Assessment of cognition in people with intellectual disabilities
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Assessment of cognition in people with intellectual disabilities using a novel set of neuropsychological tests
IRAS ID
295654
Contact name
Matthew Jones-Chesters
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of East London
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 2 months, 3 days
Research summary
People with an intellectual disability (learning disability) are living longer, partly due to better healthcare; but as people get older they are more likely to develop dementia (problems in mental abilities, thinking and action). There are many different types of dementia, each affecting some mental abilities more than others. Also, dementia may look different in people with intellectual disability, as they already have differences in mental abilities, compared to typically-developed people. It is important to check for problems that might be dementia, so that proper help, care, and support can be given to the person and their family. The tests we now have available to check for dementia in people with intellectual disabilities have problems. Most do not check all areas of thinking and behaviour, and especially miss out the 'executive' abilities (planning, organising, and control of thinking and action). Most need the person taking the test to have good language abilities. In this research, we are trying out new tests of mental abilities, that are specially designed for people with learning disabilities. The tests are quick but thorough, and look at a wide range of mental abilities, with the aim of finding where problems in thinking and action are emerging. In this study, we will try out the new tests with people who have Down Syndrome. We will collect scores on the new tests, to make sure that they can find problems; and we will ask people with Down syndrome how they find the tests, and how they might be improved.
REC name
Wales REC 3
REC reference
22/WA/0238
Date of REC Opinion
4 Aug 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion