Tim Walz’s Son Gus Has a Nonverbal Learning Disorder, But What Is It?

Image Credit: AFP via Getty Images

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and his wife, Gwen, have been open about their experiences raising their son, Gus, who has been diagnosed with Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NVLD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and an anxiety disorder.

On Wednesday, after Walz formally accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for Vice President, he acknowledged his first child, Hope, 23, his son, 17, and his wife, during his speech before a roaring crowd. Many were moved by a touching moment when Gus, with tears streaming down his face, pointed at his father and exclaimed, “That’s my dad!”

The teen’s exuberant display captured hearts and quickly went viral, becoming perhaps the defining image of his father’s address. This moment further humanized the politician as a nurturing parent, emphasizing his everyman appeal—as a schoolteacher, football coach, and a man who enlisted in the Army National Guard in 1981 and retired as a Command Sergeant Major in 2005.

The father of two reposted the clip on X, writing, “My kids keep me humble.”

Over time, the Walz family has come to understand that Gus’s NVLD, ADHD, and anxiety disorder shape his unique way of interacting with the world. The couple iterated that they do not see these conditions as deficits but rather as part of what makes Gus exceptional—conditions they affectionately call his “secret power.”

Here’s everything you need to know about NVLD.

What is NVLD?