Guidelines for Documentation of ADHD/ADD
Students who are seeking assistance from the Office of Accessibility based on a diagnosis of ADHD/ADD must submit documentation to verify the diagnosis. The purpose of the documentation is to determine eligibility for academic accommodations. Eligibility to receive accommodations under Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is based upon the existence of a disorder that currently substantially limits some major life activity including leaning.
The following guidelines assure that documentation verifies eligibility and adequately supports requests for reasonable accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids. The Learning Disability Specialist is available to consult with the diagnostician regarding any of these guidelines (Office of Accessibility, 419.530.4981, TDD 9, 419.530.2612).
TYPES OF INFORMATION REQUIRED
- A qualified professional must conduct the evaluation. Examples of qualified professionals include psychologist, neuropsychologist, psychiatrist, relevantly trained medical doctor or clinical team: educational, medical, and counseling professionals with training and experience in this field. It is inappropriate for professionals to evaluate members of their own family.
- All reports must be typed, dated, signed, and otherwise legible and must include the names, titles, and professional credentials of the professionals who administered the assessments and certified the disability.
- For non-traditional students the documentation must be recent, that is, executed within three years of matriculation. Students matriculating from high school should have a complete re-evaluation completed during the senior year using assessments appropriate for an adult. All documentation must address the individual’s current level of functioning as an adult, changes in medications or performance, and the need for accommodations.
The report must include a specific diagnosis based on DSM-IV criteria. Although evaluation techniques are implemented at the discretion of the evaluator, measures, such as the following are expected.
DOCUMENTATION NECESSARY TO SUBSTANTIATE THE DIAGNOSIS MUST BE COMPREHENSIVE
- Statement of presenting problem
- Diagnostic interview
- Family history
- Presence of ADHD/ADD symptoms
- Clinical observation of hyperactivity
- Evidence of significant impairment over time
- Relevant medication and medical history
- Rating scales to supplement
- Wender Utah Rating Scale
- Brown Attention-Activation Disorder Scale
- Beck Anxiety Inventory
- Hamilton's Depression Rating Scale
- Conners Teacher Rating Scale (ages 3-17)
- Conners Parent Rating Scale (ages 3-17)
- Bender-Gestalt (or selected parts)
- Alternative diagnoses or explanations ruled out
- Relevant testing provided to assist in establishing accommodations
- Aptitude/Cognitive ability
- Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale III (preferred)
- Woodcock-Johnson Pyschoeducational Battery-R: Tests of Cognitive Ability
- Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test
- Academic achievement
- Scholastic Abilities Test for Adults (SATA)
- Stanford Test of Academic Skills (TASK)
- Woodcock-Johnson Pyschoeducational Battery-R: Tests of Achievement
Or specific achievement tests such as
- Nelson-Denny Reading Skills Test
- Stanford Diagnostic Mathematics Test
- Test of Written Language 3
- Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests-R
- Information Processing
- Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude-Adult (DTLA-A)
- Information from the subtests on the WAIS-R or WJ-R: Cognitive Ability
- Medical Evaluation
- To rule out disorders with similar symptoms
- To identify medications which may influence accommodations provided
- A summary of assessment findings. If the student is found to have a disabling condition, the assessment summary must include a description of the current substantial limitation(s) imposed by the disorder.
(Adapted from Educational Testing Service, The University of California at Berkeley, The University of Connecticut, and The Ohio State University)
