A review of recent clinical measures that can be used to support psychological therapies with adults with intellectual disabilities

Abstract

Purpose Psychometrically sound measures are essential for clinical practice to provide appropriate therapeutic input. Vlissides et al. (2016) reviewed measures used in psychological therapies with people who have intellectual disabilities (ID). This paper aims to review the evidence for the psychometric properties of recent clinical measures published since/overlooked by Vlissides et al. (2016). Design/methodology/approach A literature search was conducted to identify relevant clinical measures. Experts in the field also were contacted. Twenty papers were identified, relating to five novel clinical measures: psychological therapies outcome scale – intellectual disabilities, clinical outcome in routine evaluation – learning disabilities scale 30, quality of early relatedness rating scale, scale of emotional development – short and the Frankish assessment of the impact of trauma. Findings Evidence was found supporting a proportion of the psychometric properties of each measure, and some measures were found to be useful in directing interventions and informing clinical decisions. None of the measures identified, however, are yet to be fully psychometrically investigated, requiring further research. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to review the evidence of psychometric properties for these five emerging clinical measures and as such contributes an original perspective on their current state and requirements for future development.