Learning Disability Documentation in Higher Education

Abstract

This study examined the supporting documentation submitted by students with learning disability (LD) diagnoses. The participants were 210 students who were enrolled in a college support program for students with disabilities at a private liberal arts college. Findings showed that although most students submitted a psychoeducational evaluation, fewer than half submitted a complete evaluation that included an IQ test and a complete achievement battery that contained full cluster or composite scores and reported standard scores. Public school evaluators had completed larger numbers of incomplete evaluations than private clinicians. Above 20% of the evaluations had been completed more than 3 to 5 years earlier, and 12% were more than 5 years old. The findings from this study extend conclusions from other investigations to specialized support programs for students with LD, suggesting that the quality of documentation for LD submitted to these programs is often poor.

Test-Taking Speed: Predictors and Implications

“…Diagnostic tests are commonly used, along with other data, to document a need for extended time. In adolescents and adults, the Nelson Denny Reading Test (NDRT; Brown, Fishco, & Hanna, 1993) timed reading comprehension task is one of these diagnostic tests (Sparks & Lovett, 2014). Therefore, in the present study, we sought to answer two questions: First, what is the relationship between NDRT comprehension test completion time and comprehension performance (i.e., number of items correct)?…”

College Admissions Tests and LD and ADHD Documentation Guidelines: Consistency With Emerging Legal Guidance

“…Empirical literature suggests that the trust ascribed by the DOJ to qualified evaluators is not always justified. Consistently, the quality of documentation submitted by students to access accommodations for LD or ADHD while in college or for high-stakes tests has been determined to be poor, frequently failing to meet even basic diagnostic standards (e.g., Nelson et al, 2014; Sparks & Lovett, 2014). Surveys have found that qualified evaluators regularly recommend accommodations that are not supported by objective evidence, history, or diagnosis (e.g., Nelson et al, 2014), and many perceive their role as client advocate as opposed to objective evaluator (Harrison et al, 2013).…”

“…Although ADHD has more universally accepted diagnostic criteria than LD, there is little consistency in assessment approaches (Handler & DuPaul, 2005). In addition, studies have found that LD and ADHD documentation submitted in support of accommodation requests is frequently poor and lacking critical information (e.g., Nelson, Whipple, Lindstrom, & Foels, 2014; Sparks & Lovett, 2014).…”

First-Year College Students With ADHD and/or LD

“…First, all data were collected via self-report and thus may be subject to inaccuracies inherent to this methodology (i.e., self-reported diagnostic status may not match clinical diagnosis). Furthermore, even if students accurately report being diagnosed with either ADHD or LD, previous research has demonstrated both a wide range in the quality of information used for diagnosis by professionals, and legitimate concerns regarding students feigning a disorder (Handler & DuPaul, 2005; Sansone & Sansone, 2011; Sollman, Ranseen, & Berry, 2010; Sparks & Lovett, 2009, 2014). Nevertheless, group differences in self-report data are noteworthy even if not completely accurate because these provide important insights into how students with self-reported ADHD and/or LD view themselves and their academic experiences and may best represent the population of students who present themselves to offices of disability services.…”