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There is a PowerPoint file available to accompany this presentation. The BDA Conference 2001 CD-ROM contains 61 PowerPoint files. For details of how to obtain the CD-ROM, please contact the BDA.
Friday stream 2 Session 11.35 - 12.50 Length 25 minutes
J. Mark Davis, , Noel Gregg, , Chris Coleman and Robert Stennett,
University of Georgia mrkdavis@arches.uga.edu
Abstract
Identification of learning disabilities through psychometric assessment is necessary for a student's access to accommodations from elementary through post-secondary school in the United States. Much controversy surrounds the definition of learning disabilities, and thus access to accommodations, with an increasing amount of focus on such issues stemming from litigation. At the same time, there is considerable variability in criteria used to diagnose disabilities and grant accommodations, particularly in higher education (Gregg & Scott, 2000). The tendency of individuals with learning disabilities to show less of a discrepancy between their overall cognitive abilities and academic skills as they mature confounds the evaluation/accommodation process. For example, adult dyslexics may fail to use age appropriate word recognition skills, and continue to have deficient reading abilities, but score within the average range on popular measures of word decoding (Bruck, 1990). This study examines the degree of attenuation of the discrepancy between cognitive abilities and academic skills in students previously diagnosed with learning disabilities (LD; N = 50), Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD; N = 50), and both LD and ADHD (Comorbid; N = 50), and subsequently evaluated as older adolescents or young adults. Implications for policy decisions, particularly affecting post-secondary institutions, as well as legal implications, will be discussed.
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