Foreword

This document was developed by the Learning Disability Special Interest Group of the College Committee on Disability Issues (CCDI) as a screening tool for adults at risk for learning disabilities. It was developed for use by a variety of post-secondary practitioners, including counsellors, disability advisors, learning disability specialists, as well as professionals working with adults experiencing learning problems.

Items in the screening questionnaire are based on the expertise of many professionals working in the post-secondary system. Some information was adapted from screening questionnaires developed by: Destination Literacy, Learning Disability Association of Canada; Carol Herriot at the University of Guelph; and the University of Minnesota.

Special thanks to all those individuals who participated in the development and piloting of this screening tool.

Screening Adult Students
At Risk For Learning Disabilities

his manual includes Administration Guidelines, the Delta Screener, as well as an At-Risk Summary Checklist.

The Administration Guidelines provide a framework to guide the interviewer through the process of gathering information relating to factors that could contribute to learning difficulties. There are many reasons why an adult student struggles academically; many of which are not related to specific learning disabilities. The purpose of the Delta Screener is to identify adults who may have learning disabilities and to investigate their need for support strategies and accommodations. The Delta Screener is designed to be comprehensive so that it can be used as an intake and/or referral questionnaire. The At-Risk Summary Checklist assists the interviewer in summarizing identified at-risk factors.

The format of the Delta Screener is a series of questions you ask the adult student. These questions cover the following areas: post secondary academic status, previous academic history, language and developmental history, family history, health and medical history and employment. These areas are considered important in determining the possibility of learning disabilities.

The information gathered by the Delta Screener will assist the interviewer in making decisions about appropriate referrals and support strategies. If there is evidence that suggests a possible learning disability, the adult will need to be referred for a diagnostic assessment. A definitive diagnosis would require a more extensive assessment by a qualified practitioner.

It should take you approximately 1.5 hours to administer the Delta Screener and At-Risk Summary Checklist.

Administration Guidelines

Suggested Procedures

· Explain to the student/client the purpose of the Delta Screener;

· Tell the student that their answers will help you to understand his needs;

· Make sure that the student knows the results are confidential and that the privacy of the information will be respected;

· Encourage the student to feel free to add comments or explanations to any of his/her answers;

· Explain to the student that you will have to take notes during the interview;

· Make sure the student understands the questions;

· Provide ample time for responses;

· When the student answers "yes", ask for the specific information;

· Use “tell me more” statements as needed.

Guidelines for Completing
the Delta Screener

We suggest that the Delta Screener be used as part of an interview process rather than the student working on their own as the interview format provides an opportunity for a more complete investigation of areas of concern.

Post Secondary Academic Status

The purpose of this area is to discuss the adult student’s current learning problems. Often the student's explanation of their difficulties can give some indication of a possible source of their learning problems. You may be able to identify some learning strengths and weaknesses from the pattern of grades earned within the student’s academic record.

Adult students who have no history of school difficulty previous to post-secondary settings may be experiencing some transition problems that are not the result of a learning disability. The unexpected occurrence of difficulties at the post-secondary secondary level may be a result of such factors as: motivation, maturity, changing expectations, difficulty managing workload, inappropriate program choice, etc.

Alternatively, student’s who previously experienced academic success may have been provided with extensive home support, which is no longer available.

Previous Academic History

The goal here is to develop a clear picture from the adult's point of view as to his school experience: likes and dislikes about school, plus strengths and weaknesses in subjects. Are the strengths or weaknesses in language-based subjects or in the practical subjects such as auto mechanics, woodworking, or welding?

Encourage the student to give details in his answers, especially to those answers that indicate some problem or difficulty. If discussing high school, try to determine if he was in an academic program, leading to college or university, one leading to further technical training, or to the workforce. Often the program gives some indication of the student's abilities, at least as seen by the school system.

It is helpful to know if the student was previously diagnosed with some type of learning disability and if the school system made any accommodations for it. It is also helpful to know if the adult has developed any strategies to deal with difficulties in his learning. Does the adult feel that the problems have kept him from doing well in school, or in the workplace?

When considering difficulties the student had in school, you must differentiate between those caused by low intellectual ability and those caused by a learning disability. Generally, an adult with low ability will report a wide variety of problems in terms of schooling. On the other hand, an adult with learning disabilities will usually report strengths and areas of need in his learning and levels of achievement. You will see the evidence of this in uneven student performance and school marks.

