AN INVESTIGATION OF DOCUMENTATION SUBMITTED BY UNIVERSITY-STUDENTS TOVERIFY THEIR LEARNING-DISABILITIES

To become eligible for support services at the postsecondary level, st udents with learning disabilities (LD) must submit documentation to ve rify the existence of a specific LD. The documentation submitted over a 5-year period by 415 students to a large public research university that offers a comprehensive program for students with LD was examined. An analysis of the documentation indicates that serious problems exis t in the type and quality of evaluation reports. Problems include flaw s in the comprehensiveness of the assessments, and the use of question able instruments for this population. Recommendations for establishing guidelines for acceptable documentation are offered.