Gus Walz and Nonverbal Learning Disorder: Shedding Light on a Hidden Condition
The heartfelt reaction of 17-year-old Gus Walz to his father, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention thrust him into the spotlight, and with it, his experience with nonverbal learning disorder (NVLD). This sudden visibility has made Gus one of the most high-profile individuals associated with this often misunderstood condition.
Understanding Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NVLD)
NVLD is a learning disability characterized by a significant discrepancy between verbal abilities and nonverbal skills, particularly those involving visual-spatial processing. It's important to note that NVLD doesn't impair a person's ability to speak; Gus Walz, for instance, demonstrated his verbal capabilities when he proudly exclaimed, "That's my dad!" after hearing his father's speech.
Prevalence and Recognition
A 2020 study estimated that as many as 2.9 million children and adolescents in North America may have NVLD. Another study this year in Scientific Reports concluded that the prevalence in children may be as high as 8%. Despite its prevalence, NVLD lacks a formal clinical definition and isn't yet recognized in the American Psychiatric Assn.’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The condition was first recognized in 1967. Amy Margolis, director of the Environment, Brain, and Behavior Lab at Columbia University, is part of a group of researchers that is beginning to call the disability “developmental visual-spatial disorder” in an effort to better describe how it affects people who have it. Margolis is trying to get NVLD recognized by the DSM-5, the handbook health care providers use to diagnose mental health conditions.
Core Characteristics
People with NVLD often excel in verbal areas, possessing strong vocabularies, a knack for memorization, and the ability to recall facts. However, they face challenges with nonverbal learning, which encompasses a range of skills crucial for navigating the world. These challenges include:
- Visual-Spatial Processing: Difficulty telling time on an analog clock, reading a map, remembering how to navigate spaces or fitting blocks together.
- Motor Skills: Clumsiness, trouble with tasks like tying shoes, using silverware, and handwriting.
- Higher-Order Thinking: Difficulties organizing thoughts and planning projects with multiple steps.
- Pattern Recognition: Struggle noticing patterns and applying concepts, which impacts reading comprehension and advanced math.
Santhosh Girirajan, the T. Ming Chu professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and professor of genomics at Penn State said that these individuals are very intelligent and articulate well verbally, but they are typically clumsy with motor and spatial coordination. It’s called a learning disorder because there are a lot of cues other than verbal cues that are necessary for us to keep information in our memory.
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Social Implications
Beyond academic and practical challenges, NVLD can also impact social interactions. Individuals with NVLD may struggle to interpret nonverbal cues like facial expressions and body language, leading to social awkwardness. They might ask many questions to compensate, which can be perceived as annoying. Difficulties with visual-spatial processing can also make it hard to respect personal space. Furthermore, challenges with pattern recognition can hinder their ability to relate past experiences to new situations. These traits can make it difficult to form and maintain friendships.
The Walz Family's Experience
Tim Walz and his wife Gwen noticed differences between Gus and his classmates from an early age, and that those differences “became increasingly clear” as he grew older. Gus was recognized as having NVLD “when he was becoming a teenager,” the Walzes said, adding that he also has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and an anxiety disorder. It’s not uncommon for people with NVLD to have an ADHD diagnosis as well, according to the Child Mind Institute. Both conditions can make a child seem disorganized or inattentive; in the case of NVLD, it’s because they don’t understand the assignment being discussed.
The Walzes told People magazine that Gus “preferred video games and spending more time by himself,”.
NVLD: Not the Opposite of Dyslexia, But a Distinct Challenge
Scott Bezsylko, executive director of Winston Preparatory School, notes that NVLD is "like the opposite of having dyslexia" in the sense that reading is typically not a problem, and people with NVLD often have a large vocabulary. However, the challenges arise when learning requires noticing patterns and applying concepts, impacting reading comprehension and advanced math skills. Unlike other learning disabilities such as dyslexia, signs of the disability typically don't become apparent until adolescence. Early in elementary school, learning is focused largely on memorization - learning words or performing straightforward mathematical equations, at which people with NVLD typically excel. Social skills are also more concrete, such as playing a game of tag at recess. Laura Phillips, senior director and senior neuropsychologist of the Learning and Development Center at the Child Mind Institute, a nonprofit organization in New York, said that as you get older, there’s a lot more subtlety, like sarcasm, that you have to understand in social interactions, that these kids might not understand.
