Final Thoughts

Abstract

In this chapter we would like to share our thinking regarding the most important concepts we hoped to cover in this book. We believe that children with NVLD can successfully learn and lead productive lives despite their particularly unusual set of strengths and difficulties. They will need the considerable help of their families and many different practitioners throughout their lives. All clinicians have to understand and be able to refer to the other team members to make sure all aspects of the child are understood. It is vital to avoid getting trapped by dilemmas like that of the blind men and the elephant, each mistakenly thinking they have whole story. We strongly recommend a collaborative model for evaluation, understanding, intervention, and follow up. A child with NVLD may enter the system at many different points in his or her life. Which practitioner they meet with first will depend on the age and developmental level of the children. It is essential that the parents, teachers, and occupational therapists talk to the speech pathologist and psychiatrists/psychologists. These children force professionals to look and/or reach outside our traditional view.