1. LD and ADD Assessment, Diagnosis, and Accommodation Joan Wolforth McGill University Office for Students with Disabilities Montreal Allyson Harrison Queen’s University Regional Assessment and Resource Centre Kingston

2. Reason for Session Authors were granted a CADSPPE project grant 2006-8 Objective was to develop tools and materials to ensure service providers across the country can feel: A. confident in their ability to decide on the validity of LD/ADD test reports B. confident in their ability to decide on reasonable accommodations for LD/ADD students

3. Why Did We Propose This? Feedback from service providers indicating they need help Need to develop a national consensus/standard on LD assessment and accommodations Experience with unethical psychologists who produce reports & students demanding support Increase in legal challenges to decision making with little consensus to support practice.

4. Today’s Session Preliminary Results of Survey More feedback from you on what would be helpful information to have

5. Outline of Session Geographic and demographic data on respondents Opinions and reactions to reading reports Knowledge of role of other professionals Service providers decision making power and confidence levels Declaring disability for the wrong reasons Parental Involvement Faking disability

6. Institutional Distribution Total Number of Respondents 103 College Respondents 56 University Respondents 46 One person did not answer this question

7. Distribution by Province

8. Size of Institutions

9. Number of Students with Disabilities

10. Percentage of Students with LD/ADD

11. Respondents: Highest Level of Education

12. Level of Education: Percentage

13. Respondents: Job Description

14. Number of Years in Field

15. Comfort Level Reading Reports

16. Someone to Consult With?

17. Consulting Faculty to Decide on Accommodation?

18. Able to Determine Essential Requirements of Course?

19. Percentage Arriving with Incomplete or Inadequate Documentation

20. Do High Schools Overdiagnose?

21. Do High Schools Provide Excessive Accommodations?

22. Types of Inappropriate Accommodations in H.S.

23. Which Professionals can Diagnose L.D.?

24. Which professionals can Diagnose ADD ?

25. Family Doctor Diagnoses ADD. Must you accommodate? Yes 59% No 26.2% No response 14.6% http://www.caddra.ca/english/pdfs/Chapter _7_Section2.pdf

26. The right to deny an accommodation requested by another professional?

27. What would help confidence level ? 1. More training 2. Guidelines on how to decide on accommodations 3. Improved reports 4. Explanation of how recommendations fulfill human rights requirements

28. Relevant Legislation You Rely on When Deciding on Accommodation

29. Have your decisions been challenged in a grievance or legal hearing?

30. Coming for the Wrong Reasons 51.5% of respondents felt that less than 10 % of students with disabilities come because of the possibility of getting special concessions. A further 14.6% felt that 10-25% of students were coming because of the concessions Only 1.9% felt more than 25% were doing this But 14.6% did not answer

31. Coming For the Wrong Reasons 52.4% of respondents felt that less than 10% if students come because they want to access special funding. A further 22.3% felt that 10-25% of students were coming because of the concessions 10.7% felt more than 25% were doing this But 15.5% did not answer

32. Number of LD/ADD Students Requesting Accommodations Who Do Not Have a Significant Level of Impairment?

33. Parental Involvement Is the degree of parental intervention more than is reasonable? Yes 64% No 21.4% No Reply 14.6%

34. What Types of Interventions do Parents Make?

35. Parental Involvement Speaking for child in meetings Over assisting with course work and essays Acting as note-taker, ed. assistant Demanding information on progress Calling professors for information Wanting funding for equipment Wanting Residence priority Over monitoring and unreal expectations Controlling autonomy in general Treating service provider as barrier to child’s success

36. Faking to receive accommodations or bursaries 58% of respondents have suspected a student of faking symptoms 27% have not 14.6% did not reply

37. Percentage you suspect of faking 68.9% of respondents felt less than 10% of students had tried faking A further 9.7% felt 10-25% of students had tried faking 21.4% of respondents did not reply

38. Which Disability Categories are Most Vulnerable to Faking? 78/103 people answered this question 74 (94.9%) thought LD/ADD were the easiest disabilities to fake So large consensus on this question

39. Next Steps Look at regional differences Propose national guidelines for diagnosis Develop materials based on this Set up national panel of expert consultants