulty adjusting to changes in the workplace
- Needing specific, explicit directions (struggling to “read between the lines” or draw inferences)
- Trouble summarizing materials or comprehending longer written documents
- Known for getting “lost in the details”
- Interrupting coworkers; talking too much about things that others regard as trivial
Signs of adult NVLD in daily life
Adults with NVLD thrive in predictable, routine environments. Common signs of adult NVLD in everyday life include:
- Preferring to stay home; little interest in trying new things or going to new places
- Experiencing anxiety or frustration when routines are interrupted
- Trouble interpreting visual information, like maps and charts
- No “sense of direction,” easily gets lost
- Clumsiness, trouble judging distances
- Difficulty multitasking
- Forgetfulness and disorganization in daily tasks like paying bills
Best careers for adults with NVLD
Living with NVLD can be challenging, but adults with NVLD are often intelligent, hardworking, kind, and resourceful. With the right strategies and accommodations, adults with NVLD can be successful at work and achieve great things.
Adults with NVLD will perform best in work that is highly routine and predictable, takes place in a calm environment, and doesn’t require high levels of physical coordination or social finesse. You might consider careers such as:
- Early childhood education: working in daycares or preschools, where the daily routine is extremely predictable and reliable.
- Clerical work where the tasks are highly routine
- Physical work (that does not require detailed fine motor skills), such as cleaning or landscaping
But a wide range of careers beyond that is available for adults with NVLD. For example, you can read a story of a successful speech therapist with NVLD here, and one of a statistician here. Despite people with NVLD having a reputation as struggling to understand humor, comedian Chris Rock was famously diagnosed with NVLD.