"Learning disabilities" is a general term that refers to a heterogeneous group of disorders manifested by significant difficulties in the acquisition and use of listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, or mathematical abilities. These disorders are intrinsic to the individual, presumed to be due to central nervous system dysfunction, and may occur across the life span. Problems in self-regulatory behaviors, social perception, and social interaction may exist with learning disabilities but do not by themselves constitute a learning disability. Although learning disabilities may occur concomitantly with other handicapping conditions (for example, sensory impairment, mental retardation, serious emotional disturbance) or with extrinsic influences (such as cultural differences, insufficient or inappropriate instruction), they are not the result of those conditions or influences (National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD), 1994).
The University of New Orleans Office of Disability Services has established the following guidelines for the documentation of learning disabilities based on the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities (NJCLD, 1994) definition of learning disabilities and the Association of Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) guidelines for documentation of specific learning disabilities in adults:
I. Evaluation
The evaluation must be comprehensive and current (preferably within three years prior to the student's application for assistance) and should be from a qualified professional (e.g., psychologist, neurologist, school psychologist), and include a diagnosis of a learning disability in accord with the criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, (DSM-IV). Documentation should validate the need for services based on the individual's current level of functioning in the educational setting. A school plan such as an individualized education program (IEP) or a 504 plan is insufficient documentation, but it can be included as part of a more comprehensive assessment battery. A comprehensive assessment battery and the resulting diagnostic report should include a diagnostic interview, assessment of aptitude, academic achievement, information processing and a diagnosis. It is not acceptable for an evaluation to consist of only one test for the purpose of diagnosis. All assessment instruments used in the evaluation must have age appropriate norms for high school seniors/college freshmen or older students. All standardized measures must be represented by standard scores or percentile ranks based on published norms. Minimally, the domains to be addressed in the evaluation must include (but are not limited to) the following:
A. Diagnostic Interview - Because learning disabilities are commonly manifested during childhood, though not always formally diagnosed, relevant historical information regarding the student's academic history and learning processes in elementary, secondary, and post-secondary education should be investigated. The diagnostician, using professional judgment as to which areas are relevant, should conduct a diagnostic interview which may include: a description of the presenting problem(s); developmental, medical, psychosocial and employment histories; family history (including primary language of the home and the student's current level of English fluency); and a discussion of dual diagnosis where indicated. The diagnostician may include a summary of the following:
• Description of the presenting problem(s)
• Developmental history
• Relevant medical history including the absence of a medical basis for the present symptoms
• An academic history including results of prior standardized test
ing, reports of classroom performance and behaviors including transcripts; study habits and attitudes; and notable trends
• Relevant family history, including primary language of the home, and current level of fluency of English
• Relevant psychosocial history
• Relevant employment history
• Discussion of dual diagnosis, alternative or co-existing mood, behavioral, neurological, and/or personality disorders along with any history of relevant medication and current use which may impact the individual's learning
• Exploration of possible alternatives which may mimic a learning disability when, in fact, one is not present
• History of prior psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy
B. Assessment - The neuropsychological or psycho-educational evaluation for the diagnosis of a specific learning disability must provide clear and specific evidence that a learning disability does or does not exist. Assessment, and any resulting diagnosis, should consist of and be based on a comprehensive assessment battery that does not rely on any one test or subtest. Competence in working with culturally and linguistically diverse populations is also essential. It is of utmost importance that evaluators are sensitive and respectful of cultural and linguistic differences in adolescents and adults during the assessment process. Evidence of a substantial limitation to learning or other major life activity must be provided.
1. Aptitude - A complete battery with all sub-tests and standard scores reported is essential. The following list is provided as a helpful resource, but it is not intended to be definitive or exhaustive:
• Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test
• Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (5th ed.)
• Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale III (WAIS-III)
2. Achievement - A complete battery with all subtest and standard scores reported is essential. Current levels of functioning in reading (decoding and comprehension*), mathematics (applied word problems and calculations**), oral language skills, and written language skills (spelling and written expression) are required. Acceptable instruments include:
• Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery III: Tests of Achievement
• Scholastic Abilities Test for Adults (SATA)
• Stanford Tests of Academic Skills
• Wechsler Individual Achievement Test II (WIAT II)
Or specific achievement tests such as the:
• Nelson-Denny Reading Skills Test
• Stanford Diagnostic Mathematics Test
• Test of Written Language - 3 (TOWL-3)
• Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests - Revised
Specific achievement tests are useful instruments when administered under standardized conditions and interpreted within the context of other diagnostic information. The Wide Range Achievement Test - 3 (WRAT-3) is not a comprehensive measure of achievement and therefore is not useful if used as the sole measure of achievement.
*The evaluation should indicate the student's ability to comprehend long passages typical of college text.
**The evaluation should indicate whether or not the student was successful with algebra problems.
3. Information Processing - Strengths, weaknesses, and deficits should be discussed. Clear documentation of deficit areas is necessary in order to provide appropriate accommodations. Information processing areas, which should be discussed, include:
a. Visual-spatial abilities
b. memory (auditory and visual; short-term and long term)
c. motor ability
d. executive functions (verbal and nonverbal reasoning)
e. processing speed
f. attention (auditory and visual).