Indicators of a Possible Learning Disability:

· If the student received special assistance in school, especially in reading, writing, spelling and/or math, this may indicate a learning disability or low intellectual abilities.

· If the student’s academic history shows grade and/or course failure(s), this may indicate either a learning disability or low intellectual ability.

· If the student reports that at one time he worked hard but was not achieving, this may indicate either low ability or a learning disability. The same is true if the student left school because of frustration and low achievement.

· The student's likes and dislikes of certain subjects may be an indication of a learning disability. For example, is the student’s success in language-based subjects, such as history, geography and English? Does the student avoid or have low marks in these subjects because of the reading/writing emphasis but is successful in mechanical and/or activity-based subjects such as shops, physical education and art?

· The student may have been previously diagnosed as having a learning disability. It may have been termed dyslexia, a perceptual handicap, minimal brain dysfunction, language disabilities or attention-deficit disorder but is likely an indication of some kind of learning disability.

· Sometimes, adults with learning disabilities have been wrongly designated as "slow learners" and "delayed learners". If this is the case with your student, you should ignore the label and continue to check for evidence of a learning disability.

· Conversely, some adults may have been designated as having a learning disability when in fact, the actual problem may have more generalized low intellectual functioning.

Not Likely Indicators of a Learning Disability:

· If the adult has poor basic skills and has attended a number of different schools, or has had gaps in education due to illness or other reasons, this may indicate inadequate learning opportunities, not a learning disability.

· If the adult reports lack of interest and effort during his schooling, resulting in poor achievement, this probably does not indicate a learning disability.

· If the adult indicates significant abuse of drugs or alcohol during his schooling, this probably interfered with their availability for learning and may indicate an alternative reason for school difficulties.

Language and Developmental History

When considering difficulty in language skills, you must differentiate between English-as-a Second-Language (ESL) problems and learning disabilities. When English is not the adult's first language, he/she may experience difficulties in speaking, reading and writing English. This is not a learning disability but rather an ESL issue. These difficulties, in fact, may persist for some time as the student develops skills in the English language.

Indicators of a Possible Learning Disability:

ESL Issues:

· If the student can speak his own first language but cannot read or write well in it, even after years of adequate instruction, this may be an indication of a learning disability.

· If the adult has learned a first language plus English, and has difficulty in similar aspects of both languages, this may be a stronger indication of a learning disability.

Developmental Issues:

· For adults whose first language is English, any history of difficulty in developing early language skills is an indicator of a possible learning disability.

· A history of prematurity, low birth weight, or respiratory distress could be a high risk factor for the development of learning disabilities.

Family History

Learning disabilities appear to have a strong genetic component. Students who report a family history of learning disabilities or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are more likely to have learning disabilities themselves.

Mature adult students with learning disabilities often report that their children have been identified by the school system as requiring additional support services.

Health and Medical History

Some adults may not associate learning problems with physical conditions or side effects related to taking medication. These questions will alert you to health conditions or problems that may affect the student's learning.

Health problems and physical disabilities are not necessarily signs of a learning disability. More likely, they are the reasons why the student had difficulty in learning. The same is true for medication that has affected learning. Vision and hearing problems, especially in early childhood, will also make learning difficult but do not necessarily indicate a learning disability.

Indicators of a Possible Learning Disability:

· If the student reports that letters and words appear out of sequence or reversed, these could be signs of a learning disability and should be investigated further.

· If the student appears to be able to hear but has difficulty discriminating similar sounding words or saying words correctly (this does not apply to an English-as-a-Second-Language student), these problems should also be investigated further as signs of a learning disability. These problems often occur more frequently when there is a history of ear infections.

· If the student's hearing appears normal, but the student frequently misunderstands questions, there may be a learning disability—a language processing problem.

· If the student frequently asks to have questions repeated, there could be learning disabilities related to attention and/or auditory processing.

Not Likely Indicators of a Learning Disability:

· If the student frequently has problems in situations requiring listening skills, the possibility of a hearing problem should be ruled out by a hearing test with an audiologist.

· If the student is taking any medication regularly, you should investigate the possible side effects of the medication and how it may impact on learning (fatigue, memory, attention…)

· Students with ongoing problems with anxiety or depression may have difficulty coping with academic learning situations, especially the testing process.

· If the student experiences eye strain when reading or copying notes from a distance, the possibility of vision difficulties should be further explored.

Employment

An adult's work history may indicate his interests, skill level, abilities, motivation, consistency of effort, planning and goal setting.

