Documentation Requirements   

Disability documentation must adequately verify the nature and extent of the disability in accordance with current professional standards, and it must clearly show the need for each of your requested accommodations. Documentation must be from a qualified professional who is licensed or certified to diagnose the disability in question. All assessments used to document eligibility must be technically sound and standardized, and recent enough to reflect the student's current disability-related impacts in the academic/living environment.  

Documentation from a family member is NOT acceptable.   

Please review the section on what information is needed in the documentation as well as the section regarding insufficient documentation. 

 

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QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL   

Documentation should be completed by a qualified professional, such as a treating or diagnosing health or mental health provider who has an established therapeutic relationship with the student. The therapeutic relationship refers to the close and consistent association that exists between the health or mental health provider and the client or patient. It is the means by which a health or mental health provider and a client or patient hope to engage with each other and effect beneficial change in the client or patient.  

*If a student (client) is referred for an assessment, e.g., LD or ADHD testing, this might mean a one-time meeting with a professional for assessment purposes.   

Documentation must include the following information:   

  • The documentation must be on letterhead or the DAS Documentation Information Form, and must be dated, signed, and include the evaluator's name, address, telephone number and professional credentials.   

  • A specific diagnostic statement identifying the disability, including severity and date of current diagnostic evaluation.   

  • Specific findings which support this diagnosis, including relevant history, tests/assessments administered, test/assessment results, and interpretation of those results.   

  • Length of condition(s) and expected duration.   

  • Information concerning the impact of the disability in the educational setting, including a description of the physical and/or cognitive functional limitations due to the disability.   

  • For psychological and mental health disabilities, evaluation and documentation should be within the last six months.  

  • For an LD or ADD/ADHD diagnosis (assessments normed for adults are preferred), please review pages two and three of the DAS Documentation Form.   

  • Medication(s) being used (only if the side effects have a negative impact on performance).   

  • Accommodations or services to address the functional impact(s) of the disability.   

  • Any other helpful information for working with this student. 

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Insufficient Documentation:   

  • An IEP or 504 Plan is not sufficient documentation in and of itself but can be included as part of a more comprehensive evaluative report.   

  • Information about accommodations at a previous postsecondary institution is not sufficient documentation in and of itself but can be included as part of a more comprehensive evaluative report.   

  • Profile of academic strengths and weaknesses and how these relate to the academic limitation(s) is not sufficient documentation in and of itself but can be included as part of a more comprehensive evaluative report.   

  • A doctor’s prescription pad note is not sufficient documentation.   

  • Screening checklists are not sufficient documentation unto themselves but could be one part of a formal assessment.  

  • Medical records only identifying the medical condition with no information about impacts to the individual (in the postsecondary environment) is not sufficient documentation.   

If the original documentation is incomplete or inadequate to determine the extent of the disability or reasonable accommodation, DAS may, at its discretion, require additional documentation. The student is responsible for any costs related to obtaining additional documentation if the initial documentation is incomplete, insufficient or inadequate. You can download a copy of the DAS Documentation Information form or pick up a printed copy at the DAS office.   

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Specific Learning Disabilities   

A comprehensive psycho-educational assessment from a psychologist or learning disabilities specialist that includes the following: (Must be normed for adults)   

    1.  A clear statement of the specific learning disability with the DSM-V diagnosis.   

    2.  A test used to measure intellectual ability, including scores and subtest scores   

        a. Acceptable IQ tests:   

  • Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test   

  • Stanford Binet 4th Edition   

  • Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – IV (WAIS-IV)   

  • Woodcock-Johnson IV General Intellectual Ability (GIA)   

        b. Not acceptable IQ tests:    

  • The Slosson Intelligence Test - Revised   

  • Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI) and the   

  • Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (K-BIT-2)   

*The above are primarily screening devices which are not comprehensive enough to provide the kinds of information necessary to make accommodation(s) decisions.   

    3.  A test used to measure academic achievement, including scores and subtest scores.   

        a. Acceptable achievement tests:   

  • Nelson-Denny Reading Test   

  • Scholastic Abilities Test for Adults (SATA)   

  • Wechsler Individual Achievement Test – II (WIAT-II)   

  • Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Achievement   

  • Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests – Revised   

        b. Not acceptable:   

  • Wide Range Achievement Test – 4 (WRAT-4)   

    4.  A test used to measure processing ability, including scores and subtest scores.   

        a.  Acceptable processing tests:   

            1.   Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude – Adult  

            2.   Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Cognitive Abilities   

    5.  Clinical summary   

ADHD Guidelines   

    1.  A comprehensive assessment from a qualified professional should include the following:   

    2.  A test used to measure intellectual ability, including scores and subtest scores   

        a.  Acceptable IQ tests:   

  • Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test   

  • Stanford Binet 4th Edition, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – IV (WAIS-IV)  

  • Woodcock-Johnson IV General Intellectual Ability (GIA)   

  • Test of Non-verbal Intelligence – (TONI-4).   

        b.  Not acceptable IQ tests:    

  • The Slosson Intelligence Test - Revised   

  • Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI)    

  • Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (K-BIT-2)   

*The above are primarily screening devices which are not comprehensive enough to provide the kinds of information necessary to make accommodation(s) decisions.   

