978-1572305441

168 A MIND APART
Harry was originally referred to me with a diagnosis of “nonverbal
learning disability.” This label refers to children with good reading and
language skills but poor academic achievement in math, poor fine and
gross motor coordination, and poor drawing skills. Nonverbal learning
disabilities contrast with the classic dyslexia type of reading disability,
where the children show poor academic achievement in reading, phonics,
and (often but not always) mathematics in spite of good overall intelligence
and an adequate opportunity for learning. The problem was
that as time went on, Harry was falling farther and farther behind his
classmates in the more difficult subjects in high school. The main problem
now was one of organization; he could not work independently,
wandered around the classroom, could not start his homework, felt easily
overwhelmed by projects. He was also more and more isolated from
his peers and was unhappy about the fact that they were all going out
with girls and he was left alone at home with his parents and the fish
tank!
Harry, in fact, behaved in ways consistent with AS; the learning disability
was just part of the problem. His early history noted that he was
always isolated, tended to play by himself and avoid inviting his parents
into his play, had poor conversation skills, was never very chatty, and
was fascinated with animals. He used to line up his stuffed toys from his
bedroom into the living room and down the stairs into the basement.
He was, however, able to read at three years of age. His mother remembers
him reading from his father’s textbooks (he was an accountant) by
the time he was five. He loved to read and even to this day loves chapter
books, though they are often of an immature variety designed to appeal
to younger readers. He did well in school until grade four, then started
to have problems with math. A psychological assessment revealed the
classic profile of a nonverbal learning disability, and he started to receive
some extra help. But by high school he was finding it more and
more difficult to keep up not only in math but in all his subjects. The
difficulty was especially evident in subjects that required lots of homework
and independent study projects.
It is not uncommon for children with AS to get a diagnosis of
nonverbal learning disability. The two overlap but are not identical.
Nonverbal learning disability is a diagnosis based on performance on
academic tests and overall intelligence; it does not involve problems
with social skills or communication or obsessive interests. Many children
with AS have this cognitive profile, but not all do. In addition,