Psychometric Properties of Instruments to Assess Movement Disorders in People With Intellectual Disabilities Using Antipsychotics: A Systematic Literature Review.

BACKGROUND

Assessing movement disorders-side effects of antipsychotics-can be challenging in people with intellectual disabilities. This systematic literature review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the psychometric properties of instruments used to assess movement disorders in people with intellectual disabilities using antipsychotics.

METHODS

A comprehensive search was conducted across multiple databases. Results of psychometric properties for each instrument in the included studies were extracted.

RESULTS

Ten studies were included, evaluating psychometric properties of seven instruments (DISCUS, AIMS, CLAMPS, ARMS, checklist for motor restlessness, MEDS and analogue functional analyses). There was not a singular instrument that consistently demonstrated good feasibility, interrater reliability and validity across studies.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that instruments lack evidence of good psychometric quality for assessing movement disorders in people with intellectual disabilities using antipsychotics. Future research should focus on the evaluation of psychometric properties of existing instruments and develop and validate novel instruments.