Incoming College Students Must Register a Disability ASAP or Before Going Off to College

by Joanna Lilley, MA, NCC, founder of Lilley Consulting

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For a recently enrolled college student, it's important to be proactive in requesting accommodations. While I worked in higher education I can't tell you the shock I experienced when I had not one but multiple students each semester tell me they had an IEP in high school, were on medications before going cold-turkey in college, or didn't see the need to ask for accommodations for their mental health.

Evan worse, they often didn't think it was appropriate to ask for help until close to the end of the academic semester. At that point, the Office of Disability Services:
a) can't retroactively help the student with what he went through earlier,

b) may request that the student bring in additional paperwork that he can't get within a timely manner, and/or;

c) can't process the student's request before the end of the semester, thus leaving a student to continue roughing it on through finals.

For a student who is finally acknowledging he wished he had gotten help before, this doesn't feel like a promising way to round out the semester.


These kids have still developing brains and, by postponing doing the rational thing, are exhibiting cognitive distorted thinking: they think they can just "get through" college without needing help, although they've had help for their entire academic careers up until college. It's not that we don't want them to beat the odds, it's just an extremely unrealistic expectation.

If you're able to encourage your young adult to be proactive, do it early!

Below are some of the very good reasons for why a student needs to register through the Office of Disability Services on campus:

  1. Timeline: It can sometimes take two months to register your disability on a college campus. In this situation, students need to be proactive in going to the Office of Disability Services on their respective campus and request accommodations. It's not that the university doesn't want to immediately snap their fingers and help you when you finally come in to get yourself set up. Unfortunately, they're usually inundated and need time to be able to process your request.

  2. Required documentation: Just because your young adult had an IEP or 504 plans in high school does not automatically qualify them for accommodations in college. It's not that their need for accommodations after high school all of a sudden disappeared, but rather the college may be wanting additional documentation. Before showing up to the Office of Disability Services, consider exploring their website to read what they require for approved paperwork. Sometimes they may want a more recent than 2nd grade diagnosis for ADHD. Make sense?

  3. Medication: For students arriving on campus who have taken medication for ADHD the majority of their life, they need to at minimum take their medication through their first semester on campus. Stopping medication right before your collegiate career may sound good in theory, but in practice it's grounds for a roller coaster of "naturally" learning to stay on task and be organized. Help your young adult by making sure they keep with their medication through December.

  4. Types of disabilities: If your young adult has a medical condition that recurs across the lifespan, they need to set themselves up for success by requesting accommodations. Examples of medical conditions that are appropriate to request accommodations for are depression, anxiety, bipolar, psychosis, ADHD, etc. When we hear "disability" we still automatically assume physical disabilities only. Remind your student that mental health needs are just as imperative as physical ones when it comes to self-care and accommodations!
If you are thinking you'll be supportive of your young adult in however they choose to tackle college, make sure to voice your opinion about them registering their disability. Although students treat this like it's optional, when it comes to ensuring the likelihood of succeeding in college, registration of a disability is desirable and is required. Help your young adult get the help they need, long before they become desperate for it.

Joanna Lilley, MA, NCC is a Therapeutic Consultant, Behavioral Healthcare Navigator, and Young Adult Advocate, specializing in working with struggling young adults and their families nationally and internationally. See her site at: www.lilley-consulting.com, contact her by phone at: (970) 218-9958, or email at: joanna@lilley-consulting.com.

Disclaimer: Internet Special Education Resources (ISER) provides this information in an effort to help parents find local special education professionals and resources. ISER does not recommend or endorse any particular special education referral source, special educational methodological bias, type of special education professional, or specific special education professional.