Supporting the needs of students with undiagnosed disabilities 

Students who report having disabilities make up roughly 11% of all undergraduates in the United States, and their numbers appear to be growing quickly (Raue & Lewis, 2011; U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2009). Most common, within that population, are specific learning disabilities (such as dyslexia and other language disorders) (31%); attention deficit disorder (18%); mental illness, psychological, or psychiatric conditions (15%), and health impairment or conditions (11%) (Raue & Lewis, 2011).  

However, in the years before starting college, many of these students never received special education services of any kind. Recently, for example, I surveyed 260 undergraduates who were determined to be eligible for such services once they enrolled at their university (a large public institution in the Pacific Northwest); fewer than 20% said they had received comparable supports in high school.