NLDLine

Recognizing NLD Signs In Myself

When I was reading about NLD on the Internet today, I found several web sites that discuss children w/NLD, but very little about NLD's impact on adults.

I am inquiring because I recognize many of the NLD signs in myself, and memory tells me I presented with many NLD signs as a child. For instance, I had difficulty with handwriting and spatial concepts, and I was extremely socially inept, even ostracized. I learned to read before I entered school, and excelled on standardized tests, but in high school I got D's in typing, algebra, and geometry; in addition, I was always bumping into things, "tripping over my own feet," and confusing "left" with "right," etc.

As an adult, I have difficulty judging distances while driving; I get lost very easily; I cannot remember faces, visual landmarks, or visual details; I have difficulty following directions and still tend to confuse my left with my right; I have a hard time following detailed instructions unless I "talk to myself," (plus I can rarely follow more than one instruction at at time); I avoid anything to do with mechanical and/or household repairs; and, perhaps most significantly, I was administered an IQ test when I was 22, which resulted in superior-range verbal scores but almost below-average performance scores. (I remember that the administering psychologist said it was one of
the most profound discrepancies he'd ever seen).

However, it was not until I read about NLD on the Internet today that I discovered its affiliation with anxious and depressive disorders. I've been dealing with obsessive-compulsive rituals and frequent depressive episodes
since I was in grade school, and I never thought (until today) that I might be able to find new treatment options based on rectifying my visual-spatial and motor deficits. Are there any practitioners who treat psychiatric problems
WITHIN THE CONTEXT of nonverbal processing problems? I'd be interested in any information you could provide.

Sincerely,
Dana