Type of Document	Dissertation
Author	Bielecki, JoAnne
URN	etd-11092004-135151
Title	The Diagnosis of Dementia in Persons with Mental Retardation: Validating Methods of Assessment
Degree	Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Department	Psychology
Advisory Committee	Advisor Name Title Johnny L. Matson Committee Chair Amy Copeland Committee Member Katie Cherry Committee Member William Drew Gouvier Committee Member Priscilla Allen Dean's Representative
Keywords	alzheimer's disease assessment aging dementia mental retardation
Date of Defense	2004-10-22
Availability	unrestricted
Abstract The usual assessment instruments for the diagnosis of dementia are often difficult to use among individuals with mental retardation. This study investigates whether a modified method based on Visser et al. (1997) can identify a dementing process. Ninety individuals diagnosed with severe and profound mental retardation were studied. One half of the participants were diagnosed with Down's syndrome. The participants were equally assigned to one of three groups based on perceived risk of dementia. A differential prevalence design was used. Both cross sectional and longitudinal analyses were utilized in this study. Results indicate that the Visser et al. (1997) method is effective in identifying dementia. Differences between syndrome and risk of dementia groups will be discussed.
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