Fraudulent Disabilities A Concern To NCAA

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Fraudulent Disabilities A Concern To NCAA

By Josh Barr
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, June 30, 2007; Page E01

Recent rules passed by the NCAA to crack down on academic fraud by
student-athletes allow significant latitude to students with diagnosed
learning disabilities, and college administrators expect that some
academically struggling athletes may seek to attain their athletic
eligibility by obtaining fraudulent diagnoses.

In late April, the NCAA took aim at fraudulent prep schools, or "diploma
mills," by ruling that, beginning with the high school senior class of 2008,
incoming student-athletes must have completed 16 core courses, two more than
previously required, at least 15 of which must be completed in their first
four years after enrolling in high school. The rule ostensibly prohibits the
practice of "fixing" an academically deficient high school transcript by
fulfilling all missing requirements during a year in prep school.

However, students with diagnosed learning disabilities are allowed to take
core coursework up until they enroll in college, with no time limitations --
essentially an exemption from the rule.

"There's no question it's out there," said Gary Roberts, the faculty
athletic representative at Tulane and a member of the NCAA's
Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet. "Anytime you have a program
designed to give some sort of special accommodation for any class of people,
there are going to be people who fraudulently try to become a member of that
class so they can get benefits they're not entitled to."

Learning disabilities "will be the next area our committee will have to
address," said Kim Callicoatte, chairman of an NCAA subcommittee on initial
eligibility issues. "It's a floodgate where we're stopping up holes and
there are always going to be additional holes some people will try to get
through."

The first step toward receiving this accommodation is obtaining a diagnosis.
According to NCAA spokesman Erik Christianson, the organization will accept
a diagnosis from "a licensed or otherwise properly credentialed professional
who has undergone appropriate and comprehensive training and has relevant
experience."

"We receive LD diagnoses from psychiatrists, psychologists, pediatricians,
neurologists and social workers," Christianson wrote in an e-mail.

The most common learning disorder in childhood is Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder, which occurs in an estimated 3 to 5 percent of
school-age children, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
ADHD usually becomes evident during childhood, and the median age for onset
is 7, although ADHD can persist in later years and sometimes into adulthood,
according to the NIMH.

Various forms of dyslexia and other disorders associated with reading
comprehension also are common for those seeking to obtain the LD
designation.

Before granting a student-athlete learning disabled consideration, the NCAA
requires a signed copy of the most recent diagnosis, diagnostic test results
and an individual education plan (IEP) designed by the school district for
the student. For students attending private school, the IEP can be replaced
by a statement of accommodations on school letterhead. The NCAA then
notifies the Clearinghouse, which is responsible for certifying initial
eligibility, that the student is learning disabled and allowed to receive
the special considerations afforded to such students.

Said Bridget Niland, an assistant professor at Daemen College in Amherst,
N.Y., and a former associate director of membership services for the NCAA:
"There has always been a question about whether [diagnoses] have been
legitimate or not. But when someone gives you a diagnosis, it's a diagnosis
and you can't really refute that."

While obtaining a learning-disability diagnosis in the latter stages of high
school might raise a red flag for some -- one local college athletic
administrator dubbed the disorder "NBA DD" -- the diagnosis also could be
legitimate, cautioned Diane Dickman, the NCAA's managing director of
membership services. Dickman suggested that a student could be hindered by a
undiagnosed learning disability throughout his or her schooling.

"Late diagnosis requires a clear explanation of why the diagnosis was not
previously detected, which is a component of the clinical interview and
reflected in the test summary by the clinician," Christianson said.

In recent years, the number of students receiving accommodations for a
learning disability has remained relatively stagnant. There was a
significant jump, from 203 to 338 students from the 2003-04 school year to
2004-05, with 335 cases in 2005-06 and 302 in 2006-07, according to the NCAA

The Clearinghouse certifies 77,000 students for initial eligibility each
year.

"The numbers wouldn't suggest that there is some mounting evidence of
fraud," Dickman said. "We're going to monitor any kind of academic fraud.
If, as we go forward, we see something that is of concern to us or leads us
to believe there is something going on that relates to fraud, we certainly
would [address] that."

High school and college coaches anticipate the NCAA will be busy. An
assistant coach for a team that advanced to the round of 16 in this past
season's NCAA men's basketball tournament said he was aware of one player
who plans to try for an LD waiver. The coach spoke on the condition of
anonymity because he did not want to identify the player or his potential
disability in case the coach successfully recruits the player. "I don't
think he's ever been tested before," the coach said, noting that he had seen
the player's transcript and spoken with the player over the course of the
past year. "There's definitely going to be some abuses, no question about
that."

One area high school coach acknowledged that some may attach a stigma to
being labeled LD, but didn't believe that would stop players from seeking
such a diagnosis.

"Some of the kids [seeking an LD diagnosis], they don't have a learning
disability. There is a moral dilemma there," the coach said, speaking on the
condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the topic. "Do you
go to get something you know you're not and then you're labeled from that
point on as a kid who is learning disabled?"

Roberts compared the situation to those who falsify documents to qualify for
welfare or other governmentassistance.

"I'm sure there are some doctors out there who are big fans of college
athletics or their local university and would be willing to bend their
ethical standard," Roberts said. "When athletes run up against a brick wall,
there are coaches and people out there helping them get over that wall."