Syndrome of Nonverbal Learning Disabilities: Neurodevelopmental Manifestations

The syndrome of nonverbal learning disabilities (NLD) is a subtype of learning disabilities whose neuropsychological assets and deficits have predictable academic and psychosocial outcomes. Developed by Byron P. Rourke and elucidated in his previous work, the "white matter model" was designed to encompass the complex manifestations and neurophysiological underpinnings of the NLD syndrome. Now, for the first time, evidence that bears upon the white matter model has been gathered into a single volume. Building upon Rourke's previous work on NLD, Syndrome of Nonverbal Learning Disabilities: Neurodevelopmental Manifestations, further explores the ramifications of NLD in the neuropsychology of learning disabilities and in pediatric neurological disease, disorder, and dysfunction.

Following an overview of the white matter model, chapters cover a wide range of pediatric neurological diseases and disorders through which the model is examined with particular attention to its neurophysiological aspects. The diseases and disorders discussed include callosal agenesis, Asperger syndrome, velocardiofacial syndrome, Williams syndrome, de Lange syndrome, early hydrocephalus, Sotos syndrome, congenital hypothyroidism, acute lymphocytic leukemia, metachromatic leukodystrophy, Turner syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, and toxicant-induced encephalopathy. Dimensions relevant to both assessment and treatment are raised throughout the work, as are suggestions for future research.

Recommended for neuropsychologists, neurologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and pediatricians treating children with learning disabilities or with pediatric neurological disease, disorder, and dysfunction, Syndrome of Nonverbal Learning Disabilities serves both as an authoritative update on recent advances and as a text for advanced courses in child/developmental neuropsychology, pediatric neurology, and learning disabilities.

Byron P. Rourke is Professor of Psychology and University Professor at the University of Windsor and a member of the faculty of the Child Study Center, School of Medicine, Yale University. Past President of the International Neuropsychological Society and of the Division of Clinical Neuropsychology of the American Psychological Association, he is cofounder and coeditor of the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, The Clinical Neuropsychologist and Child Neuropsychology and serves on the editorial boards of a number of scientific and professional journals. He was the 1994 recipient of the Canadian Psychological Association's Award for Distinguished Contributions to the Practice of Psychology. His authored, coauthored, and edited books include Nonverbal Learning Disabilities, Child Neuropsychology, Learning Disabilities and Psychosocial Functioning, Neuropsychological Validation of Learning Disability Subtypes, Neuropsychological Assessment of Children, and Neuropsychology of Learning Disabilities.