Discusses the growing waiting lists for residential services for persons with developmental disabilities due to the increase of individuals needing services, increased longevity, low service creation in the past, and because services have become more compatible with what people want. Recommendations for reducing waiting lists are provided. (CR)

This symposium overview examines the outcomes of standards established in Intermediate Care Facilities for the Mentally Retarded to receive Medicaid funding. The argument is made that, although regulations have provided cleaner environments and better documented procedures, they lack in provisions promoting personal, moral, and educational…

This parable is presented in the form of news items and excerpts from jury testimonies in three fictional malpractice suits against physicians and adult care workers in group homes. Key issues at stake are the roles of Interdisciplinary Treatment Teams and Intermediate Care Facility for the Mentally Retarded regulations. (PB)

This article discusses results of regulations for Intermediate Care Facilities for the Mentally Retarded, arguing that, by establishing minimum standards for funding, these policies promote mediocrity. Strategies for promoting compliance behaviors are offered, as are observations on regulatory reform and the process of regulatory impact. (PB)

This article presents the argument that overregulation of Medicaid-funded residential treatment environments has placed rules ahead of contingency-based behavior of clients. Blame is focused on coercive enforcement of inaccurate rules, precluding responsive staff action. Solutions are advanced to encourage natural contingencies of teaching and…

This article uses preliminary data from 51 direct-care staff members and approximately 190 residents of a facility for nonambulatory individuals with profound mental retardation, to illustrate the roles of social, ecological, and regulatory contingencies of reinforcement and their potential counterhabilitative effects on residents. Results…

This article reviews regulations governing Intermediate Care Facilities for the Mentally Retarded (ICF/MR), including 1971 ICF/MR Medicaid funding legislation, standards development by professional consensus, development of federal regulations, intergovernmental roles, and possible directions for the future. A need is seen for professionals to…

Fifty-seven direct care staff members from an intermediate care facility for adults with mental retardation rated the acceptability of interventions used for self-injurious behavior and completed a measure of knowledge about behavioral principles. Results indicated that staff age and educational attainment were related to knowledge scores, but…

Analysis of states' utilization of large residential settings for individuals with mental retardation and related conditions found that some states with low use of large public facilities may actually have high use of large nonpublic facilities. A chart showing utilization rates by states for various types (public and nonpublic) of large settings…