Other assessment measures such as non-standard measures and informal assessment procedures or observations may be helpful in determining performance across a variety of domains. Other formal assessment measures may be integrated with the above instruments to help determine a learning disability and differentiate it from co-existing neurological and/or psychiatric disorders (i.e., to establish a differential diagnosis). In addition to standardized tests, it is also very useful to include informal observations of the student during the test administration. The Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude - 3 (DTLA-3) and sub-tests from the WAIS-III or the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-educational Battery III: Tests of Cognitive Ability are acceptable assessments, as well as other relevant instruments.
NOTE: This is not intended to be an exhaustive list or to restrict assessment from other pertinent and helpful areas such as vocational interests and aptitudes.
II. Test Scores
Standard scores and/or percentiles should be provided for all normed measures. Grade equivalents are not useful unless standard scores and/or percentiles are also included. The data should logically reflect a substantial limitation to learning for which the student is requesting the accommodation. The particular profile of the student's strengths and weaknesses must be shown to relate to functional limitations that may necessitate accommodations.
The tests used should be reliable, valid and standardized for use with an adolescent/adult population. The test findings should document both the nature and severity of the learning disability. Informal inventories, surveys and direct observation by a qualified professional may be used in tandem with formal tests in order to further develop a clinical hypothesis.
III. Specific Diagnosis
Individual "learning styles," "learning differences," "academic problems," "test difficulty or anxiety," and “non-verbal learning disability” in and of themselves, do not constitute a learning disability. It is important to rule out alternative explanations for problems in learning such as emotional, attentional or motivational problems that may be interfering with learning but do not constitute a learning disability. The diagnostician is encouraged to use direct language in the diagnosis and documentation of a learning disability, in accord with the criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, (DSM-IV), avoiding the use of terms such as "suggests" or "is indicative of."
If the data indicate that a learning disability is not present, the evaluator should state that conclusion in the report.
IV. Clinical Summary
A well-written diagnostic summary is based on a comprehensive evaluation process is a necessary component of the report. Assessment instruments and the data they provide do not diagnose; rather, they provide important elements that must be integrated by the evaluator with background information, observations of the client during the testing situation, and the current context. It is essential, therefore, that professional judgment be utilized in the development of a clinical summary. The clinical summary should include:
A. Demonstration of the evaluator's having ruled out alternative explanations for academic problems as a result of poor education, poor motivation and/or study skills, emotional problems, attentional problems and cultural/language differences;
B. Indication of how patterns in the student's cognitive ability, achievement and information processing reflect the presence of a learning disability;
C. Indication of the substantial limitation to learning or other major life activity presented by the learning disability and the degree to which it impacts the individual in the learning context for
D. Indication as to why specific accommodations are needed and how the effects of the specific disability are accommodated.
The summary should also include any record of prior accommodation or auxiliary aids, including any information about specific conditions under which the accommodations were used (e.g., standardized testing, final exams, licensing or certification examinations).
V. Recommendations for Accommodations
It is important to recognize that accommodation needs can change over time and are not always identified through the initial diagnostic process. Conversely, a prior history of accommodation does not, in and of itself, warrant the provision of a similar accommodation.
The diagnostic report should include specific recommendations for accommodations as well as an explanation as to why each accommodation is recommended. The evaluators should describe the impact the diagnosed learning disability has on a specific major life activity as well as the degree of significance of this impact on the individual. The evaluator should support recommendations with specific test results or clinical observations.
If accommodations are not clearly identified in a diagnostic report, the disability service provider should seek clarification and, if necessary, more information. The final determination for providing appropriate and reasonable accommodations rests with the institution.
In instances where a request for accommodations is denied in a post-secondary institution, a written grievance or appeal procedure should be in place.
VI. Qualifications of the Evaluator
Professionals conducting assessments and rendering diagnosis of specific learning disabilities and making recommendations for appropriate accommodations must be qualified to do so.
The name, title, and professional credentials of the evaluator, including information about license or certification (e.g., licensed psychologist) as well as the area of specialization, employment, and state/province in which the individual practices should clearly be stated on documentation. For example, the following professionals would generally be considered qualified to evaluate specific learning disabilities, provided that they have additional training and experience in the assessment of learning problems in adolescents and adults: clinical or educational psychologists, school psychologists, and neuropsychologists. Use of diagnostic terminology indicating a learning disability by someone whose training and experience are not in these fields is not acceptable. It is not considered appropriate for professionals to evaluate members of their families. All reports should be on letterhead, typed, dated, signed, and otherwise legible.
Accommodations are decided on a case by case basis and may include but are not limited to nor completely inclusive of the following:
• Tape Recorded Lectures
• Volunteer note taker
• Alternate format text books
• Extended time on examinations
• Examinations in a distraction-reduced environment
• Reader for exams
• Scribe for exams
• Use of a word processor with spell check for exams
• To request accommodations each semester.
• To request additional accommodations(s) or review existing accommodations.
• When you are not able to work out ODS approved accommodations with faculty.
• When accommodations do not seem to be helping.
• When there is a problem. We cannot help if we do not know a problem exists.
The Learning Disability Documentation Packet must be completed by an appropriate professional and submitted to ODS, along with a copy of the evaluation, including test scores. After having the packet completed, submit the information to ODS. New students must meet with an ODS staff member to complete registration with the office and have accommodations determined. If you have any questions please contact ODS at 504-280-7284 or atatc@uno.edu for further information.
LD Documentation Packet - Accessible PDF
LD Documentation Packet - Word for PC
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