When a person with nonverbal learning disabilities (NLD or NVLD) interacts with an NT (neurotypical person) things can go wrong. No list can prevent all the ways it can go wrong, but here are some mistakes NT people make when interacting with us:
If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it: Letting LD people do what they can do
April 15, 2013 by 3 Comments
People with learning disabilities often have problems with certain tasks. For people with NLD, those tasks tend to be in nonverbal communication. But sometimes LD people (including NLD people) do things, but do them in a different way from most people. Many people with NVLD have trouble with math. I don’t have much trouble with […]
Nature nurture nonsense
March 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The question “Is it nature or nurture?”, sometimes called nature vs. nurture, or genes vs. environment is meaningless Take a human trait. Almost any human trait. Some of that trait is almost certainly caused by nature – by one’s genes. Some of that trait is almost certainly caused by nurture – by one’s environment. Nature […]
Spatial relationships and travel for NLD people
March 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment
I love living in New York City for many reasons. One that is directly related to my NVLD is that (at least where I live in Manhattan) the streets are (almost) a perfect grid (Broadway wrecks the perfection) and the east-west streets are numbered. After 86 comes 87! When I travel, my NVLD messes me […]
5 ways normal is boring
February 25, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Although I have given a mathematical proof that no one is normal, it is nevertheless the case that people use the word. And, as I note in that article, it is possible to be normal on one or two dimensions. So, compared to NVLD people like me, i guess some people are normal, in some […]
Online resources for nonverbal learning disability
February 6, 2013 by Leave a Comment
There are some good resources for people with NVLD. Not as many as for other LD, but there are some. In this post, I list online resources. If you know of ones I’ve missed, please let me know in a comment. I don’t include more general LD sites, although some of them do have some […]
Cities and NLD – I love NY!
February 3, 2013 by 4 Comments
Recently, I read Stranger in a Strange Land in which Paul, a man with Asperger’s syndrome visits a big city (London) and finds it rather overwhelming. I live in another big city (New York) and I find it almost ideal for my disability. Why this difference? Partly, of course, it’s what each of us is […]
Adventures in NLD land: What color is my room?
January 23, 2013 by 6 Comments
The other day I was trying to describe how my disability works. Those of you who have tried to do this about NLD will know that it isn’t easy. Describing some LDs is easier: Dyslexia involves trouble with reading; dyscalculia involves trouble with math. There are subtleties, but the general notion is clear. But what […]
Treating NLD people with dignity
January 10, 2013 by Leave a Comment
All people, whatever their abilities or disabilities, deserve to be treated with dignity. The free online dictionary defines dignity thus: The quality or state of being worthy of esteem or respect. What does this mean when dealing with people who are learning disabled and, more specifically, when dealing with people who have NLD? To me, […]
“In the kingdom of the blind….” thoughts on impairment and disability
January 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment
I have read that some people make a useful distinction between impairment and disability. Impairment is about actual neurology, biology, physiology and so on. Disability is about the effects of that impairment on life in the world. There is an old saying that “in the kingdom of the blind the one eyed man is king”. It […]
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