ERIC Number: EJ1157281
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-2194
EISSN: N/A
When Average Is Not Good Enough: Students with Learning Disabilities at Selective, Private Colleges
Weis, Robert; Erickson, Celeste P.; Till, Christina H.
Journal of Learning Disabilities, v50 n6 p684-700 Nov-Dec 2017
Adolescents with learning disabilities disproportionately come from lower socioeconomic status backgrounds, show normative deficits in academic skills, and attend 2-year, public colleges instead of 4-year institutions. However, students with learning disabilities are well represented at the United States' most expensive and selective postsecondary institutions. We examined the psychoeducational functioning of students receiving accommodations for learning disabilities at a private, selective, liberal arts college. We also determined whether students had objective evidence supporting their disability diagnoses and academic accommodations. Most students showed above-average cognitive abilities, average academic skills, and no evidence of impairment. Although nearly all students reported academic problems, most lacked objective evidence of academic difficulties prior to college as well as relative or normative deficits in broad academic skills or fluency. Results indicate a need for greater reliance on objective, multimethod/multi-informant data in the diagnostic process. Results also highlight limitations in the current professional guidelines for documentation decision making in higher education.
Descriptors: Learning Disabilities, Selective Admission, Private Colleges, Socioeconomic Status, Psychoeducational Methods, Academic Accommodations (Disabilities), Cognitive Ability, Academic Ability, Undergraduate Students, Evidence, Student Records, Educational Diagnosis, Intelligence Tests, Adults, Children, Achievement Tests, Reading Comprehension, Reading Tests, Vocabulary
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale; Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children; Woodcock Johnson Tests of Achievement; Nelson Denny Reading Tests; Wechsler Individual Achievement Test
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A