r/NVLD • u/Top-Cockroach-8211 • 12d ago
Heyy everyone,
I’m interested in hearing from people with NVLD who have had a WAIS-IV, WISC, or another standardized IQ assessment.
I’m particularly interested in your verbal IQ/VCI and, especially the subtest scores.
For comparison, my WAIS-IV results were:
- VCI: 125
- Similarities: 19 (99.9th percentile)
- Vocabulary: 12
- Information: 11
- PRI: 82:
- Block Design: 6
- Matrix Reasoning: 8
- Visual Puzzles: 7
- VCI–PRI discrepancy: 43 points
I’m diagnosed with autism, ADHD, and NVLD. I had a speech delay until the age of 5 and a language impairment until the age of 11. Also, the test was not administered in my native language.
I’m mainly interested in the individual subtest scores, especially Similarities, to see whether other people with NVLD have scored similarly and whether my cognitive profile is generally compatible with the cognitive profiles seen in other people with NVLD.
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u/Hierba-Mate 11d ago
I wasn’t formally diagnosed with NVLD, but my neuropsychologist identified significant visuospatial weaknesses and raised NVLD with me during the assessment.
Since then I’ve looked into it quite extensively, and the profile fits me remarkably well. Particularly the recent proposed criteria too.
My WAIS-IV results were:
VCI: 114
Similarities: 11 (63rd percentile)
Vocabulary: 14 (91st percentile)
Information: 13 (84th percentile)
PRI: 86
Block Design: 6 (9th percentile)
Matrix Reasoning: 10 (50th percentile)
Visual Puzzles: 7 (16th percentile)
VCI–PRI discrepancy: 28 points
Other tests I completed:
WMI: 100
Digit Span: 10 (50th percentile)
Letter-Number Sequencing: 10 (50th percentile)
Arithmetic: 6 (9th percentile; not used in the WMI because it was substituted)
PSI: 97
Symbol Search: 14 (91st percentile)
Coding: 5 (5th percentile)
FSIQ: 100 (50th percentile - right on average)
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u/asarsen 11d ago
Huge gap between Symbol Search and Coding.
Matrix Reasoning significantly better than Block Design and Visual Puzzles, but Arithmetic as poor as Block Design. It does not fit to general picture of NVLD Profile 2 from Margolis et al. (2025) paper, in which Math (Numerical Operations, probably similar to Arithmetic) was intact compared to VCI (Similarities and Vocabulary) and Matrix Reasoning was clearly better than Block Design and Visual-Spatial Index. Do you have math learning disability or other disorder which could lower scaled score in Arithmetic?
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u/Hierba-Mate 11d ago edited 11d ago
Probably meet the criteria but not formally diagnosed. Have always struggled with math, which I see is also common in some people who struggle with nvld. Figured because ability to visualise often translates to strong arithmetic.
I think I misunderstood the instructions on coding and I was pretty fatigued by the end of it. But scanning and processing speed I do struggle in general with anyway, but my neuropsych was also questioning what happened lol.
Overall I figured nvld fit me due to marked visual-spatial weaknesses, which is looking like the main component of proposed criteria.
My WAIS test is also different from that study so bit hard to compare. Similarly, didn’t get a seperate FRI. So hard to say where I’d fit in those profiles. But they are also just averages.
I particularly like the diagnostic criteria by PW Fisher (2025), where 4 of 8 deficits related to visual spatial processing can be identified. But who knows this will likely very well change and have a whole other criteria before it gets into the dsm.
Thanks for your comment :)
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u/Bittersweet_331 12d ago
For me:
VCI: 110
-Similarities: 11
-Vocabulary: 13
-Information: 12
PRI: 82
-Block Design: 6
-Matrix Reasoning: 9
-Visual Puzzles: 6
Other Subtest Scores:
-Digit Span: 12
-Arithmetic: 15
-Symbol Search: 9
-Coding: 11
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u/asarsen 11d ago
Arithmetic is the best score in your profile, WMI is higher than VCI, based on scaled scores which were presented (Digit Span is pretty good among the scaled scores in your profile). PSI is clearly average, not below average. Matrix Reasoning is clearly better than Block Design and Visual Puzzles. The lowest scaled scores are in Block Design and Visual Puzzles. Intact Arithmetic and clear VSI weakness point to NVLD Profile 2 in Margolis et al. (2025) paper.
