Characteristics of a Nonverbal LD
Or a Visual- Spatial LD Without Social Skills Deficits
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Jackie Earle-Cruickshanks, M.A., M.S
I. Motoric Difficulties
History of poor psycho-motor coordination
Avoids exploration of sensory-motor environment
Fails to develop a tactile-visual schema of the world
Is more interested in verbally labeling objects
Avoids puzzles or construction toys
Prefers to verbally engage when playing
Exhibits faulty balance perceptions
History of poor fine motor development
Has difficulty with scissors and pencil grasp
Learns to tie shoes late
Draws letters rather than writes them
Writes slowly, with heavy pencil pressure
II. Visual-Spatial-Organizational Weaknesses
Displays problems with visual imagery
Has difficulty discriminating and recognizing visual relationships
Lacks the ability to play with visual images mentally
Struggles to mentally analyze what is seen and then rearrange parts to
solve problems and make decisions
Has weak left-right directional concepts
Displays weak visual form constancy
Has underdeveloped concept formation
Labels everything that happens verbally, including experiences and visual
information which others perceive automatically
Demonstrates poor memory for novel or complex material which cannot be
verbally coded
Neglects to use terms for spatial references
Uses well-developed rote memory skills and a remarkable memory for detail
Reference: The Source for Nonverbal Learning Disorders by Sue Thompson.
Published by LinguiSystems
1-800-PRO IDEA
Nonverbal Learning Disability, or visual-spatial learning disability is often not identified.
Cognitive Characteristics:
• slow processing speed
• excellent short-term rote memory for facts
• more difficulty with higher level abstract reasoning
• nonverbal reasoning is less developed than verbal thinking skills
• Performance IQ < Verbal IQ
• weak in concepts formation and problem solving
• attention to visual detail weak
Language Characteristics:
• well developed rote language skills: phonology and syntax
• have little difficulty with structured, routinized aspects of language
• deficient in the rules of social discourse
• fail to appreciate irony, humor, metaphors
• able to repeat sentences verbatim well
• weak prosody
• underdeveloped semantics and pragmatics
• well-developed oral vocabulary
• discourse often rambling, marked by minimal structure and cohesion
Academic Characteristics:
• decoding skills superior to reading comprehension (hyperlexic)
• reading comprehension and listening skills both weak
• spelling skills good by late elementary years
• written expression poor- good mechanics, many details, weak content math concepts weaker than math computation skills
• difficulty solving word problems
• confused by visual diagrams- needs to learn by verbal "scripts"
Learn best by repeated over practice of detail until they can extrapolate
concepts.
Do not learn well when presented with concepts and working to details.
Need to talk their way through tasks.