Guidelines for Documentation of a Specific Learning Disability and/or ADD
The following guidelines are provided in the interest of assuring that psycho-educational evaluation reports are appropriate for determining eligibility for learning disability services. These guidelines meet current national standards. If these guidelines conflict with any provisions of applicable law, the law governs; and, if applicable law allows the college greater discretion than do these guidelines, the college reserves the right to exercise such discretion with respect to these guidelines.
1. Testing must be current. In most cases this means within the past three years. This evaluation will constitute the basis for determining reasonable accommodations at this time. Since reasonable accommodations and services are based upon the current impact of the student's disabilities on his or her academic performance, it is in a student's best interest to provide recent and appropriate documentation.
2. Documentation necessary to substantiate the learning disability should be comprehensive.
A comprehensive test battery should include the following:
a. Diagnostic interview
b. Formal assessment to include:
c. Non-standard measures and informal assessment
d. In addition to the above, an assessment for Attention Deficit Disorder should include tests for memory, attention and distractibility.
*An IEP or 504 plan is not sufficient documentation in and of itself, but can be included as part of a more comprehensive test battery.
3. The documentation must include a specific diagnosis.
4. Actual test scores from standardized instruments should be provided - standard scores and percentiles should be provided for all normed measures. Use of non-specific labels (e.g., "very qualified") in lieu of standardized scores is not sufficient.
5. A clinical summary should be provided. This summary should include the specific supporting information that has been used to determine the presence of a learning disability. The summary should indicate the substantial limitation to learning presented by the learning disability and the degree to which it impacts the individual in the learning context for which accommodations are being requested.
6. Each accommodation recommended by the evaluator should include a rationale. Specifically, this should include indications supported by the evaluation as to why specific accommodations are needed and how the effects of the specific disability are remediated by the accommodation. The recommendation of an accommodation, particularly if lacking such rationales, does not guarantee that such an accommodation will be provided.