Nonverbal learning disorder (NVLD) is a recognised pattern of difficulties but not an official diagnosis, and a 2020 study estimated that 3% to 4% of children and adolescents fit its profile. [margolis-2020] It describes a child who reads and speaks well yet struggles with visual-spatial tasks, and often with maths, coordination and social situations. This guide covers how NVLD is defined, how common it may be, what it overlaps with, what the research cannot show and what to do if it sounds familiar. Our overview of learning disorders covers the wider picture.
Is nonverbal learning disorder a real diagnosis?
It is a recognised pattern but not an official diagnosis. NVLD is not in the DSM-5, and there has been some lack of consensus on its criteria. [margolis-2020] The 2020 study notes that the ICD-10 provides a code for visuospatial deficit (R41.842) that may capture it. [margolis-2020]
A 2025 work group set out to fix that. Although existing research points to NVLD as a distinct disorder, it is not in the diagnostic systems and is defined in different ways, so the group reached consensus on a DSM-style definition and renamed the disorder developmental visual-spatial disorder (DVSD) to reflect its core deficit. The criteria will be included in a proposal asking the DSM to list DVSD as a condition for further study. [fisher-2025]
How is nonverbal learning disorder defined?
As visual-spatial weakness with intact reading, though the definition has been narrowing. The 2020 study described NVLD as a neurodevelopmental disorder with deficits in visual-spatial processing but not in reading or verbal ability, with problems in math calculation, visual executive functioning, fine-motor skills and social skills often present. [margolis-2020]
To count a child, it required a visual-spatial deficit (performance at or below the 16th percentile, or a gap of 15 points or more between verbal and visual-spatial scores) with intact single-word reading, deficits in at least 2 of 4 areas (fine-motor skills, math calculation, visual executive functioning, social skills), and no evidence of autism. [margolis-2020]
The 2025 group moved away from that. During its iterative process the criteria shifted from syndromic, multi-area and quantitative to single focused and more clinically oriented, describing persistent deficits in one area: processing or integrating visual and spatial information. [fisher-2025]
| Source | How NVLD is described |
|---|---|
| 2020 prevalence study | Visual-spatial deficit, intact reading, plus trouble in 2 of 4 other areas |
| 2025 work group | Persistent deficits in processing or integrating visual and spatial information |
How common is nonverbal learning disorder?
An estimated 3% to 4% of children and adolescents, according to one study. It used three samples of 2,596 young people aged 6 to 19, and after statistical adjustment estimated prevalence at 2.78% in one New York sample, 3.87% in another and 3.10% in a Canadian community sample. That translates to roughly 2.2 million to 2.9 million US children. [margolis-2020]
Weighted prevalence estimates of the NVLD profile in the Healthy Brain Network, Nathan Kline Institute-Rockland and Saguenay Youth Study samples, Margolis et al. (2020), 2,596 children and adolescents aged 6 to 19.
Earlier estimates had been much wider. Studies of children already known to have learning disabilities put NVLD at anywhere from 1% to 25% of them, and the authors described theirs as the first estimate from large community-based samples. [margolis-2020]
What does nonverbal learning disorder overlap with?
Mostly ADHD and anxiety. Among children who met the NVLD criteria, the most common diagnosis was ADHD (69.3% in the larger New York sample and 33.3% in the other), followed by an anxiety disorder (32.9% and 13.3%). [margolis-2020] The authors argue NVLD differs from ADHD because its overt behaviours stem from underlying visual-spatial deficits. [margolis-2020]
A striking figure points the other way: between 7% and 50% of children who met the criteria had no diagnosis at all in those samples. [margolis-2020] That is the authors’ case for recognition, since a child without a diagnosis may not get services, though it is also what you would expect if the criteria sweep in children with mild or unrelated difficulties.
What can this research not show?
It cannot show that NVLD is a single distinct condition, how to treat it or how many children actually have it. Five limits matter most:
- The definition is unsettled. The 2025 work group says the condition is defined heterogeneously and is not in the diagnostic systems, and its own criteria changed during the process. [fisher-2025]
- The prevalence figure is modelled. Two of the three samples overrepresented psychiatric disorders, so the authors applied sample and inflation weights, and they used ADHD rates to do it. [margolis-2020]
- The samples were North American. The authors note that divergences by geography or culture are possible. [margolis-2020]
- No direct visuomotor measures. The data sets had no direct measures of visuomotor skills, a key component of the visual-spatial deficit, and used different tests across samples. [margolis-2020]
- Funding comes partly from an advocacy foundation. The 2020 study was partly funded by The NVLD Project, which it says had no role in design or analysis, and the 2025 report discloses funding from the same foundation for some authors’ work. [margolis-2020] [fisher-2025]
What can families do if this sounds familiar?
Ask for an assessment of the specific difficulties, instead of waiting for a label. This section is our suggestion and is not something the studies tested, though the 2020 authors suggest recognition could lead to more school accommodations and support. [margolis-2020]
A neuropsychological or psychological assessment can show where a child’s visual-spatial, maths, motor and social skills sit, and whether ADHD or anxiety is also present, which is where most children with this profile are found. Our guides to dyscalculia, dyspraxia and dysgraphia cover three of the neighbouring difficulties, and our anxiety in children guide covers the anxiety side.
No screener on this site covers learning disorders. The self-assessment hub lists the seven we do have, and none is built for this question.
When to seek help
Speak to your child’s doctor or school if a child who talks and reads well keeps struggling with maths, drawing, handwriting, finding their way, coordination or reading social situations, especially if worry or low mood has set in. Early assessment is easier to arrange than later catching up. If anyone feels unable to stay safe, contact your local emergency services or a crisis helpline.
How MyFreud can help
For a parent, a record is useful before an assessment. Daily mood tracking in MyFreud shows how days go over weeks, and the notepad is somewhere to note what was hard, when and how it felt. It does not replace an assessment by a professional.
Download MyFreud and start today: App Store or Google Play.