Gov. Tim Walz and his wife Gwen have two kids – 23-year-old Hope, and 17-year-old Gus. By all accounts, they’re just a really nice, no-drama Minnesota family, tight-knit and supportive of one another. Well, Tim Walz is getting a lot of attention for immediately disclosing, in a statement to People Magazine, that his son Gus has a learning disability. In technical terms, Gus has a non-verbal learning disorder, ADHD and an anxiety disorder. Instead of treating Gus like he needs to be hidden away, Tim Walz has used his family’s personal narrative to explain why he pursues certain policies. He’s also just a super-supportive father.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and his wife, Gwen, are opening up to PEOPLE about their “brilliant” 17-year-old son, Gus, who has a non-verbal learning disorder, ADHD and an anxiety disorder — all conditions that they call his “secret power.” In a statement shared exclusively with PEOPLE, Tim — who was just selected as Kamala Harris’ 2024 vice presidential candidate — and Gwen say that they saw glimmers of Gus’ unique qualities at an early age.
“When our youngest Gus was growing up, it became increasingly clear that he was different from his classmates,” the couple tell PEOPLE. “Gus preferred video games and spending more time by himself. When he was becoming a teenager, we learned that Gus has a non-verbal learning disorder in addition to an anxiety disorder and ADHD, conditions that millions of Americans also have.”
According to the Cleveland Clinic, non-verbal learning disorders like the one Gus has impact how children absorb and utilize information, but they are manageable with interventions that can help those who are affected learn in different ways. “Non-verbal” in this case is not the same as “non-speaking.”
“Like so many American families, it took us time to figure out how to make sure we did everything we could to make sure Gus would be set up for success as he was growing up,” the couple say. “It took time, but what became so immediately clear to us was that Gus’ condition is not a setback — it’s his secret power.”
Tim and Gwen have previously spoken about the obstacles they faced when they first wanted to start a family. During a March 2024 interview with the Star Tribune, Tim revealed that Gwen underwent fertility treatments at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., for seven years in hopes of getting pregnant.
You can read more about nonverbal learning disorders here – I was curious as well, and I wondered if it was about Gus being unable to learn through lectures and people speaking, like he has to read everything to learn. But it looks like NVLD is more of a catch-all for many different things, from lacking spatial awareness to understanding broad concepts. Gus seems to still be in high school, so I imagine we won’t see a lot of him on the campaign trail. I bet we’ll see a lot of Hope though.
Photos courtesy of Tim Walz’s IG.
As someone who was diagnosed autistic late in life, I’m glad that Gus has supportive parents that want to understand & help others understand.
Because celebitches, society does not think anything other than ND, fully functioning as society dictates, is a “superpower”. Not even in the broadest sense of the phrase.
So I get it, I have kids & I want them to be happy in society but as one is also autistic I have to be realistic here in my life.
It’s a lonely long road, being different.
I’m glad Tim thinks his son is a superpower kid. I hope Gus is protected through life because like I said, society thinks nothing of the sort.
I fear that republicans are going to attack not only Tim but his wife and children as well.
Oh I think he absolutely would go after the entire Walz family, but I think it would backfire SO hard because that man has become beloved. I would hope Trump’s team could see that, but who the hell knows.
They already have and will continue to do so. They keep tweeting family photos and soliciting cruel comments about his very normal-looking family. They don’t seem to realize that it just makes him more relatable than the surgically-altered freaks that are the Trumps (minus Barron of course).
I was immediately worried about his kids. When Kamala’s step children were thrown into the spotlight, Ella emerged as this tall, stylish, Brooklyn hipster. Walz’s kids seem more normal, less glamorous, and well two words: Chelsea Clinton. And that was in an era when we still had some decency in politics.
I missed the chance to edit my post but I wanted to add that we all need to rally around this family and tolerate zero negativity about the children. They are all heroes for stepping up and being the family this country needs.
they’ve already gone after the kids. They complained about how Hope supported the BLM movement. Some MAGA influencer named Joey Mannarino posted a family pic of the Walz’s asking people to chime in. Someone asked what he found problematic and he said he didn’t see anything but was waiting for others to tell him what’s wrong with the family. It wasn’t long until some RWNJ commented about Gus masturbating. Like, seriously, this is where the “can’t talk about kids (unless they’re not children of conservatives)” folks minds immediately go
If you recognize Mannarino’s name it’s because he’s the guy busted multiple times for having an account posing as a Black woman (and I think he has one posing as a Gay man) but accidentally posting things on his blue check account that he meant to post on one of his fake accounts
Not sure T wants to go down this road. Barron is autistic. But if he does I expect Tim Walz to handle it bc he and his wife are teachers and they’ll flip it into a positive. I bet Gus has some fields he’s super good at and others that are harder to grasp.
