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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: 4, Informative) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday April 29 2020, @06:46PM (2 children)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday April 29 2020, @06:46PM (#988290) Journal

    I won't attempt to go into any depth here, but I've heard many times that there are six basic learning styles. The obverse of that coin, are the six teaching styles.

    Different people learn things in different ways. I'm pretty sure that has been an accepted fact of life for a long, long time now. Never mind that a quick internet search finds links that deny learning styles.

    But, still, the fact is, if I have a bunch of kids to read directions for something from a book, some of them can then follow the directions, but some cannot. If I show them, some of those kids can then do what I have shown them, but some can not. If I TELL them, verbally, some will "get it", and others will not. Some of those kids won't understand what I'm talking about until I allow them to get their fingers in the mess, and manipulate stuff, and they'll "get it".

    Seems to me, that here, maybe they are taking one of these groups, and segregating them from the rest, to assign a "disorder" to them. "If you can't conform, then there is something wrong with you."

    Of course, I have this antipathy to all those shrinks who tell us that almost everyone is screwed up in some way. How about we just accept people for what they are, and stop defining them as "disordered"?

    https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/mental-health-disorder-statistics [hopkinsmedicine.org]

    The following are the latest statistics available from the National Institute of Mental Health Disorders, part of the National Institutes of Health:

            Mental health disorders account for several of the top causes of disability in established market economies, such as the U.S., worldwide, and include: major depression (also called clinical depression), manic depression (also called bipolar disorder), schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

            An estimated 26% of Americans ages 18 and older -- about 1 in 4 adults -- suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.

            Many people suffer from more than one mental disorder at a given time. In particular, depressive illnesses tend to co-occur with substance abuse and anxiety disorders.

            Approximately 9.5% of American adults ages 18 and over, will suffer from a depressive illness (major depression, bipolar disorder, or dysthymia) each year.
                    Women are nearly twice as likely to suffer from major depression than men. However, men and women are equally likely to develop bipolar disorder.
                    While major depression can develop at any age, the average age at onset is the mid-20s.
                    With bipolar disorder, which affects approximately 2.6% of Americans age 18 and older in a given year -- the average age at onset for a first manic episode is during the early 20s.

            Most people who commit suicide have a diagnosable mental disorder -- most commonly a depressive disorder or a substance abuse disorder.
                    Four times as many men than women commit suicide. However, women attempt suicide more often than men.
                    The highest suicide rates in the U.S. are found in Caucasian men over age 85. However, suicide is also one of the leading causes of death in adolescents and adults ages 15 to 24.

            Approximately 1% of Americans are affected by schizophrenia.
                    In most cases, schizophrenia first appears in men during their late teens or early 20s. In women, schizophrenia often first appears during their 20s or early 30s.

            Approximately about 18% of people ages 18- 54 in a given year, have an anxiety disorder in a given year. Anxiety disorders include: panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and phobias (social phobia, agoraphobia, and specific phobia).
                    Panic disorder typically develops in late adolescence or early adulthood.
                    The first symptoms of OCD often begin during childhood or adolescence.
                    GAD can begin at any time, though the risk is highest between childhood and middle age.
                    Individuals with OCD frequently can have problems with substance abuse or depressive or eating disorders.
                    Social phobia typically begins in childhood or adolescence.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 29 2020, @09:02PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 29 2020, @09:02PM (#988330)

    Huh, didn't figure you for one of the touchy-feely positive energy only types.

    s - Certainly don't want any kids growing up in Amurrica with the idea that they might have some weaknesses!!!1!! - /s

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 30 2020, @05:53AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 30 2020, @05:53AM (#988448)

    Most people who commit suicide have a diagnosable mental disorderMost people who commit suicide have a diagnosable mental disorderMost people who commit suicide have a diagnosable mental disorder

    fuck me put it all on black and spin the fuckin wheel!