ABSTRACT
Most authorities continue to view the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scales (WAIS, WAIS-R) as constituting the core measures in neuropsychological assessment. This chapter deals with measures developed to estimate premorbid ability. The crucially important finding for neuropsychologists is that, broadly speaking, the factor structure has also emerged consistently when the WAIS-R performance of clinical samples has been analysed. The question of the clinical significance of discrepancies between the Verbal and Performance Scales of the Wechsler has generated a voluminous body of research but no consensus has emerged. The realities of clinical work are such that short-forms of the Wechsler will be employed because of heavy caseloads. Short-forms have a valid role in the initial screening of clients and when, because of fatigue or a negative attitude to testing, a client is unlikely to complete successfully the full-length version. The effects of combining the National Adult Reading Test-Revised with demographic variables have not been so encouraging when the WAIS-R has been used.
