Exam access arrangements (25% extra time) at uni - evidence question

[OrangeLemonL]

Hoping for some advice if anyone is knowledgeable about this please!
DD due to start uni in Sep and has had 25% extra time for GCSEs and will do for A-levels, based on the school and then college’s own screening tests showing ‘slow processing speed’. Having dug around in the uni’s website I think she will need evidence of a SpLD for this to continue. Uni may be able to help but I’d rather get it sorted before she starts. However I am pretty confident she has ADHD and I know slow processing is often linked to that. If she agreed to an ADHD assessment and was diagnosed, would this count as evidence for getting extra time? Or am I better finding a specialist teacher locally to assess her for dyslexia etc? What I am not clear on is, if the slow processing is related to ADHD and not dyslexia, is it likely the £4-600 for a PATOSS-accredited assessment will be a waste of money? No other signs of dyslexia but I am no expert. She does well academically, just slower. But would an ADHD diagnosis entitle her to extra time in itself?

The best thing is probably to contact the university’s disability service and get their advice. It’s best to start the conversation well ahead of time to get things in place in good time.

Dc1 had evidence but university insisted on assessments of their own. The disability service paid half. Think dc half was about £300. So I'd definitely contact the university disability team before you pay for 'the wrong thing'.

DD had slow processing skills assessed alongside ADHD. She was given extra time & rest breaks on the basis of the private assessment.

The college assessment may suffice. Otherwise she needs a Needs Assessment to identify what support is required which can be done now or at uni. Will she tick the DSA box on Student Finance?

Thanks @Chemenger and @Bydefaultibecameamagician I had thought that might be tricky when she is ‘just’ an offer holder tbh but I should phone and ask. I just know if I leave it to her to sort when she starts it will cause her stress. She is quite resistant to being singled out, but is at least accepting that the extra time is both beneficial and needed.

@HewasH2O really? Was it a standard ADHD assessment she had that also diagnosed slow processing, or did she have a separate one? I have some knowledge of ADHD assessments and wasn’t aware they covered processing difficulties specifically. That would be ideal though!

@LIZS maybe I should get details from the college - what would I be asking for? The test documentation itself or the JCQ form? It is hard to get a response from them so best if I can ask specifically!
I am new to this but have read a little about DSA. I don’t think she’d want to identify herself as disabled (she can be quite prickly and rigid/sensitive to perceived criticism!) and not sure that she needs anything other than the extra time. Though possible the demand of HE might throw something up. Does the DSA button just affect access to funding or is it more generally advised?

We had an educational diagnosis report from an organisation approved by her University. They were looking into whether she was ADHD or dyslexic etc. This has been sufficient for undergrad & pistgrad.

She doesn't have any NHS diagnosis as she's been waiting for years .

I work in university disability.

Yes a diagnostic report for ADHD will get her extra time.

Don't pay for a diagnosis, go by right to choose.
https://adhduk.co.uk/right-to-choose/
You have plenty of time for this.

DSA is funding for support. Not actual money.

With ADHD she would potentially be entitled to assistive tech, specialist mentor and other various things.

The only way she will get the extra time is via a DSA assessment, DD had to do this, it was really useful not just in terms of extra time but the quieter room, a extension in her dissertation and things like a laptop with programming on that helped to read out long text etc. The doctor had to sign the form for us and the assessment was carried out online prior to her starting uni.

Thia is categorically not true.

We have students with reasonable adjustments who haven't gone through the DSA process.

Students do not need DSA to get in house reasonable adjustments. It can help determine support needed, but it is not necessary.

DD never registered for DSA & received extra time and other adjustments from her second year at uni. The arrangements were seamlessly passed across to her next degree course.

Ds got a private ADHD assessment whilst in his second year at Uni - and he got extra time. Made all the difference.

My DD submitted evidence from a school assessment for processing etc which recommended rest breaks and use of a laptop. This was used to secure adjustments at A level and her uni were happy to accept that and give her the same adjustments.

Has she indicated a learning disability on her UCAS form? If so, in the time between
A level results day and Freshers’ Week, there should be an opportunity to consult with student services about reasonable adjustments and an individual learning plan which then all academic staff teaching that student can see and act on .

Check with student services about the evidence needed. And there will be evidence required.

Thanks all, this is so helpful.

One more question - I will chat to her and see if she would like an ADHD assessment or would prefer to just address the slow processing speed and see a SpLD specialist assessor. She has been resistant to full ND assessment in the past, which is fair enough; her decision.

But if she does the SpLD assessment, does anyone know if slow processing could be diagnosed as a stand-alone thing as a result of this?
Or would it be dyslexia with that particular profile?
The specialist teachers I have identified locally all seem to market themselves as dyslexia/DCD services. I suppose what I would be expecting/hoping is that they say ‘no this student does not have dyslexia, however she does have slow processing and here are her scores as evidence’. Is that possible and would that count as sufficient evidence? (Sorry this is garbled!)

@ParmaVioletTea i am not sure, I will check with her. I am kept at arm’s length! If it was phrased in terms of needing adjustments such as extra time, then probably yes. But if it wasn’t then probably not 🤔

We would accept this, especially if it was then backed up by a recommendation for extra time in the SpLD report. It would say something like 'x does not meet criteria for dyslexia diagnosis however there is evidence of slow processing speed etc etc..'

DSA is both. It flags to the student support team who in turn can liaise with the department for likes of deadline extensions and, where appropriate, accesses funding for equipment or mentoring. JCQ itself is not relevant, you ideally want any paperwork related to the college assessment especially if the person who conducted it was relevantly qualified or a post 16 assessment which you might need to arrange.

I'm not sure ADHD on its own will automatically get extra time.

Ds has ADHD (and ASD) and didn't get extra time, but did get a laptop to use.

They (at school) did tests for extra time and for using a laptop and came out that he didn't need the former, but did need the latter. I have the evidence of the test for him to show the uni.

Ds didn’t want to be seen as different at school but at university, they separately assessed him and determined he needed extra time and extra support. They were actually brilliant and did it in a way that he totally accepted it all. I would also advise speaking to the disability team - it was so much better organised than I expected

(Btw we had nothing to do with it - they did it directly with ds)

Your DD will need to check with the uni as some accept paperwork from college, others won't and you don't want to be trying to arrange an assessment etc at short notice unless you've already identified someone

It's just a box the applicant ticks.

With a learning/cogntive disability such as dyslexia (which can include slow exective function) it's pretty standard to offer up 25% extra exam time, and an automaic extension on written coursework (although given some dyslexic students' difficulty with organising themselves, sometimes a long extension doesn't help).