Guidelines

Professional Diagnosis

The disability must be diagnosed by a qualified professional with credentials appropriate to the diagnosis. A psychologist, psychiatrist, physician, or learning disabilities specialist/team may diagnose learning disabilities. Only a physician may diagnose physical disabilities.

Policies for Documentation

Approved academic accommodations are provided to learners with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA defines a disability as a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits a major life activity compared to the average person in the general population.

How to Qualify for Academic Accommodations

To qualify for Academic Accommodations, the learner must provide documentation that shows:

  • The diagnosed condition substantially limits one or major life activities
  • Requests are appropriate and reasonable for the documented disability

Documentation Requirements

Documentation Requirements must be written on a letterhead by the diagnosing professional, dated, signed, and must meet all of these guidelines:

  • State the specific impairment as diagnosed.
  • Be current (diagnosed or reconfirmed within three academic years, depending on the disability).
  • Describe presenting problems and developmental history, including relevant educational and medical history.
  • Describe substantial limitations and their impact, supported by test results.
  • Recommend accommodations with rationale linking them to the documented limitations.
  • Establish evaluator credentials (licensure/certification, education, specialization).
  • Include comprehensive assessments (neuropsychological or psychoeducational) with evaluation date and measures used.

Required Documentation

The information below indicates the required documentation for each condition.

Learning Disability

  • Complete test/subtest results with standard scores and percentiles from an intellectual assessment and an achievement battery.
  • Evidence that alternative explanations were ruled out.
  • Specific diagnosis, presenting problems, and developmental/educational history.
  • Evidence of current impact on reading, written communication, and/or learning.

Speech & Language Disorders

  • Comprehensive results and evidence of the current impact on communication.

ADD / ADHD

  • Evidence of early and current impairment, including presenting problems and diagnostic interview.
  • Evidence that alternative explanations were ruled out.
  • Results from valid, standardized, age-appropriate assessments.
  • Number of applicable DSM criteria and how they impair functioning.

Visual Impairment

  • Specific ocular diagnosis and a complete, current (within 12 months) ocular exam by an optometrist/ophthalmologist.
  • If reading is affected, include a measure of decoding, rate, and comprehension.

Psychiatric Conditions

  • Age of onset and course of illness; psychological tests used; treatment history (medication and/or psychotherapy).
  • How the impairment affects functioning across settings.
  • Documentation should be current within the past year.

Hearing Impairment

  • Most recent evaluation of communication skills, including speech, reading, and receptive/expressive language skills.
  • If available, include psychoeducational evaluation with standard scores and percentiles for all tests administered.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) / Post-Concussive Syndrome (PCS)

  • Evidence of current, continued educational impairment supported by objective data (e.g., psychological/neuropsychological testing, observations, rating scales).
  • Date of incident; status and diagnosis upon hospital admission; length of hospital stay; discharge date.
  • Review of outpatient therapies (OT, PT, speech), if applicable.

Autism Spectrum Disorder

  • Information on adaptive behavior, executive functioning, attention, mental health, and academic fluency sufficient to support accommodation needs.

Tourette’s Syndrome

  • History of type, frequency, intensity, and duration of motor, visual, and/or verbal tics.
  • Note whether medication or other factors exacerbate the condition.
  • If tics cause academically relevant concerns, provide objective evidence (diagnostic tests, rating scales, teacher observations).

Confidentiality & Submission

Documentation will be kept confidential and used solely to review accommodation requests. It does not become part of NTC’s student records.

Submit documentation by fax or email. For questions, contact Center for Access & Accommodations at access@ntc.edu or 715.803.1469.