The American Psychiatric Association's proposed definition of specific learning disability ("specific learning disorder") for the DSM-5 reflects current thinking and best practice in learning disabilities. It continues the core conceptualization of learning disability (LD) as well as proposes identification criteria to supplant the discredited aptitude-achievement discrepancy formula. Improvements can be found along with long-standing and new controversies about the nature of LD. The proposed definition both provides a model of a currently acceptable definition and reflects critical issues in the operationalization of LD that the field continues to neglect.

Specific Learning Disability and Its Newest Definition Which Is Comprehensive? and Which Is Insufficient?

Increasingly, people with intellectual disability are seeking, accessing, and benefiting from higher education. This article presents an overview of current legislative and policy issues a...

Postsecondary Education for People With Intellectual Disability: Current Issues and Critical Challenges

In parallel with educational, social, technological, and legal changes in higher education, disability services has evolved rapidly, with professionals addressing increasingly complex issues on their campuses.

The History of Disability Services in Higher Education.

Transition policy and programs have primarily focused on preparing students with disabilities for employment. Public policy over the last three decades has gradually broadened to include increasing...

Transition to Postsecondary Education: A Call for Evidence-Based Practice.

This study investigated postsecondary disability service providers’ perceived usefulness of a Model Summary of Performance that was constructed for a student with a language-based learning disability. The 298 participants were asked to consider the content within the (a) student’s test scores, (b) rationale for accommodations, (c) history and/or use of accommodations, (d) report writer’s recommendations, and (e) student input sections of a Model Summary of Performance, and then to rate each section regarding the perceived usefulness of the information for making accommodation decisions. Analysis of variance was used to determine if the perceived usefulness of each section varied as a function of the disability service providers’ (a) highest degree earned, (b) discipline or field of study, (c) source of training for the interpretation of disability documentation, and (d) years of experience in postsecondary disability services. Overall, regardless of status within each group, disability service providers rated each part of the Model Summary of Performance as at least very useful. One significant group difference was discovered as disability service providers with less than five years experience perceived the report writer’s recommendations to be more useful than those with greater than 10 years of experience. Limitations and implications of the present study, as well as areas for future research, are discussed.

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Postsecondary Disability Service Providers' Perceived Usefulness of a Model Summary of Performance.

Disability documentation has been an ongoing challenge for Office for Students with Disabilities personnel. Initial lack of consistency and inadequate documentation data resulted in the promulgation of detailed documentation guidelines in the 1990s. Discontinuity between approaches to transition assessment and disability documentation in secondary and postsecondary schools has been exacerbated by court decisions and divergent legal requirements. The recently implemented Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (2008) significantly impacts the postsecondary disability documentation process. The Summary of Performance (SOP) requirement of IDEA 2004 is discussed in regard to the range of data it adds to the review of functional performance and determination of reasonable accommodations. Recommendations regarding the application of the SOP to the new reality of disability documentation are presented.

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Disability Documentation, the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act, and the Summary of Performance: How Are They Linked?.

The Americans With Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 expanded the legal definition of disability to establish broader coverage for individuals with disabilities, including college students, t...

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2165143418809691

Impact of the Americans With Disabilities Act Amendments Act on Documentation for Students With Disabilities in Transition to College: Implications for Practitioners:

Local education agencies (LEAs) have been required to include transition planning, including planning for postsecondary education, as part of the individualized education program for students with disabilities since the 1990 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA 2004 specifically notes that LEAs are not responsible for conducting "exit evaluations" or, in other words, for updating a student's documentation before he or she leaves the secondary school because of graduation or aging out of eligibility for services. Students with disabilities at both the secondary and postsecondary levels may be eligible for protections under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Academic preparation is a foundational component of a successful transition for students with disabilities. However, also crucially important, and often overlooked, are non-academic skills, such as self-advocacy and self-determination. Students with disabilities transitioning to college must be prepared for a postsecondary environment that is rapidly changing because of the influence of technology in education.

Walter R. Keenan

Papers

Disability Documentation, the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act, and the Summary of Performance: How Are They Linked?.

Impact of the Americans With Disabilities Act Amendments Act on Documentation for Students With Disabilities in Transition to College: Implications for Practitioners:

Transition to Postsecondary Education

The Legal Context for Serving Students with Learning Disabilities in Postsecondary Education.