The syndrome of nonverbal learning disability (NLD), though suggested as a meaningful diagnosis decades ago (Johnson & Myklebust, 1967), remains a somewhat mysterious form of learning disorder. NLD does not have an entry in DSM-IV, the manual most commonly used by clinical diagnosticians, and it has not been delineated as its own category in the IDEA special education classification system. Children with NLD are typically labeled as “other health impaired,” and because of similarities in learning and behavioral profiles, individuals with NLD are frequently diagnosed with another disorder, like Asperger’s syndrome or attention deficits, which may or may not be co-occurring with NLD (Roman, 1998). In 1995 it was suggested that between 1 and 10 percent of individuals with learning disabilities have nonverbal learning disabilities, but this number is almost certainly an underestimation because of lack of understanding of the syndrome by professionals who would make such a diagnosis (Thompson, 1996).

The term “nonverbal” is used to describe the disorder because prominent language functions like reading and verbal output are not generally affected, which is in contrast to the majority of learning disabilities that are “language based” (Rourke & Tsatsanis, 1996). As will be discussed below, however, while some language capabilities are unaffected or even stronger than expected in individuals with NLD, some important language functions are often seriously impaired. The term “learning disability” is also somewhat misleading, as NLD can refer to the syndrome caused by various brain diseases and head injuries (Rourke, 1989).

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An understanding of the theoretical neuropsychological model behind the NLD syndrome will clarify the justification for these criteria and will help to develop a learning profile of individuals with NLD.

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