Welcome to NLDline!
Hello from NLDline. Once more, thank you for youroverwhelming response to this website. There have now been over 1,000,000 visits to thesite from all over the world. The hope is to continue building a national andinternational NLD database in order to network parents, NLD adults andprofessionals. Educating the caregivers and associates of individuals with NLD isthe prime goal of this website; next is the desire to network those interested inNLD. With these goals comes the desire to gain recognition, understanding andaccommodations for the individuals who are affected by this often-misunderstood learning disability. You can be reassuredthat you are not alone in the quest for NLD information. Please be patientand call back if youhave phoned the NLD Hotline (831) 624 3542 and not received a callback within two weeks. If youhave emailed NLDline, there is presently a backlog; with patience, your email will be answered. In addition, be looking for newfeatures which will arrive online as time permits. Please remember that NLDlineand NLDA are completely separate entities: NLDA is the national NLDorganization and can be reached by going to www.NLDA.org.
NLD LETTER AND INFORMATION PACKET
What is NLD? Nonverbal learning disorders (NLD) is a neurological syndrome consisting ofspecific assets and deficits. The assets include early speech and vocabularydevelopment, remarkable rote memory skills, attention to detail, early reading skillsdevelopment and excellent spelling skills. In addition, these individuals have theverbal ability to express themselves eloquently. Moreover, persons with NLD havestrong auditory retention. Four major categories of deficits and dysfunction alsopresent themselves:
•motoric (lack ofcoordination, severe balance problems, and difficulties with graphomotor skills).
•visual-spatial-organizational (lackof image, poor visual recall, faulty spatial perceptions, difficulties withexecutive functioning* and problems with spatial relations).
•social (lack of abilityto comprehend nonverbal communication, difficulties adjusting to transitions and novelsituations, and deficits in social judgment and social interaction).
•sensory (sensitivityin any of the sensory modes: visual, auditory, tactile, taste orolfactory)
*definition of executive functioning: Neuropsychological functions including, but perhaps not limited to, decisionmaking, planning, initiative, assigningpriority, sequencing, motor control, emotionalregulation, inhibition, problem solving, planning, impulse control, establishinggoals, monitoring results of action,self-correcting. From http://www.behavenet.com/
What is the importance of NLDline? NLDlinehas been developed in hopes of increasing the awarenessamong parents and professionals about NLD. Early intervention yields the bestprognosis for these individuals, and it is imperative to be educated about NLD in order tointervene at an early age. Also, many individuals with NLD and relatedneurocognitive learning disorders develop secondary neurobiological disorders – anxietydisorders, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder,phobias and depression, as well as suicidal tendencies. Because of the widespreadlack of understanding in all fields, many individuals with NLD are mis-diagnosed and aretherefore not currently receiving appropriate intervention and services.
What is the purpose of NLDline? Until Sue Thompson’s LDA GRAM articles and book on NLD.came out (original beta copy”I Shouldn’t Have To Tell You!” was first self-published in 1996), it was almostimpossible to find practical information concerning Nonverbal Learning Disorders. The response to her book currently titled The Source for Nonverbal Learning Disorders published byLinguiSystems, Inc., ($41.95) 800-776-4332, ISBN #0760601631, has been astounding.Order by visiting the website: http://www.linguisystems.com/itemdetail.php?id=19.
NLDline understands how important itis for families of children diagnosed with NLD and related disorders, educators who teachchildren with NLD, medical professionals working with individuals diagnosed with NLD, andindividuals with NLD who are seeking support, to have access to as much information as iscurrently available. In this book, and others recently published, you will find the support, hope, affirmation, resources, andencouragement you are seeking with the information presented at this site and in the linksavailable from this site.
Where can I go from here? NLDlinecontinues working on a national database to network those parents, professionals and otherindividuals interested in NLD. You can help by informing NLDline when you find an”NLD-knowledgeable” clinic, neuropsychologist, advocate, tutor, doctor,occupational therapist, speech pathologist, educational therapist or other professionalwho seems able to help you out. In this way, your referral information can be passedon to the next person who contacts this website from your area. Please feel free toask questions; e-mailing NLDline isa good way to communicate. Please be patient. This is a volunteer effort andit is hard to keep up with the tremendous amount of e-mail received. If you don’treceive an answer within 4 or 5 days, please try again. In the meantime, the INFORMATION PACKET should give you a brief overviewof some helpful NLD hints.
Thank you for visiting this web site. And thank you to everyone who has made a contribution to this site and to theunderstanding of NLD. Intense gratitude is extended to all of the dedicatedresearchers, especially Dr. Byron P. Rourke and his colleagues at the University ofWindsor, whose work in the field of learning disabilities has been instrumental inisolating the NLD syndrome and in formulating the NLD white matter model, and toSue Thompson, whose articles and book, The Source for Nonverbal LearningDisorders, translated the scientific facts into practical and usefulinformation for the NLD world at large.
PS As you browse through NLDline,remember that there is much still to come. There are many areas that are still underconstruction, many that will continuously be updated and others that are just beingcreated.
DISCLAIMER: NLDline is designed for educationalpurposes only. The contents of this website are not medical, legal, technicalor therapeutic advice and must not be construed as such. The informationcontained herein is not intended to substitute for informed professional diagnosis, adviceor therapy. Visitors should not use this information to diagnose or treat NLD without alsoconsulting a qualified medical or educational professional.
Updated:9. 26. 02