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The PAS-ADD assessments and their continuing conceptual development
- Author:
- MOSS Steve
- Journal article citation:
- Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities, 6(1), 2012, pp.5-16.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
The PAS-ADD assessments (Psychiatric Assessment Schedules for Adults with Developmental Disabilities) have been in continuous development since the mid-1980s. Although originally developed through work on the health status of older people with intellectual disability they now encompass children as well as adults. The author discusses the theoretical and practical issues that have shaped the development of the assessments. The fundamental aim of the modern PAS-ADD system is to improve case detection and assessment by supporting and enhancing the skills of clinical staff, rather than attempting to replace the need for those skills. The assessor makes the final judgement about diagnosis. The PAS-ADD assessments are based on existing psychiatric classification and diagnostic rules for the general population and are conceptually different from instruments derived from psychometric principles. It is suggested that these factors have major implications, both for instrument design and for the evaluation of effectiveness.