Revisiting nonverbal learning disability (NVLD): Classical criteria, verbal-nonverbal discrepancy, and multidomain...

Nonverbal learning disability (NVLD) is a widely recognized, though still debated, neurodevelopmental profile characterized by relative weaknesses in nonverbal domains alongside preserved verbal abilities. Its nosological status remains uncertain, with recent proposals to redefine it as a developmental visuospatial disorder (DVSD) or to position it as overlapping with developmental coordination disorder (DCD). Using operational criteria derived from recent studies, we retrospectively analyzed 366 children referred for learning and neurodevelopmental difficulties. NVLD was defined by a significant discrepancy between the WISC-V verbal index and the visuospatial and fluid reasoning indices, along with at least two associated domains of nonverbal impairment; 135 children met these criteria. Consistent with the operational definition, the NVLD group showed a broad distribution of nonverbal and performance-related vulnerabilities, including visuospatial, motor coordination, graphomotor, attentional, and social-communication impairments. Moreover, WISC-V analyses showed that the verbal advantage was not limited to the defining verbal-visuospatial or verbal-fluid reasoning contrasts but often extended to processing-speed and working-memory indices. Comparisons with DCD-only and DVSD-only groups suggested only partial overlap. These findings support a dimensional, configuration-based account of NVLD as a clinically recognizable pattern of uneven neurodevelopment within referred clinical populations, rather than a single-domain nosographic disorder.