CRI-ID

Cognitive Reserve Index – Intellectual Disability Questionnaire

Project description: People with intellectual disabilities are at increased risk of developing dementia over the course of their lives. At the same time, little is currently known about which lifestyle factors may help to build up what is known as ‘cognitive reserve’ and thereby delay the onset or the effects of dementia. These potentially protective factors include, for example, education, cognitively stimulating leisure activities, regular physical activity, social participation and a cognitively stimulating and challenging job.

As part of the CRI-ID (Cognitive Reserve Index – Intellectual Disability Questionnaire) project, the Inclusive Education Research Group at the University of Graz developed and scientifically piloted, for the first time, a questionnaire specifically designed for people with intellectual disabilities to assess cognitive reserve. The instrument is based on the established Cognitive Reserve Index Questionnaire (CRIq), but has been adapted to the lived experiences of people with intellectual disabilities and takes into account their specific educational, work, leisure and everyday experiences.

The aim of the project is to identify protective factors against cognitive decline and dementia, and to gain a better understanding of which experiences and activities promote cognitive reserve in people with intellectual disabilities. The project’s findings also form an important basis for further research and development projects in the field of dementia and intellectual disability. In the long term, the insights gained are intended to help support healthy ageing and thereby improve the quality of life for people with intellectual disabilities. 

If you have any questions about the questionnaire or the project, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Researchers: Prof. Barbara Gasteiger-Klicpera, Dr Annalisa La Face, PhD 

Duration:
3 years

Further information on cognitive reserve in people with intellectual disabilities, as well as on the scientific basis of the CRI-ID, can be found in our publications:

Pucci, V., La Face, A., Gasteiger‐Klicpera, B., & Mondini, S. (2024). Cognitive reserve proxies for individuals with intellectual developmental disability: A scoping review. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 37(2), e13204. https://doi.org/10.1111/jar.13204