What is Neurodivergence? Gus Walz puts his conditioning in the spotlight after a viral DNC moment in Chicago

CHICAGO – Seventeen-year-old Gus Walz stole our hearts this summer when he cheered on his father as he gave a speech during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. His father is Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz.

When Gus stood up to support his father, he also brought another issue into the spotlight. In a Fox 32 special report, Tia Ewing finds out what it means to be neurodivergent.

Gus Walz cheers as his father Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota and 2024 Democratic vice presidential candidate, speaks on the third day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, 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 he caught our attention. His parents recently announced that 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.

Currently, neither is listed as an official mental health diagnosis in the American Psychiatric Association's Manual of Mental Disorders.

“Neurodivergent is exactly what the word says. It means not presenting yourself the way perhaps a typical child or adult would,” 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 how 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 more affected by neurodivergence. There are many people who have almost invisible disabilities, who have neurodivergence that you may not know about when you meet them, “They struggle every day, but have other issues that they are working on with therapists or that they are in the “We might need school,” said Rachel Follmer, chief of developmental pediatrics at Lurie Children's Hospital.

Autism and ADHD are among the larger reasons why someone is considered neurodivergent. Nonverbal learning disorder, or NVLD, is another possibility, and don't let the name fool you.

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

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

“The areas where they typically have difficulty will be perception, thinking and the way they perceive things,” Dr. Kraus added. This includes social communication and the patterns associated with it.

Since the two are often confused, our experts also point out that nonverbal learning disorder is different from autism.

“With NVLD we have difficulties with social skills, i.e. social communication, but not with language,” said Dr. Gonzalez. “NVLD does not include the repetitive behaviors that occur in autistic people.”

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

“This is something that is often difficult to recognize in younger children. As you get older, it tends to become more apparent because these patterns become more important and nuanced in your ability to utilize these early learning skills and apply them over time into the middle school age range,” Follmer said.

If you believe your child may be neurodivergent, our panel says the first step is to speak to your pediatrician for qualified referrals to mental health professionals. If your child needs neuropsychological testing and you do not have access to it, ask your school to test your child in the areas where he or she is struggling to see what support they can offer.