[Non-verbal learning disorder. Clinical features to guide diagnosis]

The development and multiplication of information about learning disorders leads to the need to systematise the knowledge available and to base it on the clinical data.

Apart from trouble-free diagnoses, non-verbal learning disorders are characterised by their high comorbidity rate. They are associated to attention deficit with or without hyperactivity, motor coordination disorder, dyscalculia, problems with social development and also, to a certain extent, oral and written language disorders. Depending on countries, a child with a good fundamental intellectual capacity and good development of language, but motor clumsiness and low visuospatial skills with or without relational difficulties can be diagnosed in different ways. In this study, after briefly reviewing the literature on comorbidity and the contexts of the work, we propose a set of guidelines for basic examination that can be used in visits due to learning disorders, including suggestive history, areas that require detailed questioning, and central tests.

Partly because of the comorbidity, following the introductory visit, only a multidisciplinary team can study a child with non-verbal learning disorder properly, using specific tests to pinpoint the profile of their difficulties; their strong points should also be stressed.