Why We Need Reliable, Valid, and Appropriate Learning Disability Assessments

Abstract

This paper discusses issues regarding the validity and reliability of psychoeducational assessments provided to Disability Services Offices at Canadian Universities. Several vignettes illustrate some current issues and the potential consequences when university students are given less than thorough disability evaluations and ascribed diagnoses. The article details current service provider concerns that are leading to an erosion of confidence in both the diagnoses given and the category of learning disabilities (LD) in general. The author makes an impassioned plea asking psychology clinicians to ensure that, before making a final identification of Learning Disability, they communicate a diagnosis that is defensible, that the diagnosis is clearly grounded in empirically supported research findings, and that they can illustrate that all possible causes for lower test scores have been considered.