|
Defining Your Needs
Disability Services requires that students provide quality documentation defining their individual needs in order for DS to provide the most suitable accommodations. Below is a list of criteria for quality documentation.
- Must be provided by a licensed or credentialed professional who has no personal relationship with the student
- Includes a description of the diagnostic criteria, evaluation methods, procedures, tests and dates of administration, as well as a clinical narrative
- Includes a clear diagnostic statement that describes how the disability was diagnosed, and details the prognosis, including the severity, frequency, and pervasiveness of the disability
- Includes a description of the functional impact of the disability on the student
- Must be dated, signed, and typed on letterhead
|
 |
ADHD
Psychiatric Disability
Traumatic Brain Injury
Learning Disability
Medical/Physical Disability
Temporary Disability |
Detailed Documentation Guidelines
The guidelines that follow are intended to assist Disability Services in determining appropriate accommodations for all students. Disability Services reserves the right to determine appropriateness of submitted documentation.
Documentation Guidelines for ADHD
- All documentation for ADHD must be no more than three years old
- All diagnostic evaluations must be completed by a certified or licensed professional (psychiatrists, psychologists or neuropsychologists)
- A diagnostic evaluation must include: historical information of past and current academic achievement; procedures and instruments used in the assessment; a discussion of the testing results and behavior; a DSM-IV diagnosis (all five axes); and a diagnostic summary that includes:
- A clear statement whether ADHD exists using direct language in the diagnosis, avoiding the use of terms such as "suggests" or "appears"
- A clear statement that specifies the functional limitations to one or more major life activity and the severity of each
- A recommendation of accommodations, including the rationale for those recommendations.
Back to top >
Documentation Guidelines for a Psychiatric Disability
- Must include a current diagnostic report. If the diagnostic report is more than a year old, the student must provide a letter from a qualified professional providing an updated diagnosis, a description of the student's current level of functioning in the preceding months, and a rationale for the requested accommodations.
- All diagnostic evaluations must be completed by a qualified and licensed professional who has experience with adolescent and adult psychiatric disorders.
- A diagnostic report must include:
- A specific diagnosis based on the DSM-IV;
- A description of the current functional limitations in the academic environment as well as across other settings;
- Relevant information regarding medications;
- Relevant information regarding treatment;
- Relevant historical and familial data;
- An examination of possible co-existing conditions; and,
- A narrative summary that:
- Describes the impact of the disability on the student's current participation in university activities, courses and programs; and,
- Includes recommendations for academic accommodations and the rationale for those recommendations.
Back to top >
Documentation Guidelines for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- A comprehensive evaluation dated within three years and updated when relevant changes in behavior or medication occur
- Performed by a licensed neurologist or practitioner trained in the assessment of head injury or traumatic brain injury
- A comprehensive evaluation includes an assessment of attention, visual perception/visual reasoning, language, academic skills, memory/learning, executive functioning, sensory, motor and emotional status
- A clear statement of diagnosis of the head injury or traumatic brain injury
- A date of diagnosis with prognosis
- A narrative summary that:
- Describes the functional impairment to major life activities posed by the disability;
- Describes the impact of the disability on the student's current participation in university activities, courses and programs; and,
- Includes recommendations for academic accommodations and the rationale for those recommendations.
Back to top >
Documentation Guidelines for a Learning Disability
- The diagnostic report must be dated within the last 5 years
- The report must be completed by a certified or licensed professional, such as a clinical psychologist, neuropsychologist, educational or school psychologist, educational diagnostician, learning disabilities specialist, or an edcuational therapist
- The diagnostic report must include:
- An account of the diagnostic interview;
- Test battery results;
- An interpretation of the diagnostic profile; and,
- A narrative summary that:
- Describes the functional impairment to life activities posed by the disability;
- Describes the impact of the disability on the student's current participation in university activities, courses and programs; and,
- Includes recommendations for academic accommodations and the rationale for those recommendations.
- Examples of suitable test batteries include:
- Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale III
- Woodcock-Johnson, Revised
- Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (4th ed.)
- Detroit Test of Learning Aptitude - Adult
- Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test
- Scholastic Abilities Test for Adults
- Swanson Cognitive Process Test
Back to top >
Documentation Guidelines for a Medical/Physical Disability
If the student's disability is of a physical or medical nature, please click here to print out the Medical Verifcation Form. This form must be filled out by a qualified treating doctor or medical professional.
Temporary Disabilities
Disability services provides services to students with temporary disabilities to provide access to academic programs and services. Examples include, scribes for test-taking, note takers, and parking. Assistance cannot be provided for tasks of a personal nature, such as typing homework. Disability services also does not provide personal items for temporary disabilities, such as wheelchairs or crutches. Students must submit documentation of their temporary disability. Please call us at 651-523-2740 with any questions or concerns related to a temporary disability and we will discuss resources and assistance that Hamline can offer.
Back to top > |
