Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by Fnord666 on Wednesday April 29 2020, @03:58PM   Printer-friendly

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

Nonverbal learning disability (NVLD), a poorly understood and often-overlooked disorder that causes problems with visual-spatial processing, may affect nearly 3 million children in the United States, making it one of the most common learning disorders, according to a new study by led by Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

The study, the first to estimate the prevalence of NVLD in the general population, was published online today in JAMA Network Open.

"NVLD is a huge and hidden public health burden," said Jeffrey Lieberman, Chair of Psychiatry at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and Director of the New York State Psychiatric Institute. "This important work might never have come to light if not for the support of dedicated advocate and their philanthropic support. We hope that these findings raise awareness of the disorder and lead to an understanding of its neurobiology and better treatments."

The name of this neurodevelopmental disorder may be part of the problem: children with NVLD are not nonverbal, as the name suggests, and have no difficulty reading. Instead, children with NVLD have difficulty processing visual-spatial sensory information, which can cause problems with math, executive function, and fine motor and social skills. "Children with this disorder might shy away from doing jigsaw puzzles or playing with Legos," says lead author Amy E. Margolis, PhD, assistant professor of medical psychology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. "They may have trouble tying their shoes, using scissors, or learning routes or schedules."

NVLD was first described in 1967, but compared with other learning disorders it has received little attention. There's little consensus among physicians on how to diagnose the disorder, and it is not included in the current edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The cause of NVLD is not known and there are no treatments.

Few parents have heard of NVLD. "Most parents recognize that a child who isn't talking by age two should be evaluated for a learning disorder. But no one thinks twice about kids who have problems with visual-spatial tasks," says Margolis.

[...] Margolis advises parents to seek evaluation for children with symptoms of NVLD. "Diagnosis can be accomplished using basic assessment tools," says Margolis. "It doesn't have to involve complex and costly neuropsychological testing. We envision that all clinicians who use DSM5 will be able to use our new criteria to determine who may meet criteria. They can then send patients for basic psychological testing that is always available through schools to identify/quantify a problem with visual-spatial processing."

-- submitted from IRC

Journal Reference:
Amy E. Margolis, Jessica Broitman, John M. Davis, Lindsay Alexander, Ava Hamilton, Zhijie Liao, Sarah Banker, Lauren Thomas, Bruce Ramphal, Giovanni A. Salum, Kathleen Merikangas, Jeff Goldsmith, Tomas Paus, Katherine Keyes, Michael P. Milham. Estimated Prevalence of Nonverbal Learning Disability Among North American Children and Adolescents. JAMA Network Open, 2020; 3 (4): e202551 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.2551


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Wednesday April 29 2020, @04:31PM (17 children)

    by Rosco P. Coltrane (4757) on Wednesday April 29 2020, @04:31PM (#988233)

    I have a weird problem (always have since I can remember): I'm "right-left" dyslexic. That is, I know my right and my left, but whenever I actually *say* right or left, half of the time I say the wrong word. Or if I have to point right or left, half of the times I point at the wrong direction. And the more I'm careful to get it right, the more I get it wrong.

    I have no other problem, just that weird habit. It's caused me quite a few embarrassing moments in my life, but not much more really. I've only met 2 people like me in my whole life, strangely enough. Or maybe only 2 with whom I had an occasion to discuss it, which isn't often.

    I wonder if I fit in the "NVLD" category - considering I've never had a learning disability, and I'm more at an age where one starts to forget rather than learn things. I've always been curious to know if my problem is known or recognized. So I figure this article is as good an occasion as any to ask on this here forum.

    Starting Score:    1  point
    Moderation   +2  
       Interesting=2, Total=2
    Extra 'Interesting' Modifier   0  
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   4  
  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by KilroySmith on Wednesday April 29 2020, @04:39PM (5 children)

    by KilroySmith (2113) on Wednesday April 29 2020, @04:39PM (#988239)

    My wife has something similar - when she's navigating for me in the car and needs to call out a left or right turn, she holds up a hand with the thumb and forefingers extended in the shape of an "L". If it looks right, then she knows that's her left hand, and can confidently tell me the direction to turn. As an engineer, she's obviously not dumb (nor is she blond), it's just the way her brain works for the aspect of remembering right from left.

    • (Score: 1) by hemocyanin on Wednesday April 29 2020, @05:08PM

      by hemocyanin (186) on Wednesday April 29 2020, @05:08PM (#988247) Journal

      Instead of L and R, how about "me" and "you", as in: "make a me up at the light".

    • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday April 29 2020, @05:36PM (3 children)

      by JoeMerchant (3937) on Wednesday April 29 2020, @05:36PM (#988258)

      My lab partner in college was Chinese, super bright but would walk out into traffic. Jet black hair - and blonde as they come.

      --
      🌻🌻 [google.com]
      • (Score: 2) by RS3 on Wednesday April 29 2020, @06:22PM (1 child)

        by RS3 (6367) on Wednesday April 29 2020, @06:22PM (#988281)

        "Lost in thought"?

      • (Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Wednesday April 29 2020, @06:56PM

        by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Wednesday April 29 2020, @06:56PM (#988295) Homepage

        Perhaps he was intoxicated by the aroma of pangolin soup or the Bacardi logo hanging from the nearby liquor store.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 29 2020, @05:01PM (5 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 29 2020, @05:01PM (#988243)

    I have a friend like that also. However, unlike you, his problem started later in life, after his time in the army.

    • (Score: 2) by RS3 on Wednesday April 29 2020, @06:17PM (4 children)

      by RS3 (6367) on Wednesday April 29 2020, @06:17PM (#988278)

      (Obviously) not saying that your friend has a disorder, but many mental disorders, including schizophrenia, develop in mid to late twenties. Not sure why that is.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 30 2020, @03:32AM (3 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 30 2020, @03:32AM (#988415)

        That's not quite right, they appear somewhere between teenage and late 20s typically. And that's coincidentally the period between peak brain growth and the point where the brain largely stood growing any larger. Which makes sense since schizophrenia is largely a neurologic disorder where the brain fails to properly regulate and prune neutral connections.

        • (Score: 2) by RS3 on Thursday April 30 2020, @04:38PM (2 children)

          by RS3 (6367) on Thursday April 30 2020, @04:38PM (#988633)

          Either you missed where I wrote "many", or your logic neurons are broken.

          I wrote "many" mental disorders, right? I did not write all. Nor did I write "none develop before mid-twenties."

          Please follow the context, too.

          I'm not disputing what you wrote about brain growth, etc. All true. But you did not have to dispute me by writing: "That's not quite right,". Your ego supersedes your logic. Maybe if you'd use a real login name, you'd proofread before hitting "submit"?

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 30 2020, @05:21PM (1 child)

            by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 30 2020, @05:21PM (#988653)

            Username shaming!

            How trite.

            • (Score: 2) by RS3 on Friday May 01 2020, @12:34AM

              by RS3 (6367) on Friday May 01 2020, @12:34AM (#988778)

              Try being on the other end.

              But I guess it all depends on how seriously you take this whole thing.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 29 2020, @05:05PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 29 2020, @05:05PM (#988245)

    I have a similar thing. I always have to stop and think for a second before saying left or right.

  • (Score: 2) by Kitsune008 on Wednesday April 29 2020, @07:43PM

    by Kitsune008 (9054) on Wednesday April 29 2020, @07:43PM (#988307)

    "Or maybe you don't know your ass from a hole in the ground." my granddad would tell me if I had said that. ;-)

    But I feel for you, man.

    I can't say if your condition is NVLD related or not, but since I had my stroke(very mild as far as strokes go), I find myself doing things similar to what you relate.
    It's monumentally frustrating to 'watch/hear' yourself fsck up like that as it happens, and no way to stop it...already forming corrections and explanations in my mind as it's happening, knowing that unless they are close to you and know of this condition, you will come off as a complete and utter fool.

    *sigh* Age may bring wisdom, but not without consequences.

  • (Score: 5, Funny) by FatPhil on Wednesday April 29 2020, @09:21PM (1 child)

    by FatPhil (863) <pc-soylentNO@SPAMasdf.fi> on Wednesday April 29 2020, @09:21PM (#988332) Homepage
    I'm with you on that, I've solved the problem another way - by adopting new terms. I have "right" and "the other right".
    --
    Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
    • (Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 30 2020, @01:39AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 30 2020, @01:39AM (#988381)

      Aristarchus and his Hulk Hogan fanclub call it "alt-right".

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 29 2020, @11:45PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 29 2020, @11:45PM (#988364)

    I have this, I know my right because I write with my right hand so physically put my index, forefinger and thumb into writing position. A physical check like pinching yourself in a dream and I still get it wrong verbally about 10% of the time when giving directions - confirming my right hand while shouting "left here".

    I've never had visual spacial problems although I've never been good at sport ball and I only get not useless at pool between 3 and 6 beers. Weird huh?