Beyond Nonverbal Learning Disability: The Case for and Against Developmental Visual-Spatial Disorder as a Distinct...

We were pleased by the interest in our report¹ of the process used to formulate a DSM-style criteria set for developmental visual-spatial disorder (DVSD). A reconceptualization of nonverbal learning disability (NVLD), DVSD is defined by persistent deficits in processing or integrating visual and spatial information, which are captured in 8 behavioral subcriteria and can co-occur with other neurodevelopmental disorders, including, for example, but not limited to, autism spectrum disorder and developmental coordination disorder (DCD). DVSD differs from NLVD in the following important ways: it singularly focuses on visual-spatial deficits; it does not require a discrepancy from verbal skills; it does not require neuropsychological or education test results; and, although it requires impairment, it does not require impairment in a specified area of functioning (eg, social, motor, attention, etc).