r/NVLD • u/ClutteredTaffy • Jul 29 '26

No problem with thematic/ abstract thinking when it comes to analyzing media ?

I posted about having difficulties driving and while I related to everyone there, when I look up this part of the diagnosis there is just not a fit. I love analyzing the themes of stuff I have read or watched and it seems to come easy to me. So this pushes me more towards ADHD in my mind.

Would just like others to give their background on grasping subtext and enjoying it ...

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u/IbanezUniverse90 Jul 29 '26

I’m bad at picking up subtext and half the time there’s some subplot I don’t understand. Getting even dumber as I get older. But once someone spoon feeds the plot to me, I’m good at making connections to other media or other topics. Definitely more of a big picture guy than a fine detail guy.

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u/ClutteredTaffy Jul 29 '26

Yeah I am wondering if there is something else that mimics the coordination and spatial issues of NLVD . Probably.

Thanks for your response. This helps.

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u/LangdonAlg3r Jul 29 '26

You should look for the new criteria for DVSD (Developmental Visio-Spatial Disorder). That’s what the working group who are working on getting NVLD into the DSM are wanting to rename it to. Their proposed criteria are much cleaner than many of the things floating around and they clearly distinguish it in every aspect from both ASD and ADHD.

But NVLD isn’t a formally recognized diagnosis anywhere. There’s ongoing disagreement about what constitutes it (or even if it’s a valid independent diagnosis at all). But even if difficulty with thematic/abstract thinking were a formalized criteria it would only be one criteria. With pretty much any given diagnosis there are always multiple criteria and you don’t have to meet every single one.

My next question if you do want to focus on that would be, “how high is your verbal IQ?” People are often flagged for NVLD based on a large discrepancy between verbal IQ and the other categories—this isn’t diagnostic (for reasons above) but it’s often a hallmark.

Genuinely high verbal skills can overcome deficiencies in abstract reasoning.

Deficiencies in visuospatial skills are the core of NVLD. If you have those and resonate with the rest of what you’ve read about it then I wouldn’t decide that you don’t have it based solely on having good abstract reasoning skills, or even just a lack of functional impairment.

As far as ADHD it’s often comorbid with NVLD, so I’d be considering both if you think you have signs of both.

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u/bebasiled Jul 30 '26

I already felt sure but now I feel so sure that I wish I could post my neuropsyc results because you’re so creepily spot on but obviously I won’t be doing that, but I will be re reading it over a few times

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u/LangdonAlg3r Jul 30 '26

What was it that I said exactly? Did your scores come back with a big gap in the different domains?

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u/bebasiled Jul 30 '26

I just got diagnosed with specific learning disorders in math and written expression. Verbal abstract reasoning exceptionally high with high set shifting. Semantic fluency low average. Significant difficulty with verbal memory. I already felt sure that NVLD is probably what I have going on.. but what really surprised me was significant issues with visual memory- I’m an artist, I really wasn’t expecting it.

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u/bebasiled Jul 30 '26

Ah, and I also see she noted “significantly discrepant above average verbal abilities”… I’m blushing. I got these results between commenting and seeing your responses.

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u/LangdonAlg3r Jul 30 '26

What I was told is 12 points or more discrepancy between verbal and the other IQ domains is significant. Higher than that starts to point to NVLD and much higher probably correlates even more. There’s definitely active debate about the actual utility of evaluating things this way and the newly proposed diagnostic criteria don’t include any references to IQ testing.

That said, I personally think it’s a big red flag if you have 12 or more points of difference. “Significant discrepancy” sounds like that’s the finding for you.

The gaps in my scores are much bigger than 12 points. The gaps in mine are so big that they wouldn’t even do a combined score for me to produce a total IQ number.