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Documentation Criteria
Mobility, Systemic or Disease-related Disabilities—
- An identification of the disabling condition(s): Diagnosis, symptoms and functional limitations
- Assessment should be on letterhead with the physician’s signature, for which documentations are being requested
- Suggestions of how functional limitations may be accommodated
Deaf or Hearing impairment—
- An audiological evaluation and/or audiogram
- A professional interpretation of the diagnostic data and/or hearing aid evaluation
- Suggestions of how functional limitations may be accommodated
Blind or Visual Impairment—
- An ocular assessment or evaluation from an ophthalmologist or optometrist
- A low-vision evaluation of residual visual function, when appropriate or,
- Appropriate certification form the Commission for the Blind
- Suggestions of how functional limitations may be accommodated
Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)/Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)—
- A current evaluation conducted by a professional who has undergone comprehensive training and has relevant experience in the assessment of ABI/TBI in adolescents and/or adults (e.g., neuropsychologists, clinical or educational psychologists).
- A neuropsychological evaluation containing assessments of intellectual, conceptual and cognitive competence; academic skills; personality status; motor facility of all extremities; sensory, perceptual, and processing efficiency; visual, auditory and tactile facility; speech, language, and communication ability; and evaluation of memory and attention.
- Utilization of particular evaluation techniques must be at the discretion of the evaluator. The following assessment tools are commonly used:
- Bender-Gestalt, Halstead Reitain Battery (or selected parts)
- Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Ability (ITPA) (or selected parts)
- Detroit Test of Learning Aptitude-3 (DTLA-3) or Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude-Adult (DTLA-A)
- Luria Nebraska Battery (or selected parts)
- Peabody Individual Achievement Tests (PIAT)
- Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests–Revised
- Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-educational Battery;
- Spache Written Language Assessment
- An interview including a description of the presenting problem(s); developmental, medical, psychosocial and employment histories; family history (including primary language of the home and the student’s current level of English fluency); and a discussion of the dual diagnosis where indicated.
The assessment should include an integrated summary which:
- indicates the substantial limitations to major life activities posed by the specific brain injury
- describes the extent to which these limitations impact learning for which the accommodations are being requested
- suggests how the specific effects of the brain injury may be accommodated, and states how the effects of the brain injury are mediated by the recommended accommodations.
Learning Disability (LD)—
All documentation should include the dates(s) of testing, and the name, title and professional credentials of the evaluator on
the professional’s letterhead. The evaluator conducting the battery of tests must be a qualified professional. The following professionals would generally be considered qualified:
- clinical or educational psychologists
- school psychologists
- neuropsychologists
- learning disability specialists
- state licensed professional counselors,
- and other professionals who have training and experience in the assessment of learning disabilities.
All reports must be typed, no hand written scores or summaries will be accepted. An evaluation report must include a specific diagnosis and a summary of the comprehensive diagnostic interview. It should also include relevant information on the student’s academic history and/or employment, family and medical history, as well as a discussion of co-morbidity if applicable.
- A pyschoeducational assessment is needed to determine the current impact of the disorder on the individual’s ability to function in an academic setting
- Specific recommendations for accommodations should be provided along with the rationale for each accommodation
- Instruments for the diagnostic evaluation should include a comprehensive battery
Documentation should address the following domains:
Intellectual Assessment Tools
- A complete intellectual assessment with all scaled sub test scores and:
- Full-scale I.Q. (FSIQ)
- Verbal I.Q. (V.I.Q.)
- Performance I.Q. (P.I.Q.)
- The preferred instruments are the:
- Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III (WAIS-III) and the WAIS-R
- Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children WISC-R or WISC III (prior to age 16 and within the last three years), or WISC IV
- Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-educational Battery – Revised (standard and supplemental batteries WJPEB-R or
the W-J III
- Tests of Cognitive Ability, the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale: 4th edition, or
- Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test are acceptable instruments.
Academic Achievement
A comprehensive academic achievement battery is essential with all standard scores for those
subtests reported. Current levels of academic functioning in reading (decoding and comprehension), mathematics, oral and written language should be included.
