Accommodation decision-making for postsecondary students with ADHD: Implications for neuropsychologists.

Area of Science:

• Neuropsychology
• Higher Education Policy
• Disability Services

Background:

• Neuropsychologists frequently assess college students for ADHD to support academic accommodation requests.
• Best practices emphasize multi-method, multi-informant data for ADHD evaluations and accommodation decisions.
• However, Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) guidelines often prioritize student self-reports over external data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the procedures disability service providers use to evaluate accommodation requests for ADHD.
• To identify the limitations and potential risks associated with current accommodation policies.
• To offer recommendations for neuropsychologists conducting ADHD evaluations for college students.

Main Methods:

• Review of Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) guidelines regarding ADHD and academic accommodations.
• Analysis of the implications of prioritizing self-report data in accommodation decisions.
• Discussion of the role of neuropsychological evaluations within the existing framework.

Main Results:

• Current AHEAD guidelines may lead disability service providers to undervalue objective, third-party data (e.g., from parents, teachers, psychologists).
• This approach risks indiscriminate accommodation-granting, potentially undermining the accuracy of disability determination.
• The primacy of self-reports may not adequately capture the complexities of ADHD in a college setting.

Conclusions:

• There is a need to balance student self-advocacy with robust, objective assessment methods for ADHD evaluations.
• Recommendations are provided for neuropsychologists to navigate these guidelines effectively.
• Ensuring accurate and appropriate academic accommodations requires a comprehensive approach to ADHD assessment.