A screening is a two hour interview looking at a broad range of historical, academic, study habits/skills, academic frustrations and emotional components. The screening will not yield a diagnosis, rather, it assists in the decision making process for recommending next steps.
Students who may benefit from ACR may...
- Be experiencing academic struggle, but are not sure why.
- Suspect they have ADHD, a learning disability, autism, or another disability.
- Experience difficulties with attention, organization, time management, executive functioning, etc.
- Have concerns about emotional well-being.
- Feel unsure what support services may be appropriate for them.
ACR is not:
- A diagnostic evaluation
- A counseling or therapy service
- A crisis intervention service
- A formal disability determination
- A gautantee of accommodations
- A replacement for psychlogical, psychoeducational, or neruopsychological assessments
Frequently Asked Questions
All information is confidential, unless you sign a release, indicate intent of harming yourself or others, indicate past or present child abuse, or indicate a medical emergency.
If you are frustrated with your learning, scheduling an access consultation and referral appointment may be helpful. Prior to scheduling your referral appointment, visit the Office of Disability Services to obtain the required paperwork.
The consultation consists of a two-hour interview and a brief behavioral self-report assessment. The interview covers topics ranging from educational background, study habits/skills, sleeping/eating habits, academic frustrations and social-emotional components. The consultation process is conducted by the Screening and Referral graduate assistant in the School Psychology program. The graduate assistant composes a confidential write up of interview responses. With this information, the graduate assistant and members from the ISLA triage committee formulate appropriate recommendations. An informing session is then scheduled in order to share these recommendations.
A follow up meeting will be scheduled to discuss recommendations made by the interprofessional committee. Recommendations may include referral for a comprehensive diagnostic assessment (i.e. testing) at the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) Clinic or with other qualified diagnosticians. Comprehensive evaluations are performed by a licensed psychologist (PhD or PsyD) who has training in and experience doing these types of specialized evaluations. You can get recommendations from your family doctor, therapist, other parents, or your high school. Referrals to other JMU resources may also be provided. If you are not referred for a comprehensive diagnostic assessment you will be given recommendations for support services located on and off campus.
You will be encouraged to seek out and utilize existing university resources such as the Learning Centers, Learning Success Strategies (LSS), University Career Center, Academic Advising, Well Dukes,or Counseling Center.
If you receive a diagnosis and you need to request accommodations due to the identified functional limitations of a disability, you will need to contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS). Visit the ODS website for more information about getting started. You will need to submit a copy of your assessment report along with the ODS application. Please allow 15 business days for this review from the day that both the application and documentation were submitted.
Office of Disability Services
