The paper reports on changes in the size and type of operation of residential facilities for persons with mental retardation in the United States over a recent decade (1977-1987). It also reports current (June, 1987) variability among states along these same dimensions. The decade saw a decrease of 9.6% in the number of mentally retarded persons…

The readings, related case histories, and exercises are written in conversational style and intended to serve all levels of personnel working in institutions for the mentally retarded. The text presents information on institutional residents, personnel, and operations useful in personnel training and development. Orientation is toward creativity…

The third edition of the Woodbridge State School Cottage Life Department Resident Care Guide is explained to be a developmental status scale devised in 1969 as part of a 5-year study for the purposes of measuring the entire population's self-help training abilities. The department is said to serve 954 residents; 424 are non-ambulatory and 530 are…

The Special Care Program represents a new community placement option for mentally retarded children. In contrast to traditional models of foster care, it involves a comprehensive five-step system designed to maximize effective care delivery. This article describes the method developed for determining fee schedules and reimbursement rates for…

Adapted from a paper presented at the Fourth Congress of the International League of Societies for the Mentally Handicapped (Hebrew University, Jerusalem, October 21, 1968). (RJ)

The study compared the characteristics of individuals residing in either institutional or community settings in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and one regional center in California. The results show that the more severely mentally retarded persons, with their attendant handicaps and maladaptive behavior, are still likely to be found in an…

A 26-item Resident Choice Scale was designed to assess service practices for promoting resident choice. The staff working with 560 UK-Irish adults with intellectual disability were interviewed. Specific examples of practices promoting resident choice were requested and independently rated by the interviewer. The interrater reliability of Resident…

This report discusses a study of the characteristics and needs of children with mental retardation in the Segezha district in the Republic of Carelia in Russia. A training program for professionals and parents of children with mental retardation is also described. As a background for the study, statistical information regarding the populations'…

The manual is designed to acquaint parents and friends of developmentally disabled persons in New York residential treatment facilities with the manner in which a developmental center should be maintained and staffed, the services which should