Assessment of ADHD documentation from candidates requesting Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodations for the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners COMLEX exam.
OBJECTIVE
Every year increasing numbers of candidates request special accommodations for high-stakes medical licensing examinations, due to ADHD, on the basis of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This poses significant challenges for both the applicant and the medical boards and has significant financial, legal, and ethical implications. The purpose of this survey is to review all applications requesting ADA accommodations, on the basis of ADHD, submitted to the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME) COMLEX exam.


METHODS
The authors review all 50 requests for special accommodations, on the basis of ADHD, submitted to the NBOME between 2005 and 2007. All requests are reviewed by the investigators independently and then cross-checked to determine interrater reliability.


RESULTS
Of all applicants, only 14% (7/50) provide sufficient documentation to support a diagnosis of ADHD. Interrater reliability is high.


CONCLUSIONS
The majority of applicants who request special testing accommodations on the basis of ADHD do not provide adequate documentation to the medical boards to support the diagnosis.
Joy
Javed A
JA
Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Julius
Rose J
RJ
Akter
Rashida
R
Baron
David A
DA
D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D006801:Humans; D008007:Licensure, Medical / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D010021:Osteopathic Medicine / Q000193:education*; D014481:United States