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Learning Disorders

1. All reports should be current (no more than three years old), on letterhead, typed, dated, signed, and otherwise legible. A current report is necessary because a student’s needs may vary over time and from setting to setting. Even reports two or three years old should have recommendations appropriate for post-secondary settings. If at all possible, the evaluator should review the report and up-date the recommendations. Therefore, IEP’s (Individual Educational Plans) or 504 Plans, although providing information about a student’s educational experience, are not sufficient documentation to establish the student’s eligibility for accommodations.
2. The documentation should be substantive and comprehensive to be acceptable. Such psychoeducational documentation will include:
   
   • summary of a comprehensive interview which should include such information as presenting problem(s); developmental, psychosocial, medical, and family history; academic history, including the results of previous testing; instructional foundation in the areas or purported dysfunction; past performance in areas of difficulty; and history and effectiveness of accommodations used in past educational settings;
   • a comprehensive assessment of aptitude (including a complete intellectual assessment) with all subtests, standard scores, and percentiles reported;
   • a comprehensive academic achievement battery that covers the relevant domains such as reading comprehension, decoding, written expression and the like with all subtests, standard scores, and percentiles reported;
   • an assessment of specific areas of information processing such as short- and long-term memory, auditory processing, processing speed, executive function and visual perception/processing with all subtests, standard scores, and percentiles reported;
   • evidence that the evaluator has ruled out alternative explanations for academic problems such as a poor or inadequate educational background or foundation, poor motivation, poor study skills, emotional problems, medical problems, or other possible alternatives that might mimic a learning disability when one is not actually present;
   • a detailed description of how this impairment significantly limits a major life activity in an academic setting.
3. The current psychoeducational evaluation should be provided by a licensed psychologist or appropriately credentialed mental health professional with appropriate training and supervised experience in psychoeducational assessment.
4. In order to make an informed decision about the student's learning disorder and need for accommodation, the report should provide the following:
   
   • the nature of the learning disorder and the specific diagnosis as delineated in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-IV (DSM-IV) or current edition. There must be a clear statement of whether or not a learning disorder exists including a rule-out of alternative explanations for the stated learning problems. Terms such as “seems,” “appears,” “suggests,” or “probable” in the diagnostic
     summary will be considered equivocal and not supporting a definitive and conclusive diagnosis.
   • a description of the severity and longevity of the condition.
   • recommendations should be appropriate for a post secondary setting and the report should state a clear rationale for each accommodation requested based on the test findings. Reports written for the secondary setting apply standards and guidelines that vary widely among states, counties, and even school districts. Such reports often contain recommendations that are unworkable, unsuitable, or otherwise inappropriate for a post-secondary setting.
5. Students seeking assistance regarding foreign languages will enhance the likelihood of gaining accommodations if their evaluations can document the following:
   
   • a developmental delay in speech acquisition or other type early difficulty in sound production or sound-symbol association ability;
   • evidence of a significant on-going auditory processing problem;
   • a history of difficulty in acquiring a second language during the K-12 years;
   • a history of inability to perform adequately in college-level foreign language classes;
   • evidence of deficits in the phonological, syntactic, semantic, and memory skills necessary in foreign language learning as measured by such instruments as the Modern Language Aptitude Test or the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing. However, an evaluation relying solely on these instruments may not be sufficient in establishing the need for accommodations.

NOTE: High school IEP, 504 plan, and/or letter from a physician or other professional will not be sufficient to document a learning disability. While, such documentation can be helpful in establishing the student’s learning history, a recent psychological evaluation is still necessary to confirm current needs.