Chris Rock underwent “nine hours of tests” to uncover his Non-Verbal Learning Disorder (NVLD)
The 55-year-old comedian recently revealed he has been diagnosed with the learning disorder - which makes it difficult to understand non-verbal signals made in conversations - and has now said he had to sit through “a battery of tests” before doctors could confidently diagnose him
29 September 2020
He said: “[I took] a battery of tests, like nine hours of tests. They came back and said, ‘You don’t have Asperger’s, but you have something very close to it, and it’s called NVLD, Non-Verbal Learning Disorder.
“One of the things is, I have a hard time picking up social cues. Like when I talk to people, I hear the words, but if you’re mad at me, if you’re feeling a certain way, I might have a hard time picking that up.”
Chris also explained that receiving the diagnosis has helped him “relax”, as he used to suffer with anxiety because he knew something was wrong with him but couldn’t pinpoint what it was.
Speaking during an appearance on ‘The View’, he added: “I used to have a squirrel-like energy … you can’t sneak up on a squirrel, it’s always alert, he’s scared all the time. And that’s gone. I’m much more relaxed now.”
Meanwhile, the ‘Grown Ups’ star detailed his diagnosis last week, when he said his learning disorder is great for comedy and writing jokes but not "one-on-one relationships”.
He explained: "And all I understand are the words. By the way, all of those things are really great for writing jokes - they're just not great for one-on-one relationships. And I'd always just chalked it up to being famous.
"Any time someone would respond to me in a negative way, I'd think, 'Whatever, they're responding to something that has to do with who they think I am.' Now, I'm realising it was me. A lot of it was me."
© 2025 Bang Showbiz, NZCity