@Kitten, excellent comment.
“They don’t seem to realize that it just makes him more relatable than the surgically-altered freaks that are the Trumps (minus Barron of course).”.
+10000
🎯
@Kokiri
@Kokiri My life would be so different if neurodivergence was understood in the 70s and 80s. Instead, a lot of us got put into gifted and talented programs where all of our differences were amplified to help us learn and then we went to college and found out the world worked an entirely different way.
The worst was being accused of being lazy because I simply could not learn the way others did. I eventually found my own coping mechanisms, but it would have been great to have had some real support along the way.
@Megan me too – I can barely imagine what it would have been like not to have grown up with that sense of constant failure. Even now I’m sure it’s tough for people to be diagnosed if they aren’t white males displaying “typical” traits.
Wow, you could be describing me: “Instead, a lot of us got put into gifted and talented programs where all of our differences were amplified to help us learn and then we went to college and found out the world worked an entirely different way.”
I wasn’t diagnosed with ADHD, dyscalculia (essentially, mathematical dyslexia), and as someone on the spectrum until my 30s. I’m 61 now. They popped me into advanced placed classes because of test scores, but my issues made completing assignments very difficult, among other issues. After diagnosis, I learned why doing things in small chunks, with definable goals worked so well for me. But semester-long programs DIDN’T at all. That’s just one of the insights I had, and it really did change my life. But no one was diagnosing girls with these things in the 70s. I have a lot of regrets about that.
I’m glad Gus has Tim Walz as his advocate and protector.
@Kokiri, our daughter’s best friend while growing up was placed in special classes. Our daughter to this day doesn’t understand why. Our daughter is someone who is very mechanically, mathematically and scientifically inclined. I lean in a different direction. Do beat both DH & daughter out in statistics.lol Minor battle with DH and crossword puzzles at the moment.lol Patterns.
“A” would always say she didn’t understand why ‘J’ was put in other classes. She was like ‘J’ isn’t dumb, she sees things in a different way and that helped me. They haven’t talked for quite some time. When our daughter learned of the great things her friend has been doing in life, she said, “Of course, she’s always wanted to help people and I’m happy to thumb my nose at her naysayers.”.
Our adult nephew, who is an actively employed person and has held managerial positions is high on the Asperger chart. Different situation? I don’t know. As I grow into my later years, I’m recognizing a lot of things where were the same waglentgth with differences. Except MAGATS. There is no explanation.
Ack! *wavelength*
Every thing I learn about Tim makes me like him more.
Same here, the thought of having seven whole years of fertility treatments and heartbreak before their daughter arrived says so much for his character and fortitude (and his wife of course but she’s not running for office).
I do like him very much, he seems very decent
Same!
Kids love him. Cats and dogs love him.
He’s authentic, empathetic, jovial, captivating, immensely likeable. Unfazed. Sharp wit. Used to dealing with cocky teenagers like Vance and putting them in their place. He doesn’t stand a chance against Walz.
Same, I haven’t heard a single thing that has made me think, “Well that’s unfortunate.” I can’t remember the last time that happened with a politician.
Also this reminds me a little of Rick Riordan the author who has a son with ADHD and Dyslexia and started telling him stories where someone with ADHD and Dyslexia is the hero: Percy Jackson
(halfblood, son of Poseidon, his ADHD is a sign of being able to focus during battles and his dyslexia is because is hardwired for the greek alphabet)
Inge, I didn’t know that! I love those books and I love that Percy had adhd and dyslexia, and now I love it because of that origin story even more. My teen daughter just got diagnosed w adhd and the psychiatrist did tell us that it is a super power in some ways. Her brain can make so many connections so fast it gets overwhelming. But I see it in how witty and smart she is – and it’s why she’s amazing at wordle!
Oh wow, I did not know that! I have a daughter with ADHD and Dyslexia, I am going to stream the series with her this weekend now.
