Does the National Adult Reading Test hold in dementia?

Abstract

Thirty elderly subjects with a clinical diagnosis of dementia were assessed using a neuropsychological test battery and were retested one year later. No significant deterioration in performance on the National Adult Reading Test (NART) was observed. A significant deterioration was noted in performance on the Mill Hill Vocabulary Scale synonym section (MHVS). Expected significant decrements in Clifton Assessment Procedures for the Elderly (CAPE) Information/Orientation and Physical disability scales were observed. The data provide supportive evidence for the view that performance on the NART remains relatively unaffected by the dementing process.

Development of the Korean Adult Reading Test (KART) to estimate premorbid intelligence in dementia patients

“…First, similar to the previous studies with NART [7, 10, 27], our data showed that the KART was relatively poor in predicting performance IQ. Thus, users must be cautious when using the KART to estimate premorbid performance IQ.…”

“…Main rationale for such tests is that reading ability is shown to be resistant to mental deterioration due to organic causes [6]. Previous studies have demonstrated that performance on a word reading test is resistant to deterioration in patients with mild to moderate dementia of different etiologies and that its scores are stable after one year of progressive declines in other cognitive functions [7–10]. …”

Estimation of verbal intelligence in an elderly community: A prediction analysis using a shortened NART

“…Correlations of consistently more than 0.9 have been shown between different raters (O'Carroll, 1987).…”

Regression equations for predicting scores of persons over 65 on the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, the mini‐mental state examination, the trail making test and semantic fluency measures

“…One well‐established example of the application of hold tests in this context is the use of the National Adult Reading Test (NART) to predict premorbid IQ scores (e.g. Crawford et al , 1998; Crawford, Parker, & Besson, 1988; O'Carroll, Blaikie, & Whittick, 1987). For older persons, NART scores can be superior to years of formal education as a means of incorporating educational attainment into regression equations, since time at school for past generations often reflected opportunity rather than ability.…”