Feb 4
Join Tracy and her guest Linda Karanzalis, M.S., BCCS in Episode #56 of ADHD for Smart Ass Women. Linda is a board-certified cognitive specialist and parent/student coach who provides executive function training and social-emotional learning programs for people of all ages. Linda also just wrote an article for ADDitude magazine’s Winter 2020 issue on ADHD and Non-verbal Learning Disorder.
Linda shares with us: Her symptoms in childhood, her ADHD diagnosis, how she figured out that she had something more than just ADHD, her Non-Verbal Learning Disorder (NVLD) diagnosis, what NVLD looks like What percentage of communication is verbal vs non-verbal and why that matters, why those with NVLD actually talk more, not less, what it means to not understand the meaning behind words and take things literally, how to tell the difference between ADHD and NVLD, why those with NVLD are often misdiagnosed with ADHD, why NVLD is still not recognized in the DSM even though they are both brain-based conditions, what happens to those with NVLD who are left untreated.
Linda then shares the current treatment options for NVLD and explains why she believes they don’t work. She also shares what she has discovered does work. Resources: Addvantageslearningcenter.com Symptom test for adults, Could I have non-Verbal Learning Disorder? Article that appeared in Additude magazine on NVLD: Another article by Linda Karanzalis for ADDitude magazine. If you’d like to write a review for the podcast ADHD for Smart Ass Women, ON YOUR PHONE ONLY. Scroll down to the very bottom after all episodes to Ratings & Reviews. There you will find a link that states “Write a Review.” Thank you!
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"Well, when I was a child, I did not like to go to school, I became school phobic. I just didn't feel comfortable in school. I couldn't you know, I also have a learning a nonverbal learning disorder."
- Linda Karanzalis
"We know that people's brains have different splenium in the brain, were the people that do have enve, LD and people that don't, and that they're not processing nonverbal communication and nonverbal communication is at all proximately depending on your research source, communication."
- Linda Karanzalis
"Well, there really is no treatment. And that's why, you know, parents are like, I don't know what to do, I don't know what to do."
- Linda Karanzalis
- Linda struggled with negative feedback and lack of encouragement in school, leading her to become a special ed teacher and eventually diagnose with ADHD.
- Linda and Tracy discuss nonverbal learning disorder (NVLD), which overlaps with ADHD and affects how individuals process nonverbal communication.
- Linda shares her personal experience with VLD (Velocity Learning Disability), a term she coined to describe her unique learning challenges and struggles with depression and anxiety.
[16:19 - 33:32] Understanding and Managing Envy and Learning Disabilities in Children
- Linda discusses the challenges of diagnosing ADHD and envy LD in children, highlighting the importance of looking for motor difficulties and asking questions about them.
- Linda explains that people with envy, LD (Learning Disability) may have difficulty understanding social cues and interpreting facial expressions, and that teaching them these skills can be helpful.
- Linda discusses her work as a brain training specialist, focusing on science-based programs that improve cognitive processing and address executive functioning challenges.
[33:32 - 44:33] Nonverbal Learning Disabilities and Education
- Linda emphasizes the importance of early intervention and strategies for individuals with nonverbal learning disabilities (NVLD) to improve their functioning and achieve success.
- Linda believes that therapists need to be more aware of NVLD and develop treatments to help individuals with the disorder, but progress may take time and effort.
- Linda shares her expertise on ADHD and how it affects women, emphasizing the importance of embracing and standing out rather than fitting in.
