ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADD/ADHD) DOCUMENTATION
Students requesting accommodations and/or support services under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and/or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 must provide documentation of the existence of a disability which substantially limits a major life activity. In order to accurately determine the appropriate accommodations, the documentation should be current, within 3 years. It may be appropriate to extend the testing limit to 5 years if the data are reflective of the student’s current functioning. In all cases, the documentation should be appropriate to the anticipated setting.
Documentation should include, but not be limited to, the following:
1. Name and professional credentials of the evaluator. The evaluator should have training and experience in the evaluation of the adolescent/adult psychiatric disorders and specifically with ADHD.
2. Comprehensive Assessment:
*Mandatory interview with parents (or another adult with integrity of knowledge of patient) reflecting concerns about student, history of each concern, review of developmental domains (motor, sensory, language, intellectual, self-help, academic, emotional, and social), review of family relationships, review of parent management tactics, review of family social circumstances, developmental/medical history, prior evaluations, information regarding onset, longevity, severity of symptoms and treatment.
*Behavior rating scales from parents (or another adult with integrity of knowledge of patient) such as ADHD Rating Scale (DSM-IV).
*Behavior rating scales from teachers (when the student is matriculating directly from high school) to include broad band measures, such as Teacher Report Form (Child Behavior Checklist for teachers) and narrow band measures, such as the ADHD Rating Scale (DSM-IV).
*Behavior ratings scales for the student to include self-rating on broad band measures, such as the Child Behavior Checklist (Adult Self) and/or Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS) and narrow band measures, such as ADHD (DSM-IV) for current functioning and recall of childhood functioning.
*Structured psychiatric interview along with objective measures (SCL-90-R, MMPI-II) to rule out schizophrenia, major affective disorders, borderline personality disorders, pervasive development disorders (autism, Asperger’s), and mental retardation.
*Documentation of impairment where available (school, mental health, pediatric, other medical, work and driving records).
Students are encouraged to pursue and submit the results of psychological/ neuropsychological and educational achievement testing. While these results are not required for a diagnosis of ADHD, many students with ADHD also have learning disabilities and these test results are useful for academic and program planning.
3. Diagnosis. Based upon the information from the assessment and utilizing DSM-IV criteria, the student has been identified as having ADHD. There must be clear evidence of clinically significant impairment in social, academic, or occupational functioning and symptoms are not better accounted for by another disorder (e.g. Pervasive Development Disorder, Schizophrenia, Mood Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, Dissociative Disorder, or a Personality Disorder). The diagnosis must indicate level of severity and reasonable accommodations specific to the diagnosed disability.
To facilitate the gathering of such critical information, the qualified professional must respond to the following questions:
1. Date of Diagnosis and last contact with student.
2. Current Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) Scale Score.
3. What instruments/procedures were used to diagnose the ADD/ADHD?
4. Describe symptoms which meet the criteria for this diagnosis with the approximate date of onset.
5. In order for our staff to determine the impact of this student’s disorder on academic activities such as exam-taking, note-taking and concentrating, please describe what major life activity(s) is impacted by this disorder as well as how significant this impact is. Please identify if you’ve observed this directly or would anticipate it occurring in an educational setting.
6. What measures (formal or informal) were used to assess the educational impact of the ADD/ADHD?
7. Recommendations regarding effective academic and residential accommodations to equalize this student’s educational opportunities at the post-secondary level.
8. Is this student currently taking medication? If so, what is the medication?
9. Does this medication need to be monitored locally?
10. With appropriate treatment (e.g. counseling, medication, etc.), does this student continue to need the above services and accommodations? If so, why?
11. In addition to the diagnostic report and educational assessment, please attach any other information relevant to this student’s academic needs.