6.5.03 Learning Disabilities
Learning disability evaluations must include a comprehensive summary of the student's educational, medical, and family history; as well as a report of behavioral, neurological and personality disorders that relate to the learning disability(ies). Evidence of a specific learning disability and actual test scores must be provided. Grade equivalents are not acceptable.
Comprehensive testing must be administered for documentation to be acceptable. At a Minimum, assessment data must be provided in the following areas:
Aptitude:
Acceptable instruments include, but are not limited to, the following:
* Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test
*Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - Revised (WAIS-R)
* Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-educational Battery- Revised * Tests of Cognitive Ability
Achievement:
Current levels of functioning in reading, mathematics, and written language are required. Acceptable instruments include, but are not limited to, the following:
* Woodcock -Johnson Psycho-educational Battery - Revised
* Test of Achievement
* Stanford Diagnostic Mathematics Test
* Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests - Revised Cognitive Processing Abilities:
Specific areas of information processing must be assessed. Acceptable instruments include, but are not limited to, the following:
* WAIS-R and Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-educational Battery- Revised
Cognitive Ability:
* Wechsler Memory Scales - Revised
Learning disability evaluations must be provided by licensed professionals such as educational psychologists, school psychologists, neuro-psychologists, learning disabilities specialists and medical doctors with training in the evaluation of learning disabilities. Diagnostic reports must include the name, title and credentials of the evaluator and should be presented on letterhead. Reports by special education teachers and/ or tutors are not acceptable.
Accommodations are primarily based upon assessment of the current impact of the student's disability(ies) on his/her academic performance. Therefore, learning disability documentation should be completed within three years, unless a student has documentation from their undergraduate institution and has enrolled at CULS immediately following his/her graduation. If evaluation documents are more than three years old, students may be required to provide a more recent diagnostic assessment.
All acceptable documentation should be on official letterhead.
ADD/ADHD
Students who are seeking accommodations for Attention Deficit Disorder ("ADD") or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ("ADHD") are required to provide documentation to the Disability Services Coordinator. The documentation must include information which can be used in establishing the need for appropriate accommodations. The documentation should be from licensed mental health professionals such as psychiatrists, psychologists and physicians. The documentation must include the following:
* Development history
* Assessment tools used in the evaluation
*Learning areas impacted by ADD/ ADHD
*A medical or clinical diagnosis
*A clear statement of ADD/ ADHD including the reason for the diagnosis
*Qualitative and quantitative information supporting the diagnosis
*the relevance of recommended accommodation(s) in relation to the student's disability(ies).
*Medical prescription, if any, including its effects and side effects.
All acceptable documentation should be on official letterhead.
Physical Disabilities:
Students who are seeking accommodations for physical disabilities are required to provide documentation to the Disability Services Coordinator. The documentation must include information which can be used in establishing the need for appropriate accommodations.
Students may request accommodations for any or all of the following physical disabilities: blindness and visual impairment, deafness, hard of hearing, mobility impairment, or medical conditions such as cancer, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, asthma, AIDS and other invisible physical disabilities that may cause functional limitations.
Appropriate documentation is accepted from licensed professionals such as audiologists to confirm deafness or hard of hearing, ophthalmologists to confirm blindness or visual impairment and neurologists to verify the existence of epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis or a spinal cord injury as well as psychologists and mental health professionals. The documentation should include a statement which verifies the individual's disability, describes the disability's current impact on the individual's daily function, current medication and recommendations for necessary accommodations. Diagnostic reports must include the name, title and credentials of the evaluator and should be presented on letterhead.
All acceptable documentation should be on official letterhead.
Mental Impairments:
Students with psychiatric disabilities must present documentation from licensed mental Health professionals such as psychiatrists, psychologists, physicians and social workers. The documentation must include the following:
* Diagnosis and Psychological test results, where appropriate
* Summary of treatment and medication recommendations
* Learning areas impaired by the mental disorder
* Evaluation of ability to function in a college environment
* Recommendation for continued treatment
All acceptable documentation should be on official letterhead.