Test Accommodations
Our evaluations can help determine if an individual has a learning problem and recommend the appropriate type of accommodation.
This service can give an individual additional assistance in school to reach their full potential. Children and young adults who have learning disabilities or ADHD will be affected when taking classroom tests or on specialized exams such as the SAT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT, GMAT, Bar Exam or Medical licensing exam.
Types of accommodations for the SAT, ACT, LSAT or GRE
- 50 percent extended time
- Separate location
- Extended breaks
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act individuals with a learning disability, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, a physical disability or psychiatric disability are entitled to test accommodations on any classroom or standardized test.
The first idea to consider is “what is an accommodation”? It is any modification from the standard test conditions. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) test accommodations are provided to alleviate the impact of an individual’s disability on the examination process. The most common test accommodations are extended time, flexible scheduling, tests administered in a separate location and use of a computer for written responses.
The documentation and requested accommodations must be consistent with ADA requirements. The requirements specify that an aptitude test (an IQ test), achievement testing and any other appropriate tests must be administered, reported and interpreted. A diagnosis of a learning disability or ADHD has to be substantiated through the standardized testing, history of academic history, clinical interviews and a diagnostic interpretation and summary. The documentation has to include information on how the disability impacts the individual across several life settings (home, school, social situations).
The clinical/diagnostic interview includes a detailed history of the disability including relevant family history of a learning disability or ADHD; the current symptoms and problems reported by the individual. The symptoms that are significant for a formal diagnosis are reported in detail. Learning disabilities, although not always formally diagnosed in childhood, are commonly impacting an individuals academic or behavioral functioning. ADHD, by definition, is a disorder with a childhood onset. So the interview process will gather historical information to support a diagnosis and its impact on learning.
It also includes evidence that the disability existed in childhood. This evidence can include a formal diagnosis in elementary school, middle or high school or test accommodations from a 504 plan. When an individual does not have either of these the documentation must include evidence of a disability. This can include report cards, progress reports from teachers, results from standardized tests, reports of classroom behavior and performance. Reports from school and tutors regarding study habits and attitudes toward school are also important.
A diagnostic interview must be comprehensive and support the diagnosis of a learning disability, ADHD or a psychiatric disorder. When an individual does not have documentation of a disability prior to applying for test accommodations the diagnostic interview is as important, or perhaps more important, than the standardized testing that is part of this process.