Assessing Adults with Intellectual Disabilities

The continuing drive towards care in the community has made effective assessment of the needs of people with intellectual disabilities more critical than ever. This handbook enables professionals working with adults with intellectual disabilities to establish the needs of individuals through systematic assessment and to employ such assessments to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the service they provide.

The volume is divided into two main parts. The first consists of conceptual chapters addressing issues on the function of assessment in various behavioral domains. The second part describes selected assessment instruments and strategies that are commercially available or are published in an accessible form. Each of these is considered with respect to function, construction, availability and utility.

The expert contributors to this volume cover the full spectrum of need, including adults with intellectual disabilities and additional mental health difficulties, behavioral problems, also considering those with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities, and those suspected of developing dementia. The assessment of quality of life is given special consideration, as is assessment for employment.