3/11/2023 0 Comments Adhd accommodations checklistSymptoms must also be shown to occur more frequently than is typical for others of the same age. The second criterion necessary for adult diagnosis of ADHD is that these symptoms must substantially impair the person’s ability to function in more than 1 main life area (ie, not just in school). While clinicians or medical doctors employ self-report scales to measure the frequency and severity of symptoms, this alone is not sufficient for a diagnosis. 7 The presence of these symptoms alone, however, is not sufficient for diagnosis, as research has shown that a large proportion of students 8 and adults 9 report experiencing at least 5 ADHD symptoms on a regular basis. 6 At minimum, in addition to confirming that the patient met the diagnostic criteria in childhood, the adult student must currently demonstrate at least 5 symptoms in 1 of the aforementioned areas. 5 However, some research has suggested that in the adult population this criterion is overly restrictive and relies on child-centric symptoms. In order to be diagnosed with ADHD, the student must first demonstrate at least 6 of 9 symptoms of inattention or 6 of 9 symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity, as outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, (DSM-IV). The following is a review of the challenges facing clinicians, physicians, and disability service providers when determining which, if any, accommodations should be provided to students diagnosed with ADHD at the postsecondary level. Further, accommodations must mitigate an impairment but not provide an unfair advantage to the individual relative to others at the postsecondary level. Indeed, there is no single typical accommodation profile for those diagnosed with ADHD, and so DSO staff cannot use a diagnosis alone to determine appropriate accommodations. This causes difficulties for DSO staff charged with providing academic accommodations to these students, as it is not clear in which areas and to what extent ADHD is affecting learning. However, in such instances there are no accompanying test data to objectively demonstrate that the students are substantially impaired in performing academic tasks, or that medications fail to effectively alleviate academic impairments. 4 This might reflect the fact that family physicians are now increasingly faced with adult patients coming to their offices with questions about the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD. 2 Despite the fact that ADHD symptoms become less debilitating with age, research estimates that about 20% of the disabled college student population is diagnosed with ADHD, 3 and postsecondary institutions have witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of students presenting to disability services offices (DSOs) with a diagnosis of ADHD from their family physicians. 1 It is estimated that between 3% and 10% of children are affected by this disorder, but that less than half of these individuals will go on to demonstrate clinically significant symptoms of ADHD in adulthood. The core symptoms include inappropriate levels of attention, concentration, activity, and distractibility. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a commonly diagnosed childhood behavioural disorder.
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