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

In an attempt to develop a protocol for evaluating mentally retarded clients from a neurobehavioral perspective, a strategy for screening complex verbal, simple verbal, simple visual, and spatial working memory was developed. This strategy results in numeric values on each of the aspects of memory, and it can contribute to a "global index" of memory function. The strategy is described so that it might be adopted by other practitioners interested in screening their client's ability to store and retrieve newly acquired information. Descriptive data for 125 persons carrying diagnoses of mild, moderate, and severe mental retardation are presented. The procedure was found to discriminate well between the various levels of mental retardation, correlate reasonably well with IQ, and possess relatively good test-retest reliability.