Diagnoses and Disabilities

Why your child's diagnosis might not guarantee school support

So you got your kid a private neuropsychological evaluation, and the results of the evaluation indicated some sort of diagnosis—LD, ADHD, or a mood or anxiety disorder—that is making school challenging. You show the evaluation to the school, eager to put some educational interventions in place, and the school rejects your request for services or accommodations. They even refuse to grant extra time on tests even though it’s listed as one of the neuropsychologist’s recommendations. You are shocked and dismayed. 

Let me explain why the school’s response may actually make sense.

Schools are required to support kids with disabilities, not kids with diagnoses.

Diagnoses and disabilities are distinct but interconnected concepts. A diagnosis is a clinical identification of a disorder or condition based on criteria outlined in diagnostic manuals like the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) or International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). A disability is a functional limitation that affects a person’s ability to participate in typical life activities and situations. 

Having a diagnosis but not a disability is possible when the diagnosed condition does not cause a functional limitation. In other words, it does not significantly impair a kid’s ability to function in school, and they can still perform at or above grade level. 

Special education supports and services are granted on the basis of disability, not diagnosis. Legally speaking, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability and ensures equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities, and the Individuals with Disabilities in Education ACT (IDEA) ensures special education and related services to support children with disabilities in educational contexts. If you have a diagnosis but not a disability, you are not covered by either ADA or IDEA.

For example, a student may receive a diagnosis of ADHD but still perform at grade level because they manage their symptoms effectively through behavioral strategies, family support, or medication. A student with a diagnosed learning disability may still perform at grade level if they use compensatory strategies, have strong support systems, or benefit from general classroom interventions. Both students have diagnoses, and neither student has a disability. Neither qualifies for special education services.

One might argue that, with supports and accommodations, these kids might perform even better—to borrow a commonly-used phrase, they might “reach their full potential.” But, again, if they are at or above grade level, there is no functional limitation, there is no disability, and the school has no legal obligation to provide such supports and accommodations.

In an ideal world, schools would have infinite resources, and all students would have access to all the supports they need to reach their full potential. But we do not live in such a world. Since resources are, in fact, finite, we need to highlight the distinction between diagnosis and disability to ensure that resources are allocated to the students who really need them.

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Spring 2025 is going to be nuts!