Acceptable instruments include:
- Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery – Revised Test of Achievement Standard Battery, or the WJ-III
- Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT, or WIAT-II)
- Scholastic Abilities Test for Adults (SATA)
- Stanford Test of Academic Skills (STAS)
Information Processing
Specific areas of information processing (e.g., short-and long-term memory, sequential memory, auditory processing and visual perception, processing speed, executive functioning and motor ability) should be assessed.
- In addition to standardized tests, it is also very useful to include informal observations of the student during the test administration.
- Individual “learning styles,” “learning differences,” “academic problems” and “test difficulty and anxiety” in and of themselves do not constitute a learning disability.
- The documentation must provide clear and concise evidence and identification of a disability which is the result of a presumed central nervous system dysfunction, and not resultant from a sensory disability such as visual, auditory, or tactile loss or impairment, other neurological trauma or condition, a psychiatric condition or the consequences of an impoverished or disadvantaged environment.
- Individualized Education Programs (IEP) and 504 plans provide helpful information, but are insufficient to establish the rationale for accommodations.
Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD)—
- Documentation must be from professionals who have comprehensive training and relevant experience such as psychologists, neuropsychologists, psychiatrists, mental health therapists or other medical doctors who have training and experience in the assessment of ADD/ADHD. The report should be on letterhead, typed, dated, signed and include the name, title, and professional credentials of the evaluator.
- There should be evidence of early impairment as well as current impairment. The condition must have been exhibited in childhood in more than one setting. A history of the individual's presenting attentional symptoms, and evidence of current impulsive/hyperactive or inattentive behaviors that significantly impair functioning in two or more settings.
- There should be a diagnostic interview. The interview may contain self-report and third-party information pertaining to: developmental Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder history, a thorough academic history, and a review of prior Pyschoeducational tests reports to determine whether a pattern of strengths or weaknesses is supportive of attention or learning problems.
- The documentation must investigate and discuss the possibility of dual diagnoses.
- Neuropsychological or psycho-educational assessment is strongly recommended to determine the current impact of the disorder on the individual's ability to function in an academic setting. All subtests and standard scores reported.
- A specific psychological diagnosis as per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV (DSM-IV and DSM-TR).
- An indication of whether or not the individual was evaluated while on medication, and whether or not the prescribed treatment produced a positive response.
- The documentation should indicate the substantial limitations to major life activities, how these limitations would impact the academic setting for which accommodations are requested, how the specific effects of the disability may be accommodated and how the effects of ADD/ADHD are mediated by the recommended accommodations.
Psychiatric Disabilities—
- A specific, current psychiatric diagnosis as per the DSM-IV and DSM-TR that indicates the nature, frequency and severity of the symptoms. A diagnosis without an explicit listing of current symptoms is not sufficient.
- Primary and secondary Axis I and II diagnoses are required, and a measure of functioning using the Global Assessment Functioning Scale (GAF) is highly recommended.
- Prescribed medications, dosages and schedules which may influence the types of accommodations provided.
- The documentation should indicate the substantial limitations to major life activities, how these limitations would impact the academic context for which accommodations are being requested, how the specific effects of the disability may be accommodated and how the effects of the specific psychiatric disability are mediated by the recommended accommodations.
- The report should be on letterhead, typed, dated, signed and include name, title and professional credentials of the evaluator.
For appointments, please call:
Rebecca Casey,
Office Assistant
503-491-6923 (Direct line)
503-491-7670 (v/tdd)
503-491-7549 (FAX)
For more information, please contact:
Liz Johnson, MA, NCC
Counselor & Coordinator
Disability Services Office
26000 SE Stark Street
Gresham, Oregon 97030
503-491-6923 (for appointments)
503-491-7670 (v/tdd)
503-491-7549 (FAX)
Laurie Clarke
Program Advisor
Disability Services Office
26000 SE Stark Street
Gresham, Oregon 97030
503-491-7375 (direct line)
503-491-7670 (v/tdd)
503-491-7549 (FAX)
clarkel@mhcc.edu
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