Professional conducting assessment and rendering diagnoses of specific learning disabilities (SLD) must be qualified. A qualified professional should hold a degree in a field related to diagnosis of SLD and have at least one year of diagnostic experience with adults and late adolescents. Recommended practitioners may include certified and/or licensed psychologists, learning disabilities specialists, educational therapists, diagnosticians in public schools or colleges and rehabilitation services and private practitioners with the above characteristics. The diagnostician should be an impartial individual who is not a family member.

The following guidelines are provided to assist the Disability Services Director in collaborating with each student to determine appropriate accommodations. Documentation serves as a foundation that legitimizes a student's request for appropriate accommodations. Recommended documentation includes:

1. Testing that is comprehensive, including an age-appropriate measure of both Aptitude and Achievement in the areas of reading, mathematics, and written language;
2. Documentation of eligibility should be current, preferably within the last three years; (the age of acceptable documentation is dependant upon the disabling condition, the current status of the student and the student's specific request for accommodations);
3. A clear statement that a learning disability is present along with the rationale for this diagnosis, and the functional limitations the student has. (Note: individual "learning deficits", "learning styles," and "learning differences", do not, in or of themselves, constitute a learning disability);
4. A narrative summary, including all scores, which supports the diagnosis;
5. A statement of strengths and needs that will impact the student's ability to meet the demands of the post-secondary environment.

Further assessment by an appropriate professional may be required if co-existing learning disabilities or other disabling conditions are indicated. The student and the UM-Helena Disability Services Director collaboratively determine appropriate accommodations.