By guest author Anna Super.
It might seem contradictory to write about NLD -non-verbal learning disability – and difficulties with literacy homework. After all, those of us with NLD have strong verbal skills, right? Don’t our difficulties fall into the areas of non-verbal skills, such as motor skills, spatial skills, and often mathematics? Aren’t we supposed to be strong in in reading and literacy?
Growing up with NLD I was very verbally oriented and interested in learning everything I could, but I did have a significant reading delay. I really couldn’t read until I was 11-years-old.
I was diagnosed with specific learning disabilities in the late 1980s, before NLD was a known diagnosis. For years I simply assumed I had dyslexia. When I was diagnosed in 2010 with NLD, at the age of 28, I was again perplexed. I was told the testing proved I did not have dyslexia, but that I had this learning disability that affected non-verbal skills. I’m a strong reader now, but why did I have this reading delay? As I talked further to others, I learned that not every person with NLD learns to read at an early age. Many of us do have reading delays. Decoding the words on a page is not the same as the verbal skills we excel at because it is partly a visual skill.
Reading comprehension is a challenge for many with NLD. It can be difficult for us to make sense of a lot of details being presented to us in an amount of time that seems fast paced to us (although it may not seem fast paced to others). If your child is diagnosed with NLD it is important to keep these reading difficulties in mind as they progress through school.
Literacy homework seems pretty simple. “Go home,” the teacher tells his or her students, “and read a couple chapters. We’ll discuss it tomorrow.” If the student struggles with comprehension the way I did as a child, this simple assignment can be amazingly overwhelming.
Books on tape is a good way to get the information in the story if decoding the sounds is the struggle, but I think to truly educate a student on literacy it is important to go deeper into material to improve their skills. It can help if a tutor or parent works with the student directly. The adult can explain the idea of the story ahead of time before the student begins reading.
My favorite book from school, in fact my all time favorite book, is The Giver by Lois Lowry. It can be a hard book to follow because it takes place in an alternative society. The ideas that follow can help the teacher, parent, or tutor prepare the student for the story before they begin reading. This book is a futuristic fantasy story about a 12-year-old boy named Jonas. Jonas lives in a world where government and laws control everything. For example, people have their professions chosen for them when they are 12, they have their life partners chosen for them and the children that they raise are given to them by society. There is no pain, but there is also no true happiness or pleasure. People don’t even see color anymore. Reds, greens, blues, everything that makes things stand out, and everything that makes things different is gone.
When introducing the first chapter, ask students to watch out for things that are different than their real life. For example, in the story all citizens have to listen to commands that are voiced through public address (PA) systems in their village. There are no secrets. As students take note of these differences during their reading, the NLD student can follow these specific points to help her make sense of the story’s details. It will then be easier for the student, as it would have been easier for me, to comprehend the chapter.
As I often say when I talk about students with NLD, it is important to pay attention to how much reading the student can do before they become overwhelmed and are therefore no longer learning. Once you have discovered how much the student can read, you can finish the assigned reading together. The teacher or parent can read the rest of the chapter to the student. During these readings, the adult should pause periodically to ask questions about what is going on in the story and answer any questions the student may have. This will help the student follow the story and make sense of all the details they are being presented with, even with a fantasy story like The Giver.
Anna is a freelance writer, taking on projects as varied as stories about her ups and downs with NLD and Dyscalculia to copywriting projects that help businesses and organizations connect their products and services to their customers. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in journalism from Keene State College and was a staff reporter at the former newspapers The Connecticut Valley Spectator and the Argus Champion. Through her writing, Anna hopes to bring more awareness to learning disabilities, especially the little known ones she has, and help others with learning disabilities succeed in their lives. Anna can be reached at Anna.Super01@gmail.com.