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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


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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by laserfusion on Wednesday April 29 2020, @05:39PM (4 children)

    by laserfusion (1450) on Wednesday April 29 2020, @05:39PM (#988259)

    Are we allowed to discuss solutions such as genetic engineering, or only solutions such as building special needs schools.

    The difficulty in discussing such topics points to a deeper issue with our civilization.

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  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 29 2020, @06:11PM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 29 2020, @06:11PM (#988275)

    Special needs schools doesn't carry the baggage that eugenics and "master races" do. Plus, there is no evidence that genetic engineering can fix this problem without falling into the eugenics and "mater races" trap ("white blond people are smarter than black people, so lets make everyone white and blond").

    • (Score: 1) by laserfusion on Wednesday April 29 2020, @08:44PM (1 child)

      by laserfusion (1450) on Wednesday April 29 2020, @08:44PM (#988326)

      "white blond people are smarter than black people, so lets make everyone white and blond"

      You can choose whatever genetics you wish for your kids , I'm happy that.

      • (Score: 1) by laserfusion on Wednesday April 29 2020, @10:31PM

        by laserfusion (1450) on Wednesday April 29 2020, @10:31PM (#988347)

        Uh, just noticed the quote, anyway that's my response to them.

  • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Friday May 01 2020, @12:39PM

    by JoeMerchant (3937) on Friday May 01 2020, @12:39PM (#988898)

    I think all discussion is healthy, but... as tempting as genetic engineering sounds, there is value in diversity. If we're all restricted to blue eyed, blonde haired, fair skinned athletic offspring the future will be losing a lot.

    We did amnio, which is a form of genetic screening, and I would have been in favor of aborting for something clear like Downs' - but my wife would not have - we didn't get that choice. We did get autistic regression at age 2 and I did a lot of soul searching - I came to: if there was a magic wand cure that would transform my child from his present state to exact middle of the pool average, I don't want it. At 18 he's still severe, and I'd often be tempted to use the magic wand if I had it, but looking at what often happens with middle of the pool average 18 year olds, I'm still not sure it would be a good trade for either of us.

    About the blonde hair and blue eyes, where I grew up there was a commune of sorts out in the boonies - about 100 residents, and they appeared to be inbreeding. My dad taught them as they came through 10th grade science. All blonde hair and blue eyes, mostly athletic, and every single one as dumb as a post - according to him. And, the thing about being dumb in a community like that: you don't realize just how dumb you are.

    --
    🌻🌻 [google.com]