In addition to the student’s declaration of disability and need for accommodation, the CAE requires current and complete documentation from the student’s diagnosing, treating clinician. Qualified clinicians are licensed, non-familial, follow established practices in the field, and are most often physicians, licensed psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, or licensed therapists. For clinical assessments, the professional conducting the assessments and rendering diagnoses must have comprehensive training with regard to the specific disability being addressed
Documentation must describe how the disability limits one or more major life activities and to what extent the student experiences disability-related, academic limitations. It should also be written within a reasonable timeframe relative to the disability
Documentation should include
If your medical provider is submitting a letter in lieu of the attached verification form, it should contain ALL of the following information:
- Student’s name, ID number, and date of birth
- Name, Title, Licensing State(s) and Number, Address, Area of Specialization, and Signature of qualifying, diagnosing clinician
- Medical/clinical diagnosis as listed in the DSM-5 or ICD-10
- Explanation and/or basis for diagnosis (tests, clinical interview, observations, history)
- Onset of condition, date clinician first treated student, most recent visit, expected duration of disability, and other relevant educational, developmental, and medical history
- Current functional limitations
- Statement of the extent to which limitations are mitigated by treatment and side effects of treatment if any
- If making recommendations for specific accommodations: Justification for each recommended accommodation and the direct relationship to the functional limitations must be produced.
What type of documentation do I need to register for services with the CAE?
Our general documentation guidelines detail what types of documentation is appropriate.