    3.  A test used to measure academic achievement, including scores and subtest scores.   

        a.  Acceptable achievement tests:   

  • Nelson-Denny Reading Test   

  • Scholastic Abilities Test for Adults (SATA)   

  • Wechsler Individual Achievement Test – II (WIAT-II)   

  • Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Achievement   

  • Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests – Revised, Test of Written Language – 4 (TOWL-4)   

  • Stanford Diagnostic Mathematics Test.   

        b.  Not acceptable:   

  • Wide Range Achievement Test – 4 (WRAT-4).   

  

    4.  A test used to measure processing ability, including scores and subtest scores.   

        b.  Acceptable processing tests:   

  • Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude – Adult   

  • Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Cognitive Abilities   

    5.  Clinical Summary Might also include one or more of the following checklists:   

  • Clinical Assessment of Attention Deficit Adult (CAT-A)   

  • Barkley Home and School Situations Questionnaires and Barkley Adult ADHD Rating Scale-IV (BAARS-IV)   

  • Vanderbilt Assessment Scales   

  • AHRQ Technical Review: Diagnosis of ADHD   

  • Conners Rating Scales    

  

Tests of Intellectual/Cognitive Functioning (this may be because of a learning disability, concussion or other mental or physical health impairment). This specifically relates to students reporting memory issues, cognitive “fuzziness” or brain fog, etc.   

  

    1.  A test used to measure intellectual ability, including scores and subtest scores   

        a.  Acceptable IQ tests:   

  • Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test   

  • Stanford Binet 4th Edition   

  • Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – IV (WAIS-IV)   

  • Woodcock-Johnson IV General Intellectual Ability (GIA)   

  • Test of Non-verbal Intelligence – (TONI-4)   

        b.  Not acceptable IQ tests:    

  • The Slosson Intelligence Test - Revised,   

  • Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI) and the   

  • Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (K-BIT-2)  

*The above are primarily screening devices which are not comprehensive enough to provide the kinds of information necessary to make accommodation(s) decisions.   

    2.  A test used to measure academic achievement, including scores and subtest scores.   

        a.  Acceptable achievement tests: Nelson-Denny Reading Test   

  • Scholastic Abilities Test for Adults (SATA)   

  • Wechsler Individual Achievement Test – II (WIAT-II)   

  • Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Achievement   

  • Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests – Revised   

  • Test of Written Language – 4 (TOWL-4)   

  • Stanford Diagnostic Mathematics Test   

        b.  Not acceptable:   

  • Wide Range Achievement Test – 4 (WRAT-4)   

    3.  Attention, Memory, Learning   

  • Brown Attention Deficit Disorder Scale   

  • California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT-II)   

  • Conners’ Adult ADHD Rating Scale – Self Report   

  • Conners’ Continuous Performance Test-III (CPT-III)   

  • Detroit Test of Adult Learning Aptitude (DTLA-A)  

  • Detroit Test of Learning Aptitude -4 (DLTA-4)   

  • Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery   

  • Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test (IVA+Plus)   

  • Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test – Third Edition (RBMT-3) 

  • Scales of Cognitive Ability for Traumatic Brain Injury (SCATBI)  

  • Test of Variable Attention (TOVA)   

  • WAIS IV Working Memory Index (WMS)   

  • Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning - Second Edition (WRAML-2)   

  • Wechsler Memory Scales IV   

  • Wender Utah Rating Scale (for ADHD)   

    4.   Executive Functioning   

  • D-KEFS   

  • Stroop Color and Word Test   

  • Trail Making Test Parts A and B   

  • Wisconsin Card Sorting Test   

  • Ross Information Processing Assessment (RIPA-2, RIPA-P, RIPA-G) 

  • Galveston Orientation and Amnesia Test (GOAT) 

  • Functional Assessment of Verbal Reasoning and Executive Strateiges (FAVRES) 

    5.   Visual - Perceptual – Motor   

  • Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test   

  • Brief Visual-Spatial Memory Test   

  • Finger Tapping Test   

  • Grooved Pegboard Test   

  • Purdue Pegboard Test   

  • Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Drawing Test   

      6.  Language Skills   

  • Boston Naming Test   

  • Cognitive Linguistic Quick Test (CLQT)  

  • Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP)   

  • Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III (PPVT- III)   

  • Test of Adolescent and Adult Language (TOAL-4)   

Given that the differential diagnosis of LD/ADHD often involves considering other co-occurring or co- morbid conditions, there is a wide variety of other tests or measures that may be appropriate to include in a diagnostic report. A brief list of representative measures is listed below:   

    7.  Miscellaneous Others:   

  • Beck Depression Inventory - Second Edition (BDI-II)   

  • Beck Anxiety Inventory   

  • Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) 

  • Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) 

  • MMPI -2   

  • Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI)   

  • Revised Test Anxiety Scale   

  • Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM)   

  

Updated 09/2022