Individual Comparison Standards

Synonyms

Intra-individual comparisons

Definition

The concept of individual comparison standards refers to the assessment of change over time of a function or trait that is normally distributed in the population.

Current Knowledge

Individual comparison standards are otherwise described as intraindividual comparisons that are assessed at different points in time. Developmentally, individual comparison standards designate different developmental achievements, such as successive approximations of successful milestone attainment. In terms of decline in abilities, these standards may demonstrate increasing deficits over time, such as memory loss as seen in Alzheimer’s Dementia. Clinicians can benefit from using an individual’s rate of change as a prediction tool, such as by establishing a rate of improvement following a traumatic brain injury to predict a time period after which the patient may be able to resume work.