A learning disability is a dysfunction in one or more of the processes of learning: attention, perception, processing and memory. It is commonly thought that learning disabilities are hereditary and related to a disorder of the central nervous system. Learning disabled students are of average to above average intelligence. Students with learning disabilities must develop strategies to compensate because the condition lasts a lifetime. Accommodations are made so that the disabling condition does not become a barrier to the opportunity to learn and/or demonstrate mastery of subject matter. 

• Characteristics of a Learning Disability
• Eligibility Requirements for Disability Student Services
• Support Services

Characteristics of a Learning Disability

• Do you read at a slow rate, skip words, or lose your place? 
• Do you read pages and not remember a thing? Do you have a hard time figuring out the meanings of words? 
• Do you have a hard time understanding an idea that you read, but understand the idea when you hear it orally? 
• Do you make frequent errors in writing? Do you have problems with correct grammar? 
• Do you seem to have more trouble with spelling than your peers? 
• Do you have difficulty with the organization of ideas or remembering a series of events in sequence? 
• Do you have trouble with basic math operations? 
• Do you reverse numbers, confuse symbols, or have difficulty copying math problems? 
• Do you have difficulty organizing your time, following directions, and completing assignments on time? 
• Do you have difficulty listening and taking notes at the same time?
• Do you find you know the answers on a test, but never have enough time to finish it? 

Eligibility Requirements for Disability Student Services

Any student with a documented disability is eligible to receive services from Ohio University. To access services, students must register with the Office for Institutional Equity on the Athens campus or the Disability Service Coordinator on a regional campus and provide adequate documentation. Since the purpose of the documentation is to assist the student and the University in determining reasonable academic adjustments and services, documentation guidelines must be followed to verify accommodation needs. Guidelines are available from the Disability Services Coordinator.

These guidelines have been established to assure that documentation is appropriate to verify eligibility and to support requests for academic adjustments, reasonable accommodations, and/or auxiliary aids for students with a specific learning disability that currently substantially limits one or more major life activities. 

Testing must be comprehensive: 

• Aptitude. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-III) with subtest scores is the preferred test. The Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery III is also acceptable. 
• Achievement. Current levels of functioning in reading, mathematics and written language are required. Acceptable instruments include the Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery III Tests of Achievement; Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT II); Stanford Test of Academic Skills (TASK); Scholastic Abilities Test for Adults (SATA); or specific achievement such as the Test of Written Language - 2 (TOWL-2), Woodcock Reading Mastery Test - Revised, the Stanford Diagnostic Mathematics Test and the Nelson-Denny Reading Test.
• Information Processing. Specific areas of information processing (e.g., short and long term memory; sequential memory; auditory and visual perception/processing; processing speed) must be assessed. 

There must be clear and specific diagnosis of a specific learning disability. Individual "learning styles" and "learning differences" do not designate a learning disability. 

Testing must have been administered within the last three years and standardized for use with an adult population. This requirement assures that accommodations and services are based on the current disability needs of the student. 

Actual test scores must be provided. The assessment must show evidence of discrepancies and intra-individual differences that result in substantial functional limitations to learning. 

Professionals conducting assessment and rendering diagnoses of specific learning disabilities must be certified and/or licensed psychologists.

A summary of background information about the student's educational, medical, and family histories that relate to the learning disability must be included. 

A description of any accommodation and/or auxiliary aid that has been used at the secondary or postsecondary level must be included. 

Documentation must be provided in advance of need. 

Support Services for Students with Learning Disabilities

Specific accommodations and services are determined by the student's disability and documentation recommendations. 

Registration:

• priority registration
• academic advising

• liaison with faculty regarding academic adjustments
• referral and liaison with university departments in coordinating services

Academic Accommodations (determined by student request and documentation):

• testing accommodations:
  • extended time for tests
  • alternate location for test-taking
  • use of four-function calculator
  • use of a computer with word processing capability and spell check
• taping of lectures

Academic Support:

• peer tutoring referral (four hours per course per week) at the Academic Advancement Center
• assistance with computer skills at the Academic Advancement Center
• course credit through University College for classes listed below:
  • UC 110 - Learning Strategies
  • UC 112 - College Reading Skills
  • UC 114 - College Reading and Study Skills
  • UC 115 - University Experience (Fall Quarter only)
• applications and eligibility information for the College Adjustment Program (CAP) available through the Academic Advancement Center

Auxiliary Aids:

• use of tape recorder on a first-come basis
• reader referral

Counseling:

• counseling available at Counseling and Psychological Services to assist in issues of self-esteem, time management, exam anxiety, etc.

Psychological and Social Work Clinic:

• Porter Hall Room 002; Tel: (740) 593-0902
• www.psych.ohiou.edu/clinic.htm
• The clinic offer an array of services, including intelligence and neuropsychological assessment, psychological testing, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder assessments, and learning disability assessment. Graduate student clinicians under the direct supervision of licensed psychologist faculty members provide these services.