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Documentation guidelines for people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD)

 

Students who are requesting Disability Support Services (DSS) from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke are required to submit documentation to verify eligibility under the ADA of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Students must provide documentation that meets the University’s guidelines to become eligible for services. The following guidelines are provided in the interest of ensuring that the documentation is complete and appropriate.

1. The documentation must include a clear statement of ADD or ADHD. It must also include the rationale for this diagnosis and should include a description of supporting past and present symptoms. If another diagnosis is applicable, it should be stated and further evaluative measures supporting a secondary disability should be included.

2. Disability Support Services encourages entering students to complete a full evaluation just prior to attending The University of North Carolina at Pembroke. If this is not possible, we encourage the evaluation to have been completed within the past three years for students just graduating high school. It is preferred that individuals who are 17 years of age or older be tested using diagnostic instruments normed for adults. Documentation that is more than three years old will be considered individually. All documentation will be handled on a case-by-case basis, and students may be required to submit more recent documentation.

3. The ADD/ADHD diagnosis must be a medical or clinical diagnosis according to  DSM-IV-TR criteria, performed by a professional who is knowledgeable regarding ADHD, and diagnostic materials must be age appropriate. The diagnostician should use direct language in the diagnosis of ADHD, avoiding the use of terms such as “suggests,” “is indicative of,” or “attention problems.” This documentation must be made and signed by a medical or mental health practitioner who is 1) not immediately related to the student and 2) licensed/certified in the area for which the diagnosis is made.

4. The diagnosis should also include a comprehensive learning disability assessment battery which does not rely on any one test or subtest. Evidence of a substantial limitation to learning or other major life activity must be provided. Both aptitude and academic achievement must be evaluated and included in the test report. The following tests are considered acceptable:

• Aptitude: WAIS-III; Stanford-Binet V; Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery III NU: Tests of Cognitive Ability
• Academic Achievement: Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery III NU: Tests of Achievement; Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT); Stanford Test of Academic Skills (TASK); Scholastic Abilities Test for Adults (SATA)

The Wide Range -Achievement Test-3 (WRA T-3) is not a comprehensive measure of achievement and therefore should not be used as a sole measure of achievement.

5. Specific cognitive processing strengths, weaknesses, and deficits must be discussed. Clear documentation of deficit areas is necessary in order for the college to provide appropriate, reasonable accommodations. Please discuss the following processing areas:

• Visual spatial abilitiesMemory (auditory and visual- short-term and long term) Fine motor skill/dexterity (speed/sequence of motor patterns) Executive functions (verbal and nonverbal reasoning). It is also helpful to know about the student's
  cognitive flexibility and automaticity with cognitive tasks.
• Selective attention/perception (auditory and visual)

6.  The evaluator must provide a comprehensive summary of findings from the assessment procedure. The summary should include:

• Statements demonstrating the evaluator’s having ruled out alternative explanations for inattentiveness, impulsivity, and/or hyperactivity as a result of psychological or medical disorders or non-cognitive factors such as lack of environmental support or stimulation
• Indication of how patterns of inattentiveness, impulsivity, and/or hyperactivity across the life span and across settings are used to determine the presence of ADHD
• Indication of whether or not the student was evaluated while on medication, and whether or not there is a positive response to the prescribed treatment
• Indication and discussion of the substantial limitation to learning presented by the ADHD and the degree to which it impacts the individual in the learning context for which accommodations are being requested
• Names of the assessment instruments used
• Quantitative and qualitative information which supports the diagnosis
• The areas of educational impact and the severity of the condition
• Previous history of the disability and verification of any previous testing
• Record of prior accommodations or auxiliary aids
• Recommendations for accommodations with explanation for the recommendation
• Notation of medications prescribed, if any, and potential impact on learning
• Additional observations or recommendations which could assist us in adequately serving the student
• Names, titles, addresses, and phone numbers of the evaluator(s), as well as, date(s) of testing

8. A comprehensive summary may include a Summary of Performance (SOP) as supportive evidence to substantiate a disability.  Specific cognitive processing strengths, weaknesses, and deficits should be discussed. Clear documentation of deficit areas is necessary in order for the college to provide appropriate, reasonable accommodations. Please discuss the following processing areas: 

• Communication
• Socialization
• Memory (auditory and visual; short-term and long term)
• Fine motor skill/dexterity (speed/sequence of motor patterns)
• Executive functions (planning and organization). It is also helpful to know about the student's cognitive flexibility and automaticity with cognitive tasks.
• Selective attention/perception (auditory and visual)
• Sensory Processing (sensory sensitivity, self-stimulation

The aforementioned guidelines are provided so that Disability Support Services can respond appropriately to the individual needs of the student. Disability Support Services reserves the right to determine eligibility for services based on the quality of the submitted documentation. All documentation is confidential.

Please submit documentation and/or inquiries to:

Disability Support Services
The University of North Carolina at Pembroke
Disability Support Services
PO Box 1510
Pembroke, NC 28372-1510
Phone/Voice: (910) 521-6695
Fax: (910) 521- 6891
TTY: (910) 521-6490
Email: dss@uncp.edu

Once you obtain an assessment report that meets the guidelines provided:

1. You must submit documentation to Disability Support Services.
2. You must complete the Student Intake form.
3. Disability Support Services staff will review your documentation; we will then send you a letter that explains the decision reached.
a. If your documentation does not meet the University’s guidelines, additional information may be requested at the student’s expense.
b. If your documentation does meet the University’s guidelines, you will be advised to schedule an appointment with DSS to begin working with this office.

 

Revised 9/07

 

 

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