After his heartfelt reaction to his father's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention put him in the spotlight, 17-year-old Gus Walz has become one of the most prominent people with nonverbal learning disorder.
The condition doesn't mean Gus can't talk — he does. After listening to his father, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, describe his family as “my whole world” Wednesday night, the tearful teen stood up, pointed toward the stage and said, “That's my dad!”
Gus is one of millions of Americans who have nonverbal learning disorder. A 2020 study published in JAMA Network Open estimated that 3% to 4% of U.S. children and adolescents may have the condition, and another study published this year in Scientific Reports found the prevalence in children may be as high as 8%.
The condition, known as NVLD, was first recognized in 1967 and still has no formal clinical definition. It is characterized by a significant gap between verbal skills (which are fine) and nonverbal types of learning that involve visuospatial processing, such as telling time on an analog clock, reading a map and balancing a budget.
According to the NVLD Project, a nonprofit that aims to have the condition added to the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, those problems with spatial awareness can cause issues with motor skills, which can make them clumsy or cause them to struggle with tasks like tying shoes, using silverware and handwriting.
In some ways, having NVLD is the opposite of having dyslexia, according to Scott Bezsylko, who works with neurodivergent students as executive director of Winston Preparatory School.
Reading is not a problem for children with NVLD, who usually have a large vocabulary. They can also remember facts and memorize things like multiplication tables.
School becomes more challenging toward the end of elementary school, when learning focuses more on spotting patterns and applying concepts. That can cause problems with reading comprehension and more advanced math problems.
NLVD also affects higher-order thinking, which is used to organize our thoughts and plan a project that requires multiple steps.
Tim Walz and his wife Gwen told People magazine that they noticed differences between Gus and his classmates from an early age and that those differences “became more and more apparent” as he grew older. The couple, both teachers, did not specify what those differences were.
Gus was diagnosed with NVLD “as a teenager,” the Walzes said, adding that he also has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and an anxiety disorder.
According to the Child Mind Institute, it's not uncommon for people with NVLD to also have a diagnosis of ADHD. Both conditions can make a child seem disorganized or distracted; in the case of NVLD, it's because they don't understand the task being discussed.
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 forms of nonverbal communication. They may compensate for this by asking a lot of questions, which can be annoying.
Difficulties with visuospatial processing can make it difficult for people with NVLD to respect other people's personal space. Additionally, their difficulties with pattern recognition make it difficult for them to relate past experiences to new situations.
According to experts, traits like these can make it difficult to make friends, something that echoes the Walzes' experience.
“Gus preferred video games and spending more time alone,” his parents told People.
Comedian Chris Rock said that when he found out as an adult that he had NVLD, it explained a lot about his past.
Though he's very good with words, “I have a little bit of a hard time picking up on nonverbal cues with people. I've always had that,” Rock said in a 2021 interview with Extra. “They say 70% of communication is nonverbal. So in 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.”
The causes of NVLD are unclear. Although the deficits associated with the condition involve processes occurring in the right hemisphere of the brain, studies sponsored by the NVLD Project that compared brain images of people with and without the disorder found differences in both hemispheres.
However, the condition does not affect intelligence and people can learn strategies to compensate for their deficiencies.
Successful interventions can include practicing taking a problem and breaking it down into manageable parts, 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 creating a new one.
Experts say the same approach can also help people with NVLD cope better in social situations.
It seems the Walzes have taken this advice to heart.
“It took us a while to figure out how to make sure we did everything we could to ensure Gus was successful as he grew up,” they told People.
Being neurodivergent means that Gus “is brilliant.” [and] “I am very aware of details that many of us overlook,” the Walzes added. “What was immediately clear to us was that Gus’s condition is not a setback, it is his secret power.”
