Learning Disability (AD/HD)

Academic Services and Resources - Disabilities Information

Intended audience: Athletics Department Staff, (Academic Advisors,

Administrators, Coaches, Compliance Officers) and Student-Athletes

A great deal of information is available on a myriad of different types of disabilities. Every year, a handful of student-athletes arrive on your campus with identified and unidentified disabilities. Your task is to help them transition to the rigors of college life both as a student and as an athlete.

This resource is intended to give you some general working knowledge about disabilities most commonly seen in student-athletes. While this is not an exhaustive list, it will provide some key information to help you work with student-athletes with identified disabilities and those who may need to be evaluated.

Learning Disabilities

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD)

Accommodations

Critical Links in Helping the Student-Athlete Access Support

Example Academic Screening Survey

Learning Disabilities

Learning Disabilities (LD) are the most common in the general population. The definition according to the Learning Disabilities Association of America says that: "Learning disabilities are defined as neurologically-based processing problems. These processing problems can interfere with learning basic skills such as reading, writing, or math. They can also interfere with higher level skills such as organization, time planning, and abstract reasoning. The types of LD are identified by the specific processing problem. They might relate to getting information into the brain (Input), making sense of this information (Organization), storing and later retrieving this information (Memory), or getting this information back out (Output). Learning disabilities are an 'umbrella' term describing a number of other, more specific learning disabilities." The familiar term dyslexia, which is a reading and language disorder, is only one of the learning disabilities that fall under this large umbrella.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD)

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) is another disability that is commonly seen in the student-athlete population. According to National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities and the Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Web sites, "AD/HD is a neurobiological disorder that affects three-to-five percent of the general population. It is characterized by 'developmentally inappropriate levels of inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity.' Onset of symptoms occurs prior to the age of seven. The disorder is excessive, long-term and pervasive, with behaviors evident in most situations. 'AD/HD nearly always persists from childhood through adolescence and many symptoms continue into adulthood.'" AD/HD is not a learning disability; however, it can affect learning and cause a wide variety of academic difficulties.

Accommodations

In addition to LD or AD/HD, student-athletes may have a variety of other disabilities, including (but not limited to) hearing impaired/deaf, major depression, bipolar disorder, oppositional/conduct disorder or obsessive/compulsive disorder. All these disorders, when appropriately documented, can qualify a student-athlete to receive accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Each college has a disability services office that works with all students with disabilities. They provide or coordinate reasonable accommodations that have been individually determined for each student-athletes based on the documentation presented. While there are many accommodations available and they may vary depending on campus availability, some of the most common accommodations include:

Note taker for classes;
Recorded textbooks;
Calculator;
Additional time for examinations;
Alternative place to take examinations; and
Priority scheduling.

By law, student-athletes are not obligated to "self disclose" their disability. However, they cannot access disability services accommodations unless they choose to disclose their disability. Some students choose not to reveal previous disability support such as accommodations, the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) through Special Education Services, or a 504 Educational Plan because they want a fresh start. Others do not want the stigma attached to accessing accommodations through the disability services office on campus. Some do not understand their disability and do not have adequate skills to advocate for themselves. Others have never been officially diagnosed but have struggled academically for many years.

Critical Links in Helping the Student-Athlete Access Support

A critical link in helping student-athletes with disabilities access support in and out of the classroom is positive and ongoing communication with the disabilities support staff on your campus. The following practical steps have been provided by personnel in athletics and disabilities services at NCAA Divisions I and II institutions. This list demonstrates the many creative ways these two divisions work together to support student-athletes with disabilities.

Establish a point person from each department. Communication regarding identified student-athletes or those in need of testing occurs primarily between those two people. This streamlining helps to minimize communication confusion and usually results in a better support system for the student athlete. It is critical to document all conversations and actions taken for later reference.
Work with disability services to determine who provides initial or additional assessment. Some campuses partner with the Ed/Psych department and they provide all of the testing for free or at a reduced cost. Some schools utilize the student health services to provide assessment and tie the cost into the student's annual health fee. Some provide lists of qualified clinicians who provide assessments to students at a reduced fee. Others use the state's vocational rehabilitation department. Some athletics departments set aside funding to help student-athletes pay the costs involved in an assessment if they are not offered free of charge on campus.
Invite disabilities services staff to student-athlete visitation/orientation times. These times provide an opportunity for student-athletes to learn of accommodations available. Student-athletes are most likely to self disclose if they know that support is accessible.
When the student-athlete gives permission, the athletics department point person can participate in the assessment review meeting. Typically, in an assessment or results meeting, the disability support staff will review the student-athlete's assessment and diagnosis and talk about the accommodations that will be provided. With the student-athlete's permission and a clear understanding regarding confidentiality, it is very helpful for the athletics department point person to have a copy of the list of accommodations for each student-athlete with a disability. Athletics academic staff can provide additional support for students by encouraging them to use the accommodations both in and out of the classroom.
Use an academic screening survey for all student-athletes. A survey can help identify the student-athletes who might need to be tested or retested for disabilities. Such things as educational history, family history, language history, health history, substance use/abuse history, and psychological history as well as general information about reading, math, and style of learning can provide valuable information for early identification for those who might need extra assistance.

The athletics department staff and disability services at San Diego State worked together to create an Educational Enhancement Assessment to better meet the needs of each student-athletes. Their collaborative efforts served as the framework for the sample survey provided. Use it as a tool to initiate or further develop communication with your disability services staff. Personalize it to fit the unique services offered on your campus. The key is positive, ongoing communication so that student-athletes can learn to advocate for their unique learning needs and access the services available on campus.

Many qualified professionals provided key information to develop this Web site. We would like to thank and acknowledge the following institutions for their resource support:

University of California, Los Angeles, San Diego State University, Eastern Washington University, University of Alaska @ Anchorage, University of Tennessee @ Martin, University of Alabama @ Birmingham, University of Nevada @ Reno.

Example Academic Screening Survey

San Diego State entitles this form the 'Educational Enhancement Assessment.' They ask every entering student-athlete (only after he or she has been fully admitted to the college, not before) to complete the assessment so they can better meet the individual academic needs of each person. They use a statement like the following at the beginning of the survey to further clarify the purpose of the assessment:

"The San Diego State department of athletics is committed to academic achievement. Learning disabilities and personal or family problems can compromise your ability to perform well academically and athletically. We want to be able to provide you with any support you might need to remove barriers to your success. This form asks questions about your family, medical and educational history to identify your academic strengths and weaknesses. Please complete the following questionnaire honestly and in detail. The more information you provide us, the more we can provide academic support and use campus resources to help you reach your potential.

If you think you might have a learning disability, we encourage you to talk with your academic advisor or visit the disability services office on campus. If you are having difficulty dealing with family or personal problems, there are services on campus that can help you resolve issues that may interfere with your academic and/or athletics performance. Any medical issues should be discussed with the training room staff or student health services.

Confidentiality regarding your answers to these questions will be strictly respected and maintained. No information about student-athletes will be released to outside parties without prior written consent. However, information may be shared in the course of consultation with appropriate professionals when in the best interest of the student."

It is important that you review this document with the disability services office on campus to assure that the survey fits the unique needs of your institution and fully complies with any institutional policies. It provides a great forum for ongoing discussion regarding the best way to identify and serve at-risk student-athletes and those identified with disabilities.

Click here: Academic Screening Survey