Texas Christian University
TCU Services for Students with Disabilities
Center for Academic Services
Sadler Hall, Room 1010
TCU Box 297710
Fort Worth, TX 76129
Telephone 817-257-6567
Fax 817-257-5358
Web http://www.acs.tcu.edu/disability
Documentation Guidelines for TCU Students with Disabilities
Asperger’s Disorder
Asperger’s Disorder is a neurobiological disorder that is part of a group of conditions called autism
spectrum disorders. The term "autism spectrum" refers to a range of developmental disabilities that
includes autism as well as other disorders with similar characteristics. They are known as spectrum
disorders because the symptoms of each can appear in different combinations and in varying degrees of
severity: two students with the same diagnosis, though they may share certain patterns of behavior, can
exhibit a wide range of skills and abilities. Several factors can complicate the diagnosis of Asperger’s
Disorder. Like other Autism Spectrum Disorders, Asperger’s Disorder is characterized by impairment
in social interaction accompanied by restricted and repetitive interests and behavior; however; it differs
from the other Autism Spectrum Disorders by having no general delay in language or cognitive
development. Problems in diagnosis include disagreement among diagnostic criteria, controversy over the
distinction between Asperger’s Disorder and other ASD forms or even whether AS exists as a separate
Disorder, and over- and under-diagnosis for non-technical reasons. Clinicians may also vary in the types
of tools they use to diagnose Asperger’s. As with other Autism Spectrum Disorders, early diagnosis is
important, and differential diagnosis must consider several other conditions.
College often presents with a variety of stressors which place additional demands on an individual’s
coping abilities and ability to adjust. Students with Asperger’s may experience an even greater challenge.
Such college stressors generally include: greater academic demands; time management; completing
numerous tasks, deadlines and responsibilities; less structure and organization; being away from homeoften for the first time; changes in family relations and one’s social life; exposure to new people and
ideas, and making decisions on a higher level than one is used to.
The University requires comprehensive documentation of the student’s disability in order to fully evaluate
requests for accommodations and to determine eligibility for services. Documentation should be
presented to the Coordinator of Student Disabilities Services located in Sadler Hall, Room 1010.
Information concerning a student’s disability is treated in a confidential manner in accordance with
University policies as well as applicable state and federal laws. Appropriate University professional(s)
shall review documentation to verify the existence of a disability and to determine appropriate
accommodations.
A diagnosis of a disability alone does not automatically qualify an individual for accommodations under
the ADAAA. To establish the need for a reasonable accommodation, the documentation must indicate
the disability substantially limits one or more major life activities, and supports the request for
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services, accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids that are appropriate in a
postsecondary environment.
This document provides guidelines necessary to establish the impact of the disability on the individual's
educational performance and participation in other University programs and activities, and to validate the
need for accommodations. Students may be asked to provide updated comprehensive information if their
condition is potentially changeable and/or previous documentation doesn't include sufficient relevant
information.
I. A qualified professional must conduct the evaluation:
Professionals conducting assessments and rendering diagnoses of Asperger’s Disorder and making
recommendations for appropriate accommodations must be qualified to do so. Comprehensive training
and relevant experience with an adolescent and adult population are essential. The evaluation must be
performed by a professional who has comprehensive training in the field of Asperger’s and other
Pervasive Developmental Disorders and direct experience working with adolescent and adult Asperger’s
populations such as a Neuropsychologist, Psychiatrist, Clinical Psychologist, or Neurodevelopmental
Physician.
II. The evaluation must be current:
The determination of whether an individual is significantly limited in functioning is based on assessment
of the current impact of the impairment. For an evaluation to be considered current, the evaluation
procedures should be administered within the last 5 years. (However, since developmental disorders such
as Asperger’s and other Developmental Disorders often originate in childhood, information demonstrating
a history of impaired functioning beginning in childhood should also be provided. The University
reserves the right to request updated or augmented documentation in order to have a more accurate picture
of the current level of functioning.)
III. The documentation must be comprehensive:
A. Because Asperger’s disorders are often manifested during childhood (though not always
diagnosed), comprehensive historical information regarding the individual’s communication,
social and academic history in elementary, secondary, and post secondary education should
be documented and provided. Self/parent-reports alone, without any accompanying historical
documents that validate communication, social, and academic problems, are generally not
sufficient to establish a disability.
B. A DSM-IV diagnosis must be stated within the documentation submitted.
C. In addition, the documentation should include: Any specific objective measures used to help
substantiate the diagnosis.
D. A detailed description of the student’s current functioning including:
o restricted, repetitive and/or stereotyped patterns of behavior, activities and sensory
functioning
o sensitivity to environmental conditions
o motor planning
o executive functioning ability
o coping skills and adaptive behavior
o independent living skills
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E. Evidence to support these statements should include results of 1) aptitude and achievement
testing, 2) standardized tests of language skills 3) standardized scales of symptoms related to
autism as well as 4) clinical observations including level of severity.
