St. George’s University
Psychological Services Center (PSC)
(473.439.2277, Buildings E and F, Top Floors, www.sgu.edu/psc)
Guidelines for Learning Disability/ADHD Assessment
The following guidelines are designed to help individuals understand the necessary components
of the documentation required to validate a learning disability or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD). They are particularly important for students who will be requesting academic
accommodations at St. George’s University (SGU) in standardized testing situations. The
guidelines follow the recommendations of Educational Testing Services, the Association of
Higher Education and Disability and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Documentation Requirements
1. A Qualified Professional Must Conduct the Evaluation
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The name, title and professional credentials of the evaluator, including information about
license or certification as well as the area of specialization, employment and state in
which the individual practices must be clearly stated.
Only licensed psychologists and physicians with comprehensive training and relevant
experience in the assessment of learning problems with adults and adolescents are
qualified to assess learning disabilities.
Reports should be on letterhead, typed, dated and signed.
2. Testing Must be Current
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Documentation submitted for accommodations cannot be older than three (3) years.
3. Documentation Must be Comprehensive
Documentation must include the following:
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Relevant academic and learning history in elementary, secondary and post-secondary
education must be investigated and documented.
A summary of a comprehensive diagnostic interview by a qualified evaluator.
A combination of self-report, interviews with others and historical documentation
(transcripts and standardized scores).
A description of the presenting problem.
A developmental history with relevant medical history.
An academic history including prior standardized testing and classroom performance.
Assessment Guidelines
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Relevant family history including primary language of the home and student's current
level of fluency in English.
Relevant psychosocial history.
Relevant employment history.
A discussion of dual diagnosis and alternative or co-existing mood, behavioral,
neurological and or personality disorders.
All findings should be integrated with information about emotional, social and
personality functioning.
A history of relevant medication use that may affect the individual's learning.
An exploration of possible alternatives that may mimic a learning disability, if one is not
present.
4. Assessment
The assessment must provide clear and specific evidence that a learning disability or ADHD
exists, thus the evaluation and any resulting diagnosis must consist of, and be based on, a
comprehensive battery that does not rely on any one test or subtest. Minimally, the following
domains must be addressed:
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Aptitude/Cognitive Ability - Including all subtests and standard scores reported.
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Academic Achievement - Including subtests and standard scores as well as current levels
of academic functioning in relevant areas such as reading decoding and comprehension,
mathematics and oral and written language.
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Information Processing
- Short-term memory
- Verbal and nonverbal memory
- Auditory and visual perception/processing
- Processing speed
- Executive functioning
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Additional Assessments
- Testing observations
- Psychiatric/neurological assessment to establish differential diagnosis
- Personality-emotional functioning
5. Documentation Must Include a Specific Diagnosis
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Nonspecific diagnoses do not constitute a disability (e.g. slow learner, academic
problems, testing anxiety).
6. Actual Standardized Instrument Test Scores Must be Provided
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Scores and/or percentile ranks.
Profile of strengths and weaknesses must be related to functional limitations.
Assessment Guidelines
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Tests must be reliable, valid and standardized for use with an adolescent/adult population.
7. Each Recommended Accommodation Must Include a Rationale
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Each report must include specific recommendations as well as a detailed rationale for
each.
8. An Interpretative Summary Must be Provided
The clinical summary should include:
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Evidence that the evaluator ruled out alternative explanations for academic problems.
Identification of patterns in cognitive ability, achievement and information processing are
used to determine the presence of a learning disability.
An indication of the substantial limitation to learning.
A clear explanation of why specific accommodations are needed.
Recommended Assessment Instruments
Aptitude/Cognitive Ability
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Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale III or IV
Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability
Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test
Stanford-Binet
Academic Achievement
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Scholastic Abilities Tests for Adults
Stanford Test of Academic Skills
Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement
Wechsler Individual Achievement Test II
Or specific achievement tests such as:
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Nelson-Denny Reading Test
Stanford Diagnostic Mathematics Test
Test of Written Language
Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests - Revised
Information Processing
Acceptable instruments include, but are not limited to:
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Wechsler Memory Scale III or IV
Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS)
Assessment Guidelines
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Computerized Performance Tests (e.g., Conners’ CPT, TOVA)
Information subtest on the WAIS-R or Woodcock Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability
Wide Range Assessment of Learning-2
Behavioral Dyscontrol Scale
Other tests of sustained attention
Other Rating Scales
Various scales could be used, including:
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Brown ADD Scales – self/parent reports
Wender Utah Rating Scales – self/parent reports
Conners’ Adult ADHD Rating Scale – self/parent reports
Behavior Rating of Executive Functions
Personality Assessment Inventory
Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function Family
Clinical Assessment of Attention Deficit
Vanderbilt
For additional information, please see the disabilities webpage at sgu.edu/psc. You can also
contact SGU's Psychological Services Center by phoning 473.439.2277 or visiting the top floors
of Buildings E and F on the True Blue Campus.
Revised: August 30, 2011