Center: Three students conversing in Old Main foyer; Right: View of Bagen Hall with Montante Cultural Center in background.
Learning Disabilities
DSS Forms
Accommodations & Services

Documentation Guidelines for College Students with
Learning Disabilities (LD)

What is a Learning Disability?
A diagnosis for learning disability should generally indicate a significant deficit in at least one academic area and/or one of the specific learning processes. It may also include discrepancies between verbal and performance test scores on a measure of general intelligence.

Guidelines are provided in the interest of assuring that documentation is appropriate to and/or verify eligibility and to support requests for reasonable accommodations, adjustments, auxiliary aids on the basis of a learning disability that currently substantially limits one or more major life activities.  Documentation serves as a foundation that legitimizes a student’s request for appropriate accommodations.  Recommended documentation includes:

  1. Testing should be comprehensive. It is not acceptable to administer only one test for the purpose of diagnosis. Minimally, domains to be addressed should include (but not be limited to):
    • Aptitude: A complete intellectual assessment with all subtests and standard scores reported.
      • The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – Revised (WAIS-R)
      • The Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-educational Battery- Revised: Tests of Cognitive Ability
      • Kaufman-Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test
      • The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale: Fourth edition
        (The Slosson Intelligence Test – Revised and the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test are primarily screening devices which are not comprehensive enough to provide the kinds of information necessary to make accommodation decisions.)
    • Academic Achievement: A comprehensive academic achievement battery is essential with all subtests and standard scores reported for those subtests administered.  The battery should include current levels of academic functioning in relevant areas such as reading (decoding and comprehension), mathematics, and oral and written language.
      • Scholastic Abilities Test for Adults (SATA)
      • Stanford Test of Academic Skills
      • Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery-Revised:  Test of Achievement
      • Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT)

            or specific achievement tests such as:

      • 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.)
    • Information Processing: Specific areas of information processing (e.g. short and long-term memory, sequential memory, auditory and visual perception/processing, processing speed, executive functioning and motor ability) should be assessed.
      • Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude-3 (DLTA-3) 
      • Detroit Test of Learning Aptitude-Adult (DLTA-A) 
      • WIAS-R subtests 
      • Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-educational Battery-Revised:

                  Tests of Cognitive Ability

        NOTE: This is not intended to be an exhaustive list or to restrict assessment in other pertinent and helpful areas such as vocational interests and aptitudes.

  2. Testing should be current.  In most cases, this means testing that has been conducted within the past three or four years.  Because the provision of all reasonable accommodations and services is based upon assessment of the current impact of the student’s disabilities on his/her academic performance, it is in a student’s best interest to provide recent and relevant documentation.
  3. There should be clear and specific evidence and identification of a learning disability. Individual “learning styles” and “learning differences” in and of themselves do not constitute a learning disability.
  4. Actual test scores should be provided. Standard scores and/or percentiles are acceptable; grade equivalents are NOT acceptable unless standard scores and/or percentiles are also included. The assessment should show evidence of discrepancies and intra-individual differences that result in substantial functional limitation(s) to learning.
  5. Professionals recognized as being qualified to make a diagnosis of learning disability are psychologists trained in either psychological, neuropsychological, or psychoeducational assessments, psychiatrists, or learning disability specialists with similar training and credentials, (i.e., licensed or certified by the state). Diagnostic reports should include the names, titles, and professional credentials (e.g., licensed psychologist) of the evaluators as well as the date(s) of testing.  Experience in working with an adult population is essential.  The diagnostician should be impartial and not a family member.
  6. Tests used to document eligibility should be technically sound (i.e., statistically reliable and valid) and standardized for use with an adult population.
  7. A written summary of or background information about the student’s educational, medical, and family histories that relate to the learning disability should be included.
  8. It is helpful to include a description of any accommodation and/or auxiliary aid that has been used at the secondary or postsecondary level.  Information about the specific conditions under which the accommodation was used (e.g., standardized testing, final exams) and whether or not it benefited the student is also useful in determining appropriate accommodations for the student.

What are Common Learning Disabilities?

  • Dyslexia: developmental reading disorder
  • Dysgraphia: developmental writing disorder
  • Dyscalculia: developmental arithmetic disorder
  • Non-verbal Learning Disorder: Poor motor coordination, visual-spatial organization  and/or a lack of social skills may characterize non-verbal learning disorders.

What are Common Characteristics of Students with Learning Disability?

  • Inability to organize and budget time
  • Difficulty following directions
  • Difficulty completing assignments on time
  • Frequent spelling errors
  • Incorrect grammar
  • Difficulty taking notes while listening to class lectures
  • Slow reading rate
  • Inaccurate comprehension
  • Difficulty with basic math operations
  • Low frustration level
  • Low self-esteem
  • Impulsive

What are the Documentation Guidelines?
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. Both aptitude and academic achievement must be evaluated and included in the test report. See DSS office for documentation guidelines.

How are Accommodations and Support Services Determined?
Within 30 days of receiving the diagnostic evaluation or report, DSS will review the need for accommodations and support services based on the individual's disability documentation and disability-based need. DSS will notify the student after determining appropriate accommodations in accordance with Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act and university policy.

What are the Typical Accommodations?

  • Notetakers
  • Alternative testing
  • Textbooks on tape
  • Computer with speech input
  • Separate testing room
  • Tape recorders

Tips for Successful College Experience:

  • Know yourself and understand your strengths and weaknesses
  • Consider internships, part-time jobs, and volunteer experiences that will develop necessary skills
  • Start college search process early and research college accommodations
  • Consider enrolling in a summer pre-college program, take a college class prior to full-time registration, or attend an orientation program geared to students with LD
  • Contact the local Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agency and investigate eligibility requirements
  • Explore sources of financial aid
  • Register with Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, Inc. to receive books in alternative format.
  • Consider joining an LD group to interact and gain support from other students
  • View general studies requirements as an opportunity for growth and exploration.
  • Be prepared to follow a well-structured study plan involving the use of time, resources, and accommodations that fit your needs.

LD Resources:

Books /Books on Tape

  • Accardo, Pasquale J. The Invisible Disability: Understanding Learning Disabilities in the Context of Health and Education.
  • LDA Adult Issues Committee. They Speak for Themselves-A Survey of Adults with LD
    Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic

National Organizations

  • Children and Adults with ADD (C.H.A.D.D.)
    (301) 306-7070
  • Council for Learning Disabilities (CLD)
    (913) 492-8755
  • National Center for LD (NCLD)
    (212) 545-7510

Toll-Free Resources

  • International Dyslexics Association
    1-800-222-3123
  • Learning Resource Network
    1-800-678-5376
  • National Literacy Hotline
    1-800-228-8813
  • National Library of Education
    1-800-424-1616

Links

General Information

Financial Aid and Scholarship Info