Advocacy can help service users both to understand their rights and choices and also to support them in resolving issues of great significance to their lives. We investigated some of the costs and outcomes of advocacy provided to parents with learning disabilities at risk of having their children taken into care. Through two workshops and a…

In a matched-groups design, costs and quality of life outcomes for adults with intellectual disabilities with relatively low support needs were compared between those in fully staffed group homes (n = 35) and in semi-independent living (n = 35). Data were collected on participant characteristics, setting organization, various lifestyle outcomes,…

Autism has lifetime consequences, with potentially a range of impacts on the health, wellbeing, social integration and quality of life of individuals and families. Many of those impacts are economic. This study estimated the costs of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in the UK. Data on prevalence, level of intellectual disability and place of…

The costs, nature, and benefits of residential supports were examined for 20 adults with severe disabilities living in newly built residential campuses and 20 adults living in small community-based dispersed housing schemes. Participants living in dispersed housing schemes enjoyed significantly greater quality of care and quality of life.…

Background: There have been major changes in the provision and organization of services for people with intellectual disabilities in England over the last 30 years, particularly deinstitutionalization and the development of the mixed economy of care. The experiences of the people who participated in the Care in the Community Demonstration…

A study of 86 adults with mental retardation living in village communities, 133 in residential campuses, and 281 in dispersed housing schemes found dispersed housing had higher costs and had greater quality of care than did residential campuses. Quality of life benefits were associated with dispersed housing and village communities. (Contains…

A longitudinal matched-groups design was used to examine the quality and costs of community-based residential supports to people with mental retardation and challenging behavior. Two forms of provision were investigated: noncongregate settings, where the minority of residents had challenging behavior, and congregate settings, where the majority…