RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF 3 RATING-SCALES FOR ASSESSING TARDIVE-DYSKINESIA IN INDIVIDUALS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL-DISABILITIES

The incorporation of a standardized assessment and monitoring procedur e for TD into the treatment plans for all individuals prescribed antip sychotic medications has become the standard of care. There are severa l well-known and established rating scales designed specifically for t his purpose. The AIMS and the DISCUS are two of the most commonly used instruments to detect and monitor abnormal movements associated with TD in individuals with developmental disabilities. The CLAMPS is a new ly developed rating scale also designed for use in individuals with de velopmental disabilities to monitor for and assess abnormal movements, including those associated with TD and other disorders. In this study , we investigated the concurrent validity and interrater reliability o f these three scales in a sample of seven adults with mental retardati on and TD. The results indicated that, overall, the dyskinesia subscal es of the CLAMPS showed the greatest level of agreement with the DISCU S subscales. Lower levels of agreement were observed between the CLAMP S and AIMS dyskinesia subscales. The degree of interrater reliability observed for the AIMS and DISCUS subscale scores was consistent with t hat found in previous research and, with the exception of three subsca les, the CLAMPS demonstrated an interrater reliability of a magnitude comparable to the other two. There are some advantages of the CLAMPS a nd further research on this rating scale is warranted.