If you suspect you may suffer from a learning disability LD or an attention deficit disorder ADHD, or if this has been suggested to you by one of your instructors, or a Student Services professional, It is recommended that you make an appointment with the SDO Coordinator to discuss your concerns. They will try to determine whether it is appropriate to refer you to an external psychologist for a psycho-educational assessment to confirm the presence of a LD or ADHD.
The university does not cover the cost of this testing. If you are eligible for a Canada Student Loan, you may be able to receive funding for testing from your home province through the Canada Study Grant program. The Quebec financial aid system does not currently cover these costs for its eligible students. If you are covered by a family health care plan which recognizes the services of a licensed psychologist, you may be able to have some testing costs reimbursed by this plan.
The Quebec College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Canadian ADHD Resource Alliance both recommend that a diagnosis of ADHD should consist of both a medical and a psycho-educational (standardized testing) component. We share this belief and strongly encourage students to undergo both.
Psycho-educational testing, required by the university as a basis for providing accommodations, must be conducted by a licensed psychologist with training in adult testing. The psychologist will provide you with a complete documentation attesting to the presence of a LD or ADHD. The report must be printed on letterhead that identifies the assessor and includes professional credentials and the date of the assessment.
Standardized testing agencies provide comprehensive guidelines about cognitive and behavioural elements that should be examined:
www.aamc.org/students/mcat/accommodations/ld.pdf
www.aamc.org/students/mcat/accommodations/adhd.pdf
Recommendations for accommodations are useful, and will be considered, but are not definitive in terms of the actual accommodations a student will receive at Bishop’s. The acceptance of a diagnosis and the granting of an accommodation at the school level, or at another port secondary institution, do not guarantee the same will apply at Bishop’s.
The university reserves the right to not accept the conclusions of any report which does not conform to its standards, or any report where the testing results do not clearly identify the presence of a disability.
If you are a newly admitted student who has an assessment we recommend that you send us a copy of your report as soon as you receive your letter of acceptance. This gives us time to read your report and reply to you to let you know if your report conforms to our requirements. If it does not, this may give you time to update your documentation before the beginning of the semester.
(Note: Adapted from McGill University Office for Student with Disabilities recommendations for LD/ADHD testing)
