Student Disability Services
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
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We suggest that documentation for a Learning Disorder or Attention Deficit Disorder follow the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) guidelines as amended in July of 1997. Specific guidelines are outlined below:

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Rationale: Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder poses a particular difficulty to the evaluator of adults and older adolescents. It does so not only because it requires the mental health professional to delve deeply into the individuals past behavior, but because ADHD shares overlapping symptoms with a host of psychiatric disorders and medical conditions. Therefore, a complete evaluation that includes information from multiple sources, objective measures such as rating scales and personality inventories, diagnostic clinical interviews, academic records, etc. has the best chance of making a clear and definitive diagnosis possible.

Even students who were diagnosed as children or young adolescents either by a physician, psychologist, or other mental health professional, need a current evaluation because the symptom pattern can change over time, the level of severity of impairment will alter in specific areas over time, and the accommodation needs may differ as a student gets older and/or develops compensatory skills and coping strategies.

These criteria will be effective for all new clients who are enrolled on or following January, 2003; students declared eligible prior to this date may be asked to supplement existing documentation if a request for additional accommodation or action is made.

  1. The report should be current (no more than three years old) on letterhead, typed, dated, signed and otherwise legible.
  2. The ADHD evaluation should be conducted by a licensed psychologist or other mental health professional qualified by academic coursework, supervised training, and experience.
  3. The ADHD evaluation should be comprehensive:
    1. Evidence of early impairment. Because ADHD is by definition an early childhood disorder, it is essential that evaluation contain a clinical summary of historical information establishing presence of the disorder in childhood. The evidence should come from multiple sources. Examples of where this information may be gleaned are:
      • transcripts and reports cards
      • teacher comments, IEP’s, 504 Plans
      • parent and student comprehensive life-span questionnaires, parent and student interviews
      • previous psycho-educational testing
      • retrospective rating scales completed by parents, guardians, siblings, former teachers, and/or other relative who have direct knowledge of the student’s childhood behavior.
    2. Evidence of current impairment. The evaluation should contain objective evidence of on-going inattentive and/or hyperactive/ impulsive behavior that significantly impairs functioning in two or more settings. Again, this evidence should come from multiple sources and not just self-report. This information can be garnered from:
      • rating scales completed by student, former teachers, parents, siblings, significant others or friends who have known student at least six months, or extended family members who have an direct knowledge of the students behavior.
      • clinical interviews and comprehensive questionnaires completed by students and parents or guardians that cover developmental history, medical history, academic history, family history for presence of ADHD and other learning disorders, educational problems, or psychological difficulties.
      • review of previous testing
      • review of school records
      • personality inventories such as the Personality Assessment Inventory, the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised, and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-II are good sources of information on overall psychological functioning.
    3. Alternative diagnoses or explanations should be explored. The examiner should investigate the possibility of a dual diagnosis or an alternative psychological, behavioral, neurological, or personality disorder that may confound the diagnosis of ADHD. The clinical interview and personality inventories such as those mentioned above are primary, but not the only, appropriate resources for this information assisting in this process.
    4. Other psychological testing.
      • IQ Tests. Routine administration of a complete individually administered IQ test, such as the Wechsler IQ Test is unnecessary. However, they may be appropriate when there are specific questions about specific cognitive deficits. In most cases a brief screening measure is sufficient. No evaluation should rely mainly on IQ test data in making an ADHD diagnosis.
      • Continuous Performance Tests. As of this writing none of the popular CPT’s has proven reliable when testing adults. They may be useful to the evaluator by providing an opportunity for him or her to observe the student cope with a task of sustained attention. However, no evaluation should rely heavily on a CPT when making an ADHD diagnosis.
    5. Evaluation must include a specific diagnosis. The evaluation should contain a specific differential (the student’s impairments are due to ADHD and not some other disorder) diagnosis of ADHD that uses direct language and eschews terms such as “suggests,” “is indicative of,” or “attention problems.” The diagnosis should be based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual–IV.
    6. Rationale for accommodations. Each student should be treated as an individual. Therefore, any post-secondary accommodation suggested for a student should be accompanied by the reasons that justify the granting of that accommodation.
  4. A typical ADHD evaluation might include, but not be limited to the following:
    1. Brief IQ Screen: e.g., Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test, Shipley Institute of Living Scale
    2. Comprehensive histories: developmental, medical, educational, social, psychological, occupational, substance use, and family.
    3. Multiple source interviews: Interview with student. Corroborative interviews with parents, guardians, teachers, significant others, extended family members, etc. as available.
    4. Rating scales: scales assessing student’s retrospective behavior from multiple sources such as student, parents or guardian, former teachers, siblings, significant others, etc. Examples: DSM-IV based scales, Wender Utah Rating Scale.
    5. Rating scales: scales assessing student’s current behavior from multiple sources such as student, parents or guardian, former teachers, siblings, significant others, etc. Examples: DSM-IV based scales, Attention-Deficit Scale for Adults, Conners Adult ADD Scales.
    6. A personality inventory: an instrument such as the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised, the Personality Assessment Inventory, or the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-II.
    7. CPT: A CPT may be included as a part of an evaluation such as the Conners Continuous Performance Test, the Gordon Diagnostic System, or the Test of Variable Attention. No evaluation should rely solely or too heavily on this type of test for a definitive diagnosis.
  5. While close adherence to the guidelines greatly increases the likelihood of an evaluation’s acceptance, there may be situations where the documentation may deviate from the guidelines and still be acceptable. Each individual’s circumstances will be considered on a case-by-case basis. If you have any questions regarding your documentation, please call Disability Services at 864-656-6848.

NOTE: High School IEP, 504 Plan, and/or letter from a physician or other professional will not be sufficient to document ADD or ADHD. Medication cannot be used to imply a diagnosis.

Basic Test Battery for Determination of LD/ADHD in College Students
The following is considered a basic list of tests that should/could be employed. Special situations may require other tests to be employed. When previous testing is reviewed, comparable tests will be accepted.

  1. Intelligence: Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III
  2. Reading: decoding and comprehension
    Appropriate subtests Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery-III
    Nelson-Denny Reading Test
  3. Math: calculation and applied problems
    Appropriate subtests Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery-III
    Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude
  4. Written Expression
    Spontaneous writing sample (expository essay)
    Appropriate subtests Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery-III
    Wide Range Achievement Test (spelling only)
  5. Oral Expression
    Peabody Picture Vocabulary Tests
    Event description (scored holistically)
  6. Information Processing
    1. Memory
      1. California Verbal Learning Test
      2. Memory subtests of WJ-III
      3. Wechsler Memory Scales
    2. Visual Processing
      1. Appropriate WJ-III subtests
      2. Bender Gestalt
      3. Test of Visual Perception Skills
    3. Auditory Processing
      1. Appropriate WJ-III subtests
      2. Goldman-Firstoe-Woodcock Test of Auditory Discrimination
  7. ADHD (see Guidelines for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Documentation)
    1. Comprehensive Developmental History
    2. Structured ADHD Interview (similar to Barkley's)
    3. Retrospective Rating Scales (parent and child)
      1. ADHD Behavior Checklist
      2. Wender Utah Rating Scale
    4. Rating Scales Covering Current Behavior (parent and client)
      1. Brown ADD Scales
      2. Attention-Deficit Scale for Adults
  8. Social/Emotional
    1. State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Beck Anxiety Inventory)
    2. Beck Depression Inventory
    3. Personality Assessment Inventory
    4. Clinical Interview