CHICAGO – Seventeen-year-old Gus Walz captured our hearts this summer as he applauded his father when he spoke during Democratic National Convention in Chicago. His father is Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz.

When Gus stood up to support his father, he also focused on another issue. One Fox 32 special report, Tia Ewing find out what it means to be neurodivergent.

Gus Walz cheers as his father, Minnesota Governor and 2024 Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz, speaks during the third day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois on August 21, 2024. Vice President

Gus Walz became a social media sensation for the emotional support he showed his father at the Democratic National Convention earlier this year. But that’s not the only reason why it caught our attention. His parents recently said he has a nonverbal learning disorder and is neurodivergent. We asked a team of experts from Rush University Medical Center, Lurie Children’s Hospital and Easterseals DuPage to break down what these terms mean.

Neither is currently listed as an official mental health diagnosis in the American Psychiatric Association’s manual of mental health disorders.

“Neurodivergent is exactly what the word says. It’s that you don’t present yourself the way a normal child or adult might present,” said Dr. Louis Kraus, chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at Rush University Medical Center.

Our experts say this applies to both small and large differences in the way your brain works, meaning more of us are considered neurodivergent than you think.

“When some people hear the term, I think they often think about how individuals can be affected by neurodivergence to a greater degree. There are a lot of people who have almost invisible disabilities, who have neurodivergence that you might not know when you meet them, day-to-day, but they have other kinds of struggles that they’re working through with therapists or support that they might have need at school,” said Rachel Follmer, attending physician in developmental pediatrics at Lurie Children’s Hospital.

Autism and ADHD are among some of the bigger reasons why someone is considered neurodivergent. A nonverbal learning disorder, or NVLD, is another, and don’t let the name fool you.

“The tricky part is that when people hear nonverbally, they often think someone isn’t speaking, and the opposite is actually true with that,” Follmer said.

“Nonverbal learning disability, or NVLD, is a condition in which an individual’s verbal skills are significantly greater than their nonverbal skills,” said Dr. Citlaly Gonzalez, clinical psychologist at Easterseals DuPage.

“The areas where they typically struggle will be perceptual, rational, and how they perceive things,” added Dr. Kraus. This includes social communication and the patterns that go with it.

Because the two are often confused, our experts also emphasize that a nonverbal learning disorder is different from autism.

“With NVLD, we have difficulties with social skills, that social communication, but not difficulties with language,” said Dr. González. “NVLD does not include those repetitive behaviors that autism has.”

Gonzalez also points out that a nonverbal learning disorder is not a sign of ADHD or any other type of learning disability, but it can be hard to spot.

“This is something that is often difficult to see in younger children. It tends to become more apparent as children get older, as these patterns become more important and nuanced in your ability to take those early learning skills and apply them as you achieve. in the middle school age range,” Follmer said.

If you think your child may be neurodivergent, our panel says the first step is to talk to your pediatrician for qualified referrals to mental health professionals. If your child needs neuropsych testing and you don’t have access to it, they say ask your school to test your child in areas where they struggle to see what support they can offer.