Overlap with Other Conditions
Some features of NVLD also overlap with those of autism spectrum disorder. People with NVLD may be socially awkward because they don’t recognize the meaning behind facial expressions, body language and other nonverbal forms of communication. They may compensate by asking a lot of questions, which can come off as annoying. Difficulty with visual-spatial processing can make it hard for those with NVLD to respect other people’s personal space. Plus, their challenges with pattern recognition give them trouble relating past experiences to new situations. Margolis led a 2019 study that found that although kids with autism spectrum disorder and NVLD often have overlapping traits, the underlying neurobiology - that is, what’s happening in their brains to cause these traits - is unique between the two conditions.
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The Adult Perspective: Chris Rock's Experience
Comedian Chris Rock shared his experience of being diagnosed with NVLD as an adult, explaining how it shed light on past challenges. Although he’s great with words, “I kind of have a hard time with nonverbal cues with people. I always have,” Rock said in a 2021 interview with Extra. “They say 70% of communication is nonverbal. So my relationships, even with my family or women I dated or whatever, there was always something a little off, and I couldn’t put my finger on it.”
Causes and Brain Function
The causes of NVLD are not clear. Although the deficits associated with the condition involve processes that occur in the right hemisphere of the brain, studies sponsored by the NVLD Project that compared brain scans of people with and without the disorder found differences in both hemispheres.
Strategies for Success
Regardless, the condition does not affect intelligence, and people can learn strategies to compensate for their shortcomings. Successful interventions can include practice taking a problem and breaking it up into manageable pieces, or looking for patterns in complicated texts. As their skills improve, they develop a library of “scripts” that can help them in new situations, according to the Child Mind Institute. If they don’t have a suitable script on hand, they’ll have experience with creating a new one. The same approach may help people with NVLD get better at navigating social situations as well, experts say.
Embracing Neurodiversity
It seems the Walzes have taken this advice to heart. “It took us time to figure out how to make sure we did everything we could to make sure Gus would be set up for success as he was growing up,” they told People. Being neurodivergent means Gus “is brilliant [and] hyper-aware of details that many of us pass by,” the Walzes added. “What became so immediately clear to us was that Gus’ condition is not a setback - it’s his secret power.”
Personal Reflections on Living with NVLD
Like Gus, I’m the second born in a white, middle-class, Midwestern family. I also come from a family of educators and passionate community organizers. Seeing his incredible pride and joy at his father’s nomination stood out to me, in a convention filled with emotive expressions across all platforms. Currently, our culture is still mired in an era stuffed with negativity and hatred on all media platforms. Thus, seeing a young man driven to expressive, joyful emotion was refreshing to see. Why? After all, I do fit in many of the boxes that are deemed successful in American society. I’d probably get a pat on the back and be invited to one of their volleyball games. I struggle with subtle social cues, which used to cause extreme anxiety over whether or not people liked me, or if I said the wrong thing in public. I am a perfect target for gaslighting, where I am unsure if something happened within a social setting by other people. I have lost friends over a gaffe or two that I did not realize was so hurtful (and no apology, however heartfelt, would solve). I have issues with auditory processing, making my voice too loud for some. Before I was medicated for another disability, I would have trouble sometimes with my emotions, being too expressive or emotive for some social situations that called for the opposite. Having NVLD, and receiving both occupational therapy and medication has taught me empathy, as well as patience. Indeed, for individuals with NVLD, we walk a strange line. Our learning disability is not as common as ADHD, and many common traits of NVLD also fall into other patterns of neurodiversity, such as autism-spectrum disorder.
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