Wf. Mcdaniel et T. Mclaughlin, Further support for using the Dementia Rating Scale in the assessment of neuro-cognitive functions of individuals with mental retardation, CLIN NEURPS, 14(1), 2000, pp. 72-75
The utility of the Dementia Rating Scale (DRS) when administered to individ
uals with mental retardation (MR) was examined. Our sample was comprised of
individuals residing in an intermediate care facility in the southeastern
United States, included individuals diagnosed with mild, moderate, or sever
e MR, and consisted of both Caucasians (50%) and individuals of African-Ame
rican descent (50%). Descriptive statistics for the DRS Total Score and fiv
e subtests (e.g., Attention, Initiation/Perseveration, Construction, Concep
tualization, and Memory) obtained from our sample of individuals with mild
MR compared favorably with previously published values. The group with mild
MR performed significantly better than the group with moderate MR on the T
otal Score and all subtests except Construction, and the group with moderat
e MR performed significantly better than individuals with severe MR on all
measures. These results show that the DRS can provide information about the
cognitive strengths and weaknesses of individuals with mental retardation,
and they show that the DRS can be administered to a wide range of individu
als diagnosed with MR.