How My Nonverbal Learning Disability Affects My Coordination
Nonverbal learning disability mainly involves a visual-spatial processing deficit or challenges. Along with that, many of us with NVLD struggle with fine motor and gross motor coordination. What does that look like for me, a 27-year-old adult?
It means that ever since I was little, I have had a harder time using scissors and holding pens and pencils correctly. Writing in a straight line and coloring within the lines have never been easy for me. I also sometimes struggle with cutting my food. I have a hard time with buttons, zippers, and tying my shoes. These are things that I honestly thought I would “outgrow” as I grew up, but simply put, I haven’t. Don’t get me wrong — I have made improvements, but I still have struggles in said areas.
Then there is my gross motor coordination. I bump into walls on a daily basis. I also spill drinks on myself regularly — to the point that my friend’s mom nicknamed me “the spiller” in high school! I am not a natural at sports; long-distance running is the only one that I was ever able to become good at, and this was due to hard work and dedication. Anything involving a ball and hand-eye coordination is a hard pass for me.
Nonverbal learning disability makes other things hard too — like working memory, processing speed, math, social skills, and staying organized. Coordination challenges are just one aspect of it. It is a learning disability that is not officially in the DSM-5, but hopefully, one day it will be, as many neuropsychologists diagnose it. I belong to a Facebook group where I have interacted with many others with NVLD (or parents of children with NVLD); it has been very helpful for me to see that I am far from alone in my struggles. It has also shown me another important aspect to remember — that NVLD is a spectrum disorder. It affects each person differently. One person may struggle with their social skills more while another is more profoundly affected by challenges with math and visual-spatial processing.
The best thing about finding out I have NVLD as an adult isn’t just having a name to why I bump into walls on a daily basis — it’s been finding community.
If you have NVLD, I hope you’ll join my Mighty group here.
Getty image by Cunaplus M Faba.
Kaden M (he/they) is a graduate student, working towards obtaining an MFA in creative writing. He is writing a fiction novel, a nonfiction memoir, and a book of poems. He loves traveling, books, dogs, and is an advocate for mental illness and neurodiversity. He has also recently come out as queer and trans and wants to be an advocate for this community as well. He writes about many conditions, including: Bipolar disorder, depression, OCD, ADHD, anxiety, (C)PTSD, Anorexia, Borderline Personality, learning disabilities, Autism/Sensory processing issues... in other words, his experiences with mental illness and as a neurodivergent individual. Kaden also advocates, shares his stories, and general positivity (Oh, and photos of his two dogs!) on his public instagram account @obsessive.but.awesome
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