Learning Disabilities/ADD Screenings
for College Students

Michelle Murphy MS, CRC, LPC
Texas A&M University

An increasing number of students with learning disabilities/ADD are attending colleges or universities. Many of these students have yet to be diagnosed. In grade school and in high school, these students may have been unknowingly compensating for their weaknesses. Once in college, problems arise because their compensatory skills are no longer effective. Through the screening, students will decide whether adequate evidence exists for the formal evaluation or if personal or academic counseling is deemed more appropriate.

In the presentation the rationale for and the process used to screen for Learning Disabilities or ADD/ADHD at the Student Counseling Service at Texas A&M University will be discussed. Through the screening, the students learn more about their study habits and learning styles. The screening helps them decide if the formal evaluation for learning disability or ADD would be beneficial. The screening is a 2 session process that involves interview, checklist of symptoms, 2 reading samples, writing sample, and math sample. The tools used in the screening process which include; the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI), Barsch Learning Style Inventory, and the Conners CPT will also be discussed.

Program Learning Outcomes

• Participants will learn how to recognize signs of a possible learning disability or ADD in college students.
• Participants will learn what other conditions might appear to be a learning disability or ADD.
• Participants will learn the process of screening college students for possible LD/ADD.