Nonverbal Learning Disabilities

Increasing numbers of children and adolescents are being diagnosed with nonverbal learning disabilities (NLD), yet clinicians and educators have few scientific resources to guide assessment and intervention. This book presents up-to-date knowledge on the nature of NLD and how to differentiate it from DSM-5 disorders such as autism spectrum disorder and developmental coordination disorder. Effective strategies for helping K-12 students and their families address the challenges of NLD in and outside of the classroom are illustrated with vivid case material. The authors thoughtfully consider controversies surrounding NLD, discuss why the diagnosis is not included in the current DSM and ICD classification systems, and identify important directions for future research.

Cesare Cornoldi is Full Professor in the Department of General Psychology at the University of Padua, Italy, where he also directs a laboratory that provides assessment and intervention for learning disabilities and developmental disorders. He conducts research both nationally and internationally on memory, mental imagery, learning disabilities, and human intelligence. Dr. Cornoldi serves on the editorial boards of many national and international journals and has been visiting professor at a number of universities, including, most recently, Columbia University, New York University, and the University of California, Irvine. He has served as president of the European Society for Cognitive Psychology, among other associations, and is a Fellow of the International Academy for Research in Learning Disabilities and the Association for Psychological Science. His publications include 300 peer-reviewed journal articles, 10 books, and numerous widely used Italian achievement tests.

Irene C. Mammarella, PhD, is Lecturer in the Department of Developmental and Social Psychology at the University of Padua, Italy, where she directs a postgraduate course in Developmental Psychopathology. She conducts clinical practice at the laboratory directed by Cesare Cornoldi that provides assessment and intervention for learning disabilities and developmental disorders. Her main areas of research are NLD, mathematical learning disability, the role of working memory in both academic achievement and calculation, and visuospatial abilities in high-functioning autism. The author of many peer-reviewed journal articles, Dr. Mammarella serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology.

Jodene Goldenring Fine, PhD, is Associate Professor of School Psychology at Michigan State University, where she teaches graduate students and conducts research on autism, NLD, and dyslexia, using neuropsychological and neuroimaging techniques. Dr. Fine has lectured worldwide on the importance of a neuropsychological perspective in education, particularly with regard to the identification and treatment of children with learning challenges. A member of the National Academy of Neuropsychology and the International Academy for Research in Learning Disabilities, she served on the editorial board of Psychological Assessment.