Office for Students with Disabilities

Learning Disabilities Documentation Guidelines

You must provide current, valid and comprehensive documentation of a specific diagnosed learning disability in order to verify accommodation eligibility under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the American with Disabilities Act of 1990. Documentation needs to be current, preferably within the past five years. Additional documentation may be requested based upon your current and your request(s). The documentation needs to address the substantial limitations of the learning disability to your major life activities.

You are responsible for making an appointment with an Accommodation Specialist to discuss your documentation and eligibility for accommodations, which are determined each semester. OSD will make the final determination of eligibility for accommodations. OSD cannot review an accommodation request until documentation is complete. Please contact OSD at 978-542-6217 if you have any questions.

You must adhere to the following guidelines when submitting documentation:

• Minimal documentation must include three assessments: a cognitive assessment, an achievement assessment, and an information processing assessment. Submitting one test for diagnosis is not acceptable. Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) are not considered appropriate documentation and are not acceptable.
• Actual test scores must be provided. Standard scores and percentiles must be included. Grade equivalents are not acceptable unless accompanied by percentiles and standard scores. There must be clear, specific evidence of a diagnosed learning disability. Assessment instruments need to be selected based on valid and reliable use within the adult population.
• Documentation needs to be typewritten and include the name, address and license number of the evaluator and date(s) of testing. Professionals administering the assessment must be qualified to do so; trained, certified, and/or licensed school psychologists, neuropsychologists, clinical psychologists, learning disabilities specialists, and other professionals with training and experience are commonly involved in the assessment process.

List of Suggested Learning Disabilities Assessment Instruments

Cognitive Assessment Instruments

Preferred instruments (including subtest scores)

• Kaufman Adolescent & Adult Intelligence Test
• WAIS III

Acceptable instruments

• Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-educational Battery-Revised: Tests of Cognitive Ability
• Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale: Fourth Edition

Achievement Assessment Instruments

Current levels of functioning in reading, mathematics and written language are required.

Acceptable instruments

• Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-educational Battery-Revised: WJR-3, Tests of Achievement
• Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT)
• Stanford Test of Academic Skills (TASK)
• Scholastic Abilities Test for Adults (SATA)
• Test of Written Langauge-3 (TOWL 3)
• Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests-Revised
• Stanford Diagnostic Mathematics Test

Information Processing Assessment Instruments

Areas of information processing (working memory, sequential memory, auditory and visual perception/processing, and processing speed) must be assessed.

Acceptable instruments

• Test of Visual Motor Integration (VMI)
• Detroit Test of Learning Aptitude-Adult (I)TLA-A)
• Wechsler Memory Scales

Subtest info from other instruments are also useful.

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