F. The student’s current functional limitations resulting from Asperger’s Disorder, including 1)
communication skills, 2) functioning in the postsecondary living and academic environment
3) and ability to meet academic demands.
G. For students who wish to receive consideration for academic accommodations, the evaluator
must provide relevant academic performance data including results of aptitude and
achievement standardized tests.
H. Relevant information regarding current multi-modal treatment and prognosis.
I.
Relevant medical information relating to the student’s Asperger’s Disorder including a
description of the impact any prescribed medications or medication side effects have on the
student’s ability to meet the demands of the postsecondary environment.
IV. Diagnostic Interview:
An evaluation report should include the descriptive summary of a comprehensive diagnostic interview by
a qualified evaluator (see # I above). It should include a summary and description of the presenting
problem(s); developmental history; relevant medical history, including the absence of a medical basis for
the present symptoms; academic history; relevant family history; relevant psychosocial history; a
discussion of dual diagnosis, alternative or co-existing mood, behavioral, neurological, and/or personality
disorder(s) along with any history of relevant medication use that may affect the individual's ability
within a higher education setting. Also an evaluative report should address any interventions (i.e.
psychological, behavioral, or psychiatric) that have been implemented, historically. The evaluator must
investigate and rule out the possibility of other potential diagnoses involving developmental and
neurological conditions, as well as educational factors that may result in symptoms mimicking the
purported Asperger’s Disorder and Other Pervasive Developmental Disorders.
V. All documentation must include the following:
A. A clear statement of the disorder, including DSM-IV diagnosis and a summary of present
symptoms.
B. A summary of any assessment procedures and/or evaluation instruments used to make the
diagnosis and a summary of the evaluation results, including standardized or percentile
scores.
C. Medical information relating to the student’s needs to include the impact of medication on the
student’s ability to meet the demands of the postsecondary environment.
D. A statement of the functional impact or limitations of the disorder on learning or other major
life activity and the degree to which it impacts the individual in the learning context for
which accommodations are being requested.
E. Recommendations for reasonable accommodations the university may provide.
Please note that in reviewing the specific accommodation requested by the student or recommended by
the physician/evaluator, The Disabilities Services Coordinator may find that while a recommendation is
clinically supported, it is not the most appropriate accommodation given the requirements of a particular
student’s academic program. The aforementioned guidelines are provided so that The Disabilities
Services Coordinator can respond on a case-by-case basis. The University reserves the right to determine
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eligibility for services based on the quality of the submitted documentation. Documentation may need to
be updated or supplemented in order to be considered complete.
VI. Specific assessments: Please note that some editions may have been recently updated.
A. Aptitude Measures: Tests of aptitude/intelligence assess a person’s learning potential. The
following are some commonly used instruments:
o Woodcock-Johnson Test of Cognitive Ability- Third Edition (WJ-Cog-III)
o Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children- Fourth Edition (WISC-IV)
o Weschler Adult Intelligence Scale- Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV)
o Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test (KAIT)
o Test of Nonverbal Intelligence-Third Edition (TONI-III)
o Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test- Third Edition (PPVT-IV)
o Stanford Binet Intelligence Scales
o Differential Ability Scales- Second Edition (DAS-II)
o Please note that abbreviated scales are not accepted.
B. Educational Achievement Measures: Tests of educational achievement measures what has been
learned in school. Some common instruments are:
o Woodcock-Johnson Test of Educational Achievement- Third Edition (WJ-III Ach.)
o Weschler Individual Achievement Test: Second Edition II (WIAT-II)
o Kaufman Test of Education Achievement, Second Edition (KTEA-II)
o Peabody Individual Achievement Tests-Normative Update (PIAT-R/NU)
o Nelson-Denny Reading Test (NDRT) *a supplemental test only.
C. Measures of Information Processing: Information processing measures an individual’s ability
to gather, retrieve and search for information in the brain. The following are some assessments
commonly used:
o Wechsler Memory Scale-Third Edition (WMS-III)
o Continuous Performance Tests- Second Edition (CPT-II)
o Rey-Osterieth Complex Figure Test
D. Adaptive Behavior: These assessments examine how well an individual is able to independently
meet expectations of daily living on a regular basis within their community or living environment.
o Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale
E. Neuropsychological measures: The following assessments are generally brief measures that are
used to indentify brain dysfunction/function in some regions of the brain:
o NEPSY-II
o Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test-II
o Wisconsin Card Short Test (WCST)
o Trail Making Test
o Repeatable Battery for Neuropsychological Status (RBANS)
F. Autism and Asperger’s specific assessments: Most autism screening tools are designed to
detect autism spectrum disorders specifically. They concentrate on social communication
impairment in children 18 months of age and older, and focus on DSM-IV criteria for autism.
o Gilliam Autism Rating Scale, Second Edition (GARS-II)
o Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-G)
o Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ)
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o
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Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R)
Gilliam Asperger’s Disorder Scale (GADS)
Asperger’s Syndrome Diagnostic Scale (ASDS)
Australian Scale for Asperger’s Syndrome (ASAS)
Childhood Asperger’s Syndrome Test
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