Do I dare hope that this common sense, utterly grounded, and down home man will get elected?? President of the Senate!!!
I know! Hope seemed so far away and it was just in Minnesota.
I LOVE this!! ❤️
Beautiful.
It seems fitting that his daughter’s name is Hope. That’s just another level of inspiration for this country.
I will acknowledge my ignorance of Tim Walz. Living in his neighboring state of Wisconsin. Knew of the mild battle/challenges between college/NFL games for fun. The one insider I know has said the relationship between both governors (of Minnesota & Wisconsin has been good-both have been teachers), is/has been good. Walz is awesome.
I love someone in a high position acknowledging life/children situations. This is who we are. Come at me if you see it at as weakness. Good effin luck.
I heard someone say on the news yesterday that his net worth is a couple hundred thousand dollars. Dare we hope for a totally normal guy who understands normal people’s problems in a leadership position??
Dare we hope for a totally normal white man who understands all people’s problems in a leadership position underneath the leadership position of a WOC?
Why yes! Tim Walz is not an egomaniac. Or, threatened by intelligent women! He married one and is supporting one to be the future President; He gets it and is not threatened by it. Republicans are weird.
c
Everything I learn about this man, just makes me like and respect him more. Great choice by Kamala! He’s the real deal.
Supportive parents for the win❤️
Personally, Kamala Harris has an excellent picker. Tim Walz’s dad had cancer, he’s overcome alcohol issues, IVf, he has s kid on the spectrum… all of these things impact tons of Americans on all sides of politics, because this is life. Part of this man’s authenticity comes from having personally lived through experiences and having had to navigate them. Healthcare is a Democratic priority and he’s able to make this personal and hit home. I’m glad the Walz family has pets: so many people on the spectrum relate really well to animals and pets help so much!
Yes, at first I thought, this guy is too perfect, Hardware Store Guy from central casting. But the more I’ve heard his story, the more it’s clear he really is someone who just approaches life with a positive, engaged attitude. And he’s experienced the hardships we all have. What a contrast to the absolute scuzz Trump brings to everything he touches.
One of the remarkable things I find is that Walz’s experiences filled him with nothing but empathy for those walking the same path (in comparison to the other VP candidate whose experiences filled him with hate and disdain for people with said experiences).
It sounds very close to my youngest who has Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADHD. NVLD seems to have similar traits to what they used to call “high functioning” Autism, but that term has gone out of favor with the community. My daughter also has the motor skill issues, spatial awareness that shows up more in physical movement and less in cognitive things (though she’s only 10 so we’ll see in later math how that goes), plus all the other issues with executive functioning, trouble with transitions, etc. It doesn’t sound like Gus has any repetitive behaviors or the perseveration that is common with autism, so that may be one of the main differences.
I have no doubt that his family has gotten him all of the support he needs and worked with therapists and educators to help Gus with this. It can feel like a super power at times because there are probably things that come super easy to Gus that neurotypical people find challenging, but it can also be very challenging in many situations and requires patience and diligence on the parents’ part.
It’s important to know when a politician has real life experience with difficult things because you know that just gives him more empathy and sense of purpose when working to help other people live better lives. I continue to feel very optimistic and happy with this VP choice!
D – You make an interesting point about it being important to know when a politician has challenges we can all identify with. Cheetolini very likely has a son on the autism spectrum, but I doubt he even admits it to himself. I suspect he has very little to do with that son or the son’s mother (who, for all her many many faults, does seem to be a very devoted mother). But Cheeto doesn’t want to be a man of the people, and is probably so far gone in his personality disorder that he can’t even acknowledge it to himself.
I haven’t been this excited for politics EVER.
#presidentharrisvpwalz
My son has nonverbal learning disorder. It’s so badly named! People with NVLD are often HIGHLY verbal; what they struggle with is non-verbal communication, I.e. communication that doesn’t use words, like social cues and facial expressions. There are lots of other issues as well, but because of the name, people think it primarily means they can’t/don’t talk, and that’s not the case. There’s a push to have it renamed to Developmental Visual-Spatial Processing Disorder, which makes much more sense.
I love that the Walz family is openly talking about this condition. My kid also has ADHD and anxiety, so if I ever run into Walz at a party, we’ll have plenty to talk about!
Thank you for sharing. This explanation makes so much more sense.
Sycamore, thank you for walking us through that, very helpful. I hope they do rename it.
