Abstract
The aim of this chapter is to consider the potential benefits (and problems) of using structured assessments in clinical practice and to give some guidance on how to choose them. While there are various dimensions to mental health assessment, the main focus is on psychiatric instruments because their use in people with intellectual disability presents particular challenges. A selection of assessments is compared and contrasted in relation to a number of fundamental dimensions. Choosing appropriate assessments requires a consideration, not just of their psychometric properties but also how they fit with existing staff skills and models of assessment. Guidance is given, both on enhancing the quality of individual assessments and on their strategic use for improving the overall efficiency of assessment within a service.
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Moss, S., Hurley, A.D. (2014). Integrating Assessment Instruments within the Diagnostic Process. In: Tsakanikos, E., McCarthy, J. (eds) Handbook of Psychopathology in Intellectual Disability. Autism and Child Psychopathology Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8250-5_4
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