As you ask these questions, look for a pattern in types of jobs the student has had, the demands of each job and the length of time spent at each job. For example, did the jobs require skill in reading/writing/ communication, or did they involve manual skills? Were the jobs repetitive or were they broad in their scope? Possible explanations for breaks in a adult's work history are: accidents, illness, retraining, moving, loss of job, lack of needed skills, lack of motivation, etc.

It is difficult to determine the existence of a learning disability based on an adult's employment history.

The employment record may give you a clustering of the types of work that the adult has done and from that you may see if there is an avoidance of jobs that require good reading and writing skills, or if there is a preference for jobs that are manual or mechanical in nature.

The adult may perform well in a job that requires high skills, even though he has poor academic achievement. This may mean that the adult has good general abilities and has learned to compensate for learning disabilities.

Checklists

Challenges

If the adult student appears to have average ability, with no vision or hearing problems, then having trouble with more than one of these items may indicate a learning disability.

Strengths

Adults with learning disabilities often avoid activities that involve reading, writing and math. They may report strength in areas such as playing music, participating in sports, or working with their hands. The absence of any significant strengths may suggest the presence of low intellectual functioning rather than a specific learning disability.

Daily Activities

This section deals with life skills that we would expect adults with average ability to have mastered. Adults with learning disabilities may experience problems with tasks involving money, time, organization and relationships.

Guidelines for Interpreting
the Delta Screener and At-Risk Summary Checklist

After completing the Delta Screener with the adult student, you will have gathered a great deal of information. You may also have made notes on comments made during the session. Now you will need to review this data to see if there are indicators of a possible learning disability.

Keep in mind:

· A slow learner or a person with low intellectual ability will report difficulties in many areas on the Screener

· An adult with learning disabilities will report that they have experienced problems from a very young age.

· An adult with learning disabilities will display a pattern of strengths and areas of need: good in some things and not in others. They may also reveal a pattern of discrepancies between expected outcomes and achievements.

The following are examples of risk indicators you should look for as you go through the data to try to determine if there is evidence of a learning disability.

· Does the student appear to be "average" in ability, yet report school failures?

· Does the student speak well but report reading difficulties?

· Does the student speak well but is unable to put thoughts into written form?

· Does the student appear to be capable but yet reports difficulty in organization and/or memory?

· Does the student have adequate or good communication skills but reports having difficulty in math?

As you review the results from the Delta Screener, you may find it helpful to use the Learning Disabilities At Risk Summary Checklist to help you summarize the results and make a decision whether the adult should be referred for an assessment to formally diagnose the existence of a specific learning disability.

Delta Screener

Today’s date: _______________________________ Revised: January, 2004

Name ________________________________ Age_____________ Birth date_________________

Phone _______________________________ Address: ________________________________

Completed together with______________________________________

Post Secondary Academic Status

o Full-time student o Part-time student o Special Studies

Program ________________________________________ Semester/Level___________________

1. How many courses are you taking this semester?____________________________________

Please list each of your courses below:

2. What difficulties are you having now?

________________________________________________________________________

3. Please indicate any of the following problems currently affecting your learning:

o attendance o test taking

o note taking o not handing in assignments

o disorganization o procrastination

o time management o over-extended with work/activities

o study skills o memory problems

o anxiety: test ___, speaking ___,

performance ___

4. Have you failed or dropped any courses in your program?

If so, please list_____________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

5. Have you attended any other post-secondary institutions prior to coming to this college?

Yes o No o

If yes, please give details:_____________________________________________________

6. Were you registered with the Disability Services Office at that institution?

Yes o No o

7. If yes, did you receive any accommodations (e.g. extra time for exams)?

Yes o No o

If yes, please specify: ________________________________________________________

The Delta Screener was development by the LD Special Interest Group of the College Committee on Special Needs (CCDI), a Provincial Group under the Ministry of Training: Colleges and Universities. It was developed for use by qualified practitioners working with adults with learning problems.

