What is a nonverbal learning disability?

Minnesota governor and vice presidential candidate Tim Walz (pronounced “walls”) took the stage at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night, and laid out his message for the future of America. Unsurprisingly, a lot of it centered around family, particularly his family. In one now incredibly viral moment, Walz’s son Gus stood up and cheered for his dad, clapping and crying emotionally. “That’s my dad!” he mouthed. Unfortunately, the partisan attacks started almost immediately, with people taking to X and other social sites to mock the 17-year-old boy. Well, he has a learning disability, and a lot of people didn’t know that. So what is a nonverbal learning disability?

But first, some crucial context. Conservatives have been reeling ever since Walz started calling Republicans “weird people” in a July interview on MSNBC. “These are weird people on the other side. They want to take books away. They want to be in your exam room,” Walz said.

Those “people” have been trying desperately to escape the quip by any means possible. For example, Donald Trump Jr. went on X and said, “You know what’s really weird? Soft on crime politicians like Kamala allowing illegal aliens out of prison so they can violently assault Americans.” He seems upset.

Then we have former President Donald Trump himself, who went on The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show to say that Democrats are “the weird one. Nobody’s ever called me weird. I’m a lot of things, but weird I’m not.”

Too late, GOP; the “weird” message is resonating with younger voters. A new generation more comfortable with labels of neurodiversity including autism, ADHD, and other disabilities are eschewing the shaming of these conditions, and embracing them. To them, “weird” is being intentionally anti-equality and pro-Trump. The fact that Walz has a neurodivergent son only makes him more likable to Gen Z.

Jennifer Mercieca, a historian at Texas A&M University who wrote a book about Trump and his message, told the AP: “The opposite of normalizing authoritarianism is to make it weird, to call it out and to sort of mock it.” How does this relate to Walz’s son Gus? Well, people have tried to use the label on him for enthusiastically supporting his father.

Fiery partisan attention-seeker Ann Coulter reposted an article about Gus’ reaction and said, “Talk about weird…” Well, that didn’t go over well, and the backlash was immediate. When someone pointed out Gus was only 17, she took it down.

What is a nonverbal learning disability?

The term “learning disability” is an umbrella term for a number of different disorders, which can vary widely in effect and severity. Put simply, anything that affects someone’s understanding of spoken or written language; or ability to perform math calculations; or difficulty with spatial movement; or difficulty with paying direct attention, can be categorized as a learning disorder.

Here’s the official definition from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): a “specific learning disability [means] a disorder in 1 or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, which disorder may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations. … it includes such conditions as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia.”

Here are the most common learning disabilities:

• Dyslexia – A language processing disability that mostly affects reading. It varies in severity.
• Dysgraphia – Affects handwriting and motor skill.
• Dyscalculia – Affects ability to understand numbers and learn mathematics.
• Language processing disorder (LPD) – Affects ability to interpret sounds that make up words and phrases.
• Nonverbal learning disabilities (NVLD) – Affects a child’s social development and ability to communicate

Let’s dig a little deeper on NVLD. In everyday life, almost 65% of all the communicating we do is nonverbal. People with NVLD usually have “a significant discrepancy between higher verbal skills, weaker motor, visual–spatial and social skills.”

It would make sense that a NVLD would describe a person who has difficulty speaking, but that’s not the case. Someone with an NVLD has issues with interpreting and decoding social cues and nonverbal behaviors. They have trouble with figuring out body language or facial expressions, which means they usually have trouble making friends.

They also struggle with spatial issues, like navigation, or putting puzzles together. Another symptom is trouble paying attention, solving problems, and dealing with new tasks. People living with NVLD can be clumsy, bump into people a lot accidentally, and struggle with fine motor skills.

On the other hand, people with NVLD are often well-spoken, and have the ability to write well. Learning disabilities, non verbal or otherwise, usually show up in a child when they are very young, but sometimes no one will notice until the child starts school and is in a more formal learning environment. Some people, like Gus, can have a number of learning disabilities and other issues that overlap each other, while others can have a mild form of a disorder that doesn’t really hamper their day-to-day lives.

It’s important to remember that a learning disability does not mean someone is intellectually disabled. It’s also not the same as a mood or personality disorder, and it’s not due to a sensory impairment issue, like being blind or deaf.

Walz and his wife Gwen have been very open about Gus’ challenges, and have praised their son as “brilliant.” According to Walz, Gus has ADHD and an anxiety disorder in addition to NVLD. Walz calls these conditions his “superpower.”

Walz said Gus was obviously different from his classmates, and “preferred video games and spending more time by himself.” Walz said Gus’ condition was one that “millions of Americans also have.”

Walz also shared that it took the family some time to figure out how to help their son and set him up for success in his future life. He said it “became so immediately clear to us was that Gus’ condition is not a setback — it’s his secret power. [Gus] is brilliant, hyper-aware of details that many of us pass by, and above all else, he’s an excellent son and brother to his sibling.”

In October of 2023, Walz posted a “proud dad moment” when Gus passed his driving test and got his driver’s’ license. If anything is the opposite of weird, it’s got to be that.