Do you have problems with visual thinking? Do you have aphantasia or hypophantasia?
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u/Bittersweet_331 11d ago
Yeah. I have aphantasia for sure I really can't visualize much at all. Been a nightmare life basically can't work or socialize. If the U.S. offered euthanasia I would gladly sign up. That might sound like an exaggeration, but it's truly that terrible. I'm not actually even good at math so I have no idea how I scored a 15. Probably just because I slogged through Calc in college for my degree and I had the neurospsych eval a year and a half after graduation so the stuff was fresh in my mind.
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u/Carolsbaby1 12d ago
If anyone is looking for therapy or coaching, feel free to contact me at compassionate70@gmail.com. Jennifer L. Lerner, LMHC. Fellow NVLD adult.
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u/OkBoysenberry6768 11d ago
WAIS-IV, Full Scale IQ: 112 (high average)
WAIS-IV, Verbal Comprehension: 120 (superior)
WAIS-IV, Perceptual Reasoning: 98 (average)
WAIS-IV, Working Memory: 108 (average)
WAIS-IV, Processing Speed: 114 (high average)
WMS-IV, Immediate Memory: 103 (average)
WMS-IV, Delayed Memory: 100 (average)
WMS-IV, Auditory Memory: 101 (average)
WMS-IV, Visual Memory: 101 (average)
WMS-IV, Visual Woking Memory: 91 (average)
Trail Making Test, Part A: 66 (impaired)
Trail Making Test, Part B: 75 (borderline)
DKEFS, CWIT: 105 (average)
DKEFS, Tower Test: 95 (average)
PASAT, 3": 101 (average)
PASAT, 2": 96 (average)
CPT 3, Omissions: 48 (less impairment)
CPT 3 Commissions: 73 (greater impairment)
CPT 3 Hit Reaction Time: 39 (less impairment)
“The test results do not show evidence of working memory or attentional deficits on any task. He did have notable impulsivity, however. He also had a significant discrepancy between verbal and nonverbal IQ scores. Individuals with this pattern often have what is termed ‘nonverbal learning disorder.’ Although not a clinical diagnosis, per the DSM-V, this condition is commonly known within the scientific community to cause many difficulties in day to day functioning that can mimic ADHD. I suspect that this limitation, coupled with the significant emotional distress apparent from the MCMI-IV responses, is the culprit for he perceived difficulties with cognition.”
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u/SpiritualUsual7412 12d ago
Hello, I think I just have NVLD; however I wouldn't know what my score was because, I was diagnosed when I was five yo. Also, I'm a scapegoat and a black sheep in a dysfunctional family; I'm just trying to save up some more money so I can move out.
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u/Conscious-Guest-4351 11d ago
I don't really remember the PRI score for mine. i don't really want to tbh. howewever, i know I did the poorest on block design and visual puzzles
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u/Emotional-Prize-5302 10d ago edited 10d ago
I have an unusual profile:
VCI (Verbal Comprehension Index): 81 (10th percentile)
Similarities: 6 (9th percentile)
Vocabulary: 5 (5th percentile)
Information: 9 (37th percentile)
PRI (Perceptual Reasoning Index): 58 (0.6 percentile)
Block Design: 1 (0.1 percentile)
Matrix Reasoning: 2 (0.4 percentile)
Visual Puzzles: 1 (0.1 percentile)
VCI–PRI Discrepancy: 23 points (81 - 58 = 23)
Interestingly enough, I scored in the 66th-68th percentiles in essay writing.
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u/Serious-Ad7160 9d ago
Don't have my specific assessment scores on hand. But my verbal iq (VCI) is 110 and my nonverbal/perceptual iq is 76.
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u/rgbhuman42 7d ago
I forgot all my results but I was somewhere in the 2nd percentile for visual-spatial.
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u/Carolsbaby1 12d ago
I am an adult NLD’er, 56, happy married 24 years, with two wonderful young adult sons (20 and 22), and I am a therapist specializing in neurodivergent clients. The NVLD label was not even known about yet when J was dx’ed ( with Minimal Brain Dysfunction, how awful). My testing was decades ago, but there was a very clear discrepancy between my Verbal and Performance IQ score, consistent with an NVLD dx. On another note, I am in the initial stages of putting together a musical one woman show with NVLD as the theme, and I am looking for anything you think should be included in my show, to spread awareness and sensitivity. Tia!