Thank you so much for explaining this, your words made it so much clearer. I do hope you run into our next VP at a party! He will love to meet you I bet.
Thank you for this!
Thanks for this! So happy to learn more.
I just learned that his daughter lives in my town in Montana. She’s a social worker at a local nonprofit and teaches ski lessons. Hope this means I get a chance to see VP Walz here someday!
A social worker too! What a lovely, service-oriented family.
Tile installer listens to Dump radio all day long and the Dump bros are going ballistic on Walz. Hyper focused on his military background, completely ignoring Dump’s military fraud. It is terrifying to hear, even in micro doses. And yes, I will have to sage the house when he is done tiling.
I would tell the contractor that kind of filth isn’t allowed in my house.
But yeah, the attacks aren’t gonna stick and really just make them look desperate.
🎯
Can he not wear headphones?
My living room tv volume is controlled by the stereo speaker remote. My dad loves watching FOX “news” all the time. They came over one day and he asked for the TV remote to change the channel. I told him I don’t condone that channel in my house, but if he wanted to watch it he could. Of course he tried to turn up the volume and it wasn’t working. I then told him that A. I said that he could watch it, not that he could listen to it; and B. My house, my rules. He was NOT a happy man, lol!
@ GoldenMom
Personally I would sage his radio while standing over it. Then tell tile guy that I simply do NOT allow that sort of fake news nonsense in my
home. Then follow it up with sprinkling salt water on it while chanting “begone unclean spirit” over and over.
But that’s just me.
It has been challenging because there is no backup tiler, contractor keeps telling me to just ignore it & making it my fault for not letting it go. Basically, the contractor is gaslighting me. It is enraging.
Got into it Wednesday when I switched off his radio – tiler later left in a huff, claiming it was for something else, but I know it was the radio.
He has taken last two days off, all starts again on Monday. Contractor saying he’ll ‘ask’ him to play music. That radio will be meeting a violent end if talk radio starts.
2024 dumpster fire in a nutshell.
GoldenMom, this reminds me unfortunately of my late beloved Dad, who would drive home from work for lunch just so he could listen to Rush Limbaugh. When we finally cleaned up the house with our Mom, I was assigned to the kitchen and I threw away his Rush coffee mug.
@Goldenmom…what a big baby!! He’s a Trumpster, so it tracks, but my goodness…what a weird reaction!
@GoldenMom – I feel your pain. If you alienate a good contractor, the job will never get done. I dealt with nightmare contractors for the better part of a year because what choice to do you have? Fire them mid project knowing that you’ll never get another contractor to take it over? Or if you eventually do you’ll be living with a half finished project for an undetermined timeframe? But bluetooth headphones make it very easy to listen to one’s own programming unburdened by carrying around a device while working and is a totally reasonable request.
BTW, this guy is absolutely doing it to piss you off.
@GoldenMom…I’d get my radio on full blast with heavy metal (which I’m not that keen on myself, tbh!!) to drown out his talk radio. I’d spite myself to to teach him a lesson, but that’s just me 😈😈😈
I recommend playing loud classical music or opera. What’s not to like? 🙂
Walz sounds like completely “normal”, well-adjusted guy. Amazing.
Compared to Trump saying that people with disabilities ” those kinds of people should just die”, Walz looks once again like a very compassionate man.
They seem like such a nice family, and such caring people. That’s a tough issue to deal with, but it’s immensely helped by having supportive and understanding family who work together to figure out the best way for the kid to thrive.
I worry for their kids, and for the Emhoff kids, I can’t imagine having a parent on the national stage like that. I hope they are all prepared for the negativity, and there are plenty of safety measures in effect.
I’ve seen a few videos of Walz and his daughter, really funny and cute.
It took us a while (5th grade) to realize my daughter was dyslexic. And when we sought help she was diagnosed with ADHD also, like others have posted above. Those two things frequently go together. I think the best you can do as a parent is to pay attention and try hard. The Walz-es seem like they are really good at that!
Kamala really hit it out the park by choosing Walz. And Walz clearly knows how extreme the next 90 days will be, his refrain that “we can sleep when we’re dead” says it all.
I wish Scotus could see the Walz kids and see how their policies rob people who want to be parents. I know, they’re too busy being shameless.
That picture of Gus with the dog is SO stinkin’ cute. Can you imagine Trump holding a dog?