Disability Specific Guidelines for Obtaining Documentation
Guidelines for Obtaining Medical Documentation for ADD/ADHD
Please share the following information with your medical provider, as it may assist him or her in providing the information needed to determine your individual accommodations.
Note: Although the more generic term Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is frequently used, the official nomenclature used in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV), Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), will be used in this document.
Professionals rendering a diagnosis of ADHD must have comprehensive training in differential diagnosis and direct experience working with adolescents and adults with ADHD. The following professionals are considered qualified to evaluate and diagnose ADHD: clinical psychologists (Ph.D.), neuropsychologists, psychiatrists, and other qualified medical doctors. The diagnostician must be an impartial individual who is not a family member of the student.
The following guidelines are provided to assist the service provider in collaborating with each student to determine appropriate accommodations. Documentation serves as a foundation that legitimizes a student's request for appropriate accommodations.
Recommended documentation includes:
- Documentation must be current, preferably within the last three years.
- Early Impairment/History. Because ADHD is, by definition, first exhibited in childhood, historical and academic information must be gathered and presented by the evaluator.
- Second Setting. Likewise, since ADHD is manifested in more than one setting (school, home and social) environments, evidence of impact in settings other than school must be specifically addressed.
- Evidence of Current Disabling Condition. Diagnostic assessment must include evidence (not just self-report) of ongoing impulsive, hyperactive or inattentive behavior that has significantly impaired a major life function over time. See Diagnostic Battery below.
- Alternative Diagnoses and/or Explanations. Diagnostic assessment should examine the possibility of co-existing diagnoses. This process should explore possible alternative diagnoses including medical and psychiatric disorders as well as educational and cultural factors that impact the individual and may result in behaviors mimicking ADHD.
- Diagnostic Battery. Diagnostic assessment must consist of more than a self-report. Assessment must include standardized measures for inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity as delineated in the DSM-IV. A combination of assessment measures is required. Examples include: rating scales (self and relevant third party), continuous performance tests (e.g., TOVA, IVA), neuropsychological testing (e.g. WAIS-III), and psycho-educational testing (e.g., Woodcock-Johnson III). A continuous performance test is preferred as one of the measures.
- Diagnostic Report and Summary. The diagnostic report must be a comprehensive, interpretive summary synthesizing the evaluator's judgment for the diagnosis of ADHD. The report must include:
- All quantitative information gained during the testing process, in standard scores and/or percentiles; all relevant developmental, familial, medical, medication, psycho-social, behavioral and academic information
- A specific diagnosis of ADHD based on the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. In clear, direct language, the report must identify the substantial limitation of a major life function presented by the ADHD
- Specific recommendations for reasonable accommodations. Each recommendation must be based on significant functional limitations and must be supported by the results of the diagnostic assessment.
- Mitigating Measures and Treatment. Since reasonable accommodations are based on the current impact of a disability, documentation must address the effects of treatment and/or medication on the individual's present functioning.
Further assessment by an appropriate professional may be required if co-existing disabling conditions are indicated. The student and the ADA Center at Idaho State University collaboratively determine appropriate accommodations.