Learning disabilities documentation standards

Overview

This page outlines the documentation you need to request an accommodation for a learning disability.

Qualified assessors

You must provide a qualified assessor's report that is complete, typed on official letterhead, and signed and dated by the qualified assessor.

A qualified assessor is one of the following:

  • A Registered Psychologist with an expertise in diagnosing Learning Disabilities (LD) and making educational recommendations.
  • A Certified School Psychologist who must be or was employed be a provincially funded school board, college, or university at the time of the LD assessment. If they are in British Columbia (BC), they must be a member in good standing with the BC Association of School Psychologists.

Current Documentation

The qualified assessor's report must be complete, typed on official letterhead, and signed and dated by the qualified assessor.

The qualified assessor's report must also include:

  • The qualified assessor's name, title, professional credentials, address and phone, fax number, or email
  • The client's case history
  • Review of documentation and previous testing, if any
  • Discussion of Standardized Test results including Intelligence, Aptitudes and Achievement, and Emotional Functioning
  • Appropriate Norm-Referenced Assessment Instruments
  • Test results in Standard scores and/or percentiles
  • Conclusions and recommendations that might include specific and realistic educational accommodations accompanied by a rationale

Learning Disability (LD) diagnosis

The Learning Disability (LD) diagnosis must contain and report on the following diagnostic features:

  • Diagnosis of the client's achievement on individually administered, standardized tests in reading, mathematics, or written expression as substantially below norms. This may include any additional factors such as an associated disorder in cognitive processing, a co-morbid mental disorder, or general medical condition.
  • Statement that the learning problems significantly interfere with academic achievement or occupational function that requires reading, mathematical, or writing skills
  • Description of the level of severity and how the disability interferes with academic function (e.g., reading, memorizing, writing, note-taking, test taking).

The report should contain recommendations for specific reasonable accommodations needed to address the current and substantial impact of the LD on the client's academic functioning. Recommendations must be supported by test scores and must be included in the report. 

The report should be current and not more than 3 to 5 years old. Students should be at least 17 years old at the time of the testing.

If there are any questions about LD documentation, please contact the Centre for Accessibility.

If you have questions

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