Nonverbal learning disability (NVLD) is a proposed category of neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by core deficits in visual-spatial processing and a significant discrepancy between verbal and nonverbal intelligence (where verbal intelligence is higher).[2] A review of papers found that proposed diagnostic criteria were inconsistent.[2] Proposed additional diagnostic criteria include intact verbal intelligence, and deficits in the following: visuoconstruction abilities, speech prosody,[3]fine motor coordination, mathematical reasoning, visuospatial memory and social skills.[4][5][6][7] NVLD is not recognised by the DSM-5 and is not clinically distinct from learning disorder.[8]
NVLD's symptoms can overlap with symptoms of autism spectrum, bipolar disorder, and ADHD. For this reason, some claim a diagnosis of NVLD is more appropriate in some subset of these cases.[3][9]
^Doty, Nathan (2019). "Nonverbal Learning Disability". The Massachusetts General Hospital Guide to Learning Disabilities: Assessing Learning Needs of Children and Adolescents. H. Kent Wilson, Ellen Braaten. Cham, Switzerland: Humana. ISBN978-3-319-98643-2. OCLC1080078884.
^Fine, Jodene Goldenring; Semrud-Clikeman, Margaret; Bledsoe, Jesse C.; Musielak, Kayla A. (March 2013). "A critical review of the literature on NLD as a developmental disorder". Child Neuropsychology. 19 (2): 190–223. doi:10.1080/09297049.2011.648923. ISSN0929-7049. PMID22385012. S2CID12655825.