The Psychometric Properties of Emotional Development Assessment tools in Intellectual Disabilities: A Systematic Review.
Bethany Leal, Mark Hudson
PMID 40795947WHAT IT FOUND
Two tools, the SAED and SED-S, are the only reliable ways to assess emotional development in people with intellectual disabilities.
The SAED offers the most detailed picture, while the SED-S is quicker for routine use.
Key findings
01The Scale of Emotional Development – Short (SED-S) and the Scheme for Appraisal of Emotional Development (SAED) are identified as the most psychometrically sound tools for assessing emotional development in this population.
02The SAED is considered the most robust measure for in-depth evaluation, whereas the SED-S is recommended for routine practice because it is more time-efficient.
03The Frankish Assessment of the Impact of Trauma (FAIT) cannot be recommended for assessing emotional development due to very low methodological quality and insufficient reliability evidence.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The review included only 16 studies, and most were conducted in Europe, limiting cross-cultural applicability in English-speaking countries. There is a potential confirmation bias because many of the included studies were conducted by the same group of authors (the NEED group) who developed the tools. Data extraction and analysis were conducted by only one reviewer, which could introduce reviewer bias. The quality of evidence varied significantly across tools, with some tools having only one study and others having mixed methodological quality ratings.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that all emotional development tools are equally valid or that the Frankish model is a viable option. The review explicitly states the Frankish model is not reliable or valid due to insufficient evidence, and the Brief SED-S has low-quality evidence. Stick to the SAED or SED-S for clinical use.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →