Measuring relationship strength in roommates with MR/DD: the development of the Roommate Friendship Scale (RFS).

Wiltz (2003) built a short rating scale for adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Staff answer 20 questions about how well two roommates get along.

The team tested the scale with adults living in group homes. They checked if scores stayed the same when different staff filled it out.

The Roommate Friendship Scale gave steady results. Higher scores matched pairs who shared activities and had fewer arguments.

The scale also passed a basic validity check: it did not simply repeat IQ or behavior scores.

Matlock et al. (2011) and Smith et al. (2014) built a similar tool, the A-SHARP, but for aggression instead of friendship. Both studies used caregiver ratings and showed strong internal consistency, proving the same method works for very different traits.

Rana et al. (2024) followed the same recipe with the AISDD, a scale that tracks family accommodations. Together these papers show a clear trend: brief, staff- or caregiver-report scales can be built quickly and hold up psychometrically for adults with IDD.

Plant et al. (2007) and later Hamama et al. (2021) took a different path with the RADD cognitive screen. They focused on speed (under 25 min) rather than social fit. The RFS therefore extends the toolkit into the social domain, filling a gap the RADD papers leave untouched.

If you place adults in shared living, you now have a one-page scale to predict who will click. Use the RFS during intake, pair high-scoring dyads, and revisit scores after 30 days to catch early clashes before they escalate.