ADD/ADHD Guidelines

When requesting an academic, housing, or dining accommodation, you must provide written documentation of your disability. Your information will be kept confidential and will be used only to determine your eligibility for accommodation or services, and the type of accommodations or level of service required.

Requirements for all documentation:

• Must be current (within one year)
• Prepared by a qualified impartial professional (e.g., a psychologist, neuropsychologist, psychiatrist, or other relevantly trained medical doctor), who is not a family member)
• Typed on official letterhead, which must include the professional's name, license/certification/degree, area of specialization, employment, address, phone, signature, and date
• Includes recommendation for compensations and services to assist the student

In addition, your documentation for ADD/ADHD must include:

• Medical, developmental and educational histories.
• Dates of initial testing/diagnosis and current evaluation (current testing must be done within the past 6 months);
• Evidence of current impairment (last six months)
• Alternative diagnoses/explanations ruled out (e.g. consideration of medical, psychiatric, educational, and cultural factors)
• Details from neuropsychological or psycho-educational assessment results which meet diagnostic criteria, evaluation instruments/procedures, cognitive and achievement measures, standardized scores/percentiles if applicable
• Results from interviews and attention rating scales
• A clear, specific diagnostic statement, including the severity of the condition, of ADHD, based on the DSM-IV criteria
• Discussion of medications used and the effects of medications on the student’s ability to meet the demands of the academic environment.
• Interpretive summary, including description of current residual symptoms and the degree of impact the ADHD has on the student’s functioning in a postsecondary environment, including taking tests and/or performing within the classroom
• Recommendations for educational compensation strategies, as appropriate.
• Recommended accommodations in the post-secondary setting with rationale for each specified.