Previous Academic History

(attach transcripts where available)

8. Please list the schools you have attended: (Elementary, Secondary, Specialized, Adult Ed.)

9. What was the highest grade that you completed? ____________________________________

10. What grades, if any, did you repeat? ____________________________________________

11. Did you receive a Secondary School Diploma? Yes o No o

12. What type of courses did you take at secondary school? ______________________________

________________________________________________________________________

(Advanced/General/Basic, University/College/Mixed/Workplace)

(please attach high school transcripts)

13. How old were you when you left secondary school? _________________________________

14. Why did you leave school? ___________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

15. What further courses or training have you had since you left school and where did they take place?

_________________________________________________________________________

16. Did you have frequent or extended absences from school? Yes o No o

17. If you were, was it due to illness or for some other reason?

_________________________________________________________________________

18. What were your favourite or best subjects? (explain why)

_________________________________________________________________________

19. What were your least favorite or most difficult subjects? (explain why)

_________________________________________________________________________

20. What format of exams is difficult for you?

o multiple choice o math/technical word problems

o short answer o written computer theory tests

o essay o written math calculations

21. Did you have difficulty completing exams within the allotted time?

_________________________________________________________________________

22. Did you receive any special education/remedial/resource assistance/specialized tutoring in elementary or secondary school? Yes o No o

If yes, what kind of help was it and in which grades did this help take place? (be specific)

________________________________________________________________________

23. What did you find helpful (or not helpful) about this extra help?

_________________________________________________________________________

24. Who in your family helped you with your homework? _____________________________

25. Approximately how many hours per night did you receive help with your homework? ____

26. Do you find it easier to learn by

o listening or hearing?

o reading?

o writing?

o saying things out loud?

o working with your hands?

27. Did you have any special testing for your school problems? (This refers to psycho-educational assessment not to regular class tests and exams.) Yes o No o

_________________________________________________________________________

28. What did you understand about your assessment? (please attach reports if available)

_________________________________________________________________________

29. Were you ever told that you had a learning disability or an attention-deficit disorder? (Other terms such as perceptual handicap or dyslexia may have been used.)

_________________________________________________________________________

30. Have you ever been prescribed medication for an attention-deficit disorder

(e.g. Ritalin)? Yes o No o

________________________________________________________________________

31. Were you ever considered a behavioural problem in school? Yes o No o

_________________________________________________________________________

32. How would your parents or teachers have described you as a child (e.g. nicknames, frequent comments,...)?

_________________________________________________________________________

33. Have you ever been identified as an exceptional student: (please attach documents if available)

i) by an Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC)? Yes o No o

ii) supported by an Individual Education Plan (IEP)? Yes o No o

iii) did you have any assistance planning for post-secondary? Yes o No o

34. Have you received any training in assistive technology or learning strategies?

_________________________________________________________________________

35. What learning strategies or assistive technology is most helpful to you? (e.g. mind mapping, flashcards, colour coding, tape recorder, voice synthesis computer…)?

_________________________________________________________________________

Do you have access to computer technology at home? Yes o No o

36. What other comments would you like to make regarding your schooling or any of the problems that you face when you are learning?

_________________________________________________________________________

Language and Developmental History

37. What language is spoken at home? 1^st___________________ 2^nd__________________

38. What language were you schooled in_____________________________________________

39. If other than English, did you have trouble learning to read and write in your first language? Yes o No o Not applicable o

40. Do you need to translate back and forth between English and your native language while doing schoolwork? Yes o No o Not applicable o

41. Did you have any difficulty learning to talk? Yes o No o

42. Did you receive any Speech and Language Assessment or Therapy? Yes o No o

If yes: please describe:_______________________________________________________

43. Did your birth history include any of the following complications?

Premature birth Yes o No o

Low birth weight (< 3 lbs.) Yes o No o

Respiratory Distress Yes o No o

44. Did you receive an Occupational Therapy Assessment or Training for difficulty with fine motor skills? Yes o No o

If yes: please describe :______________________________________________________

Family History

45. Has anyone in your family (children, parents, siblings, etc.) had problems with learning? Yes o No o

If yes: please explain: _______________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

46. What was the highest grade achieved by your parents? Father:________Mother:________

47. Does anyone in your family have difficulties with an attention-deficit disorder, substance abuse, and/or mental health problem?

Attention deficit disorder Yes o No o

Substance abuse Yes o No o

Mental Health Problems Yes o No o

If yes: please explain: _______________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Health And Medical History

48. Do you have any recurrent or chronic health problems or conditions?

Yes o No o

If yes, please specify: _______________________________________________________

49. Have you ever had a serious accident or illness? Yes o No o

If yes, please specify: _______________________________________________________

50. Have you ever been unconscious? Yes o No o

If yes, provide details? ______________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

51. Do you take any medications on a regular basis? Yes o No o

If yes, please list type of medication, how long you have been taking it and its purpose

________________________________________________________________________

52. Do you have, or have you had in the past problems with any of the following?

	Yes	No		Yes	No
Hearing			Allergies
Vision			Drug Abuse
Head injury			Alcohol Abuse
Emotional Trauma			Ear Infections
Headaches			Migraines

If yes, please describe ______________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

53. Have you had a history of depression, anxiety or other emotional or psychological difficulties (for example: eating disorder, school phobia, suicide attempts?) Yes o No o

Have you ever taken medication for this condition? Yes o No o

If yes, please give details: _____________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

Employment

54. Of all the jobs (both paid and unpaid) you have worked at, what type of work did you enjoy the most?

_________________________________________________________________________

55. Explain any problems that you have that affect the type of jobs that you get, or that keep you from getting jobs that you would like to have.

_________________________________________________________________________

56. If you are currently working, how many hours are you working per week? _________________

57. What kind of work would you like to do in the future?________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

58. How committed are you to this career goal? Somewhat____ ____ Quite____ Extremely____

59. Have you ever quit a job? _____ Why?________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

60. Have you ever been fired? _____ Why? _______________________________________

61. How many jobs have you had in the last two years? ______________________________

62. What is the longest you have worked at a job? ___________________________________

63. What type of supervisor do you prefer? _________________________________________

64. Do you prefer to work: alone _____ as a team _____

65. How well do you get along with co-workers? ____________________________________

66. What held you back from applying for higher level jobs? ___________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

Checklists

Challenges

Please indicate if these items have been a problem to you. For each question, please answer “Almost Never”, Sometimes” or “Often”.

Do you have trouble...	Almost Never	Sometimes	Often
Understanding what is said to you
Putting your thoughts into words when speaking
Finding a particular word(s) when speaking
Taking part in conversations
With reading speed
Understanding what you read
Sounding out words
With math calculations
With math reasoning/word problems
Quickly recalling math facts
With handwriting
With spelling
Writing your thoughts on paper
Understanding jokes
Remembering what you hear
Organizing, planning or keeping track of time
Paying attention or concentrating
Knowing right from left
Following oral or printed directions
Listening to lectures and taking notes at the same time

Daily Activities

This final section asks questions about daily living. For each question, please answer, “Almost Never”, “Sometimes or “Often”.

Do you have problems with...	Almost Never	Sometimes	Often
Shopping
Handling money and banking
Using public transportation
Telling time
Housekeeping
Being organized
Programming electronic equipment
Using an automated banking machine
Looking after yourself
Driving
Using the telephone
Cooking
Making or keeping friends (or both)
Solving problems
Using automated telephones

Strengths

Which of the following activities are you good at? Answer each question with “Not at all”, “Sometimes” or “Often”.

Are you good at...

Not at all

Sometimes

Often

Art

Music

Sports

Drama

Dancing

Writing poems, plays, songs

Woodworking

Building or repairing mechanical

Using a computer

Driving a car

Public speaking

Listening skills

Telling jokes

Are there other things you like to do we have not mentioned?__________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

Adapted from screening questionnaires developed by the Learning Disability Association of Canada, Carol Herriot at the University of Guelph, and the University of Minnesota

Foreword

Screening Adult Students
At Risk For Learning Disabilities

Administration Guidelines

Suggested Procedures

Guidelines for Completing
the Delta Screener

Post Secondary Academic Status

Previous Academic History

Indicators of a Possible Learning Disability:

Not Likely Indicators of a Learning Disability:

Language and Developmental History

Indicators of a Possible Learning Disability:

Family History

Health and Medical History

Indicators of a Possible Learning Disability:

Not Likely Indicators of a Learning Disability:

Employment

Checklists

Challenges

Strengths

Daily Activities

Guidelines for Interpreting
the Delta Screener and At-Risk Summary Checklist

Delta Screener

Post Secondary Academic Status

Previous Academic History

Language and Developmental History

Family History

Health And Medical History

Employment

Checklists

Challenges

Daily Activities

Strengths

Learning Disabilities:
At-Risk Summary Checklist

Expect to see NO to these questions:

YES responses to the following questions
may suggest a Learning Disability:

Indicators of a Possible Learning Disability:

Not Likely Indicators of a Learning Disability:

Indicators of a Possible Learning Disability:

Indicators of a Possible Learning Disability:

Not Likely Indicators of a Learning Disability:

Challenges

Strengths

Daily Activities

Health And Medical History

Checklists

Strengths

Expect to see NO to these questions:

YES responses to the following questions may suggest a Learning Disability:

YES responses to the following questions
may suggest a Learning Disability: