Specific Learning Disability

Guidelines for Documentation of a Specific Learning Disability

Students who desire accommodations from the Office of Student Disability Services on the basis of a diagnosed learning disability (LD) are required to submit documentation to verify need and eligibility under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Protection under these civil rights statutes is based on documentation of a disability that substantially limits one or more major life activities, including learning.

Since Christian Brothers University's goal is to provide reasonable and appropriate support services for students with learning disabilities, students are required to provide current and comprehensive documentation of their disability justifying a need for accommodation.

The following guidelines are provided to assure that documentation is appropriate to verify eligibility and is supportive of requests for reasonable accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids on the basis of a specific learning disability.

1. Qualifications of the Evaluator.
   Professionals conducting assessments, rendering diagnoses of learning disabilities, and making recommendations for appropriate accommodations must be qualified to do so. Comprehensive training and direct experience with an adolescent and adult LD population is essential. Competence in working with culturally and linguistically diverse populations is also essential. Note: 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 in which the individual practices, should be clearly stated in the documentation.
2. Currency of Documentation.
   The provision of all reasonable accommodations and services is based upon assessment of the current impact of the student's disability on his/her academic performance. Therefore, it is in the student's best interest to provide recent and appropriate documentation relevant to the student's learning environment. In most cases, this means testing that has been conducted within the past three years. If the documentation is outdated or inadequate in scope or content, it may be necessary to update the evaluation report or to request clarification or further information.
3. Substantiation of the Learning Disability.
   A single test, an individualized education program (IEP) or a 504 plan are not considered sufficient for the purpose of diagnosis. Instead, the student's documentation should consist of a comprehensive assessment battery that includes: a diagnostic interview; assessment of aptitude; measures of academic achievement and information processing with test scores; a specific diagnosis; and a clinical summary that contains recommendations for specific accommodations.
1. Diagnostic Interview. An evaluation report should include the summary of a comprehensive diagnostic interview. Relevant information regarding the student's academic history and learning processes in elementary, secondary and post secondary education should be investigated. Areas that the diagnostician should address, using professional judgment as to which are relevant, include:
1. A description of the presenting problem(s); relevant developmental, medical, psychosocial and employment histories;
2. Family history (including primary language of the home, if other than English, and the student's current level of English fluency); and
3. A discussion of dual diagnosis where indicated.

2. 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. Evidence of a substantial limitation to learning or other major life activity must be provided. The evaluation should address the following areas, using tests such as those listed at the end of this section:
1. Aptitude: A complete intellectual assessment with all subtests and standard scores reported.
2. 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/or written language.
3. 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 addressed.

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 coexisting neurological and/or psychiatric disorders. In addition to standardized tests, it is also very useful to include informal observations of the student during the test administration.

3. Specific Diagnosis. Christian Brothers University subscribes to the definition and diagnostic criteria for specific learning disabilities outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR). Nonspecific diagnoses, such as individual "learning styles," "learning differences," "academic problems," and "test difficulty or anxiety," in and of themselves do not constitute a learning disability. The evaluator should make a specific DSM-IV-TR diagnosis if indicated by the testing data.
4. 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 particular profile of the student's strengths and weaknesses must be shown to relate to functional limitations that may necessitate accommodations.
5. Clinical Summary. A diagnostic summary based on a comprehensive evaluation process is a necessary component of the report. The clinical summary should include:
1. Demonstration that the evaluator has ruled out alternative explanations for academic problems, such as poor education, poor motivation and/or study skills, emotional problems, attentional problems, and cultural/language differences.
2. Indication of how patterns in the student's cognitive ability, achievement and information processing reflect the presence of a learning disability.
3. Indication of the substantial limitation to learning presented by the learning disability and the degree to which it affects the individual in the learning context for which accommodations are being requested.
4. Indication of why specific accommodations are needed and how the effects of the specific disability are mediated by the accommodations.

The summary must also include any record of prior accommodations or auxiliary aids, including any information about specific conditions under which the accommodations were used (e.g., standardized testing, final exams).

4. Recommendations for Accommodations.
   The diagnostic report should include specific recommendations for accommodations, including an explanation as to why each accommodation is recommended. The evaluator should support recommendations with specific test results or clinical observations.

Determinations of reasonable and appropriate accommodations are made by Christian Brothers University's Disability Accommodation Committee and are based on the documentation information, evaluation of the documentation by an outside professional, the student's request for accommodations, and the tasks required for the student's courses as defined by individual faculty members. Accommodations are always individually determined.