A strategy for screening memory functions in individuals with mental retardation.

The authors built a quick four-part memory screen for people with intellectual disability. It checks verbal, visual, immediate, and delayed memory in one short battery.

They gave the battery to participants with different severity levels to see if scores lined up with known IQ ranges. They also re-tested the same people later to check if results stayed stable.

Scores on the four tests cleanly separated mild, moderate, and severe intellectual disability groups. When the same people took the battery again, their scores hardly moved, showing good test-retest reliability.

Pyo et al. (2010) and Neuringer et al. (2007) took the next step. They kept the short-battery idea but swapped in visual-only tasks to spot early dementia in adults with Down syndrome and other IDs.

Wilkinson et al. (1998) looked at the same question in the same year but tried the Short IQCODE instead. That tool showed weak reliability, so the four-domain battery remained the stronger choice for memory screening.

Together the papers form a timeline: start with the broad four-test screen, then refine it for specific risks like dementia or Down syndrome.

If you need a quick map of memory strengths and weaknesses for an adult or child with ID, this battery gives you four scores in one go. Use it during intake to decide which areas need deeper testing or to track small changes over time. Later studies show you can swap in targeted visual tasks if dementia is a concern, but this 1998 set still provides the solid foundation.