Test battery for the diagnosis of dementia in individuals with intellectual disability. Working Group for the Establishment of Criteria for the Diagnosis of Dementia in Individuals with Intellectual Disability.

An international team of doctors and psychologists met to solve a big problem. Adults with intellectual disability were showing memory loss and confusion, but no one agreed on how to test for dementia.

The group wrote a step-by-step test battery. It mixes caregiver interviews, simple memory games, and daily-living checks. The goal was to give every clinic the same playbook.

The paper does not give patient data. It only shares the final agreed battery and tips for using it. Think of it as a new ruler: the tool is ready, but no one has measured anything yet.

Lucock et al. (2019) later counted every behavior-analytic study on this topic. They found only six. Their map shows why the 2000 battery was needed: almost no tools existed.

Cooper et al. (2003) built on the same idea. Their DC-LD system covers all psychiatric diagnoses in adults with ID and hit 96 % agreement with expert doctors. It is the younger, wider cousin of the 2000 dementia-only battery.

Mace et al. (1990) warned that depression can look like dementia in elders with ID. The 2000 battery added mood questions to avoid that trap, turning an old worry into a built-in check.

If you assess adults with ID, you now have a free, standard form to rule in or rule out dementia. Pair it with DC-LD when you need a full psychiatric picture. Start the battery early; repeated runs give you a clear slope of decline or stability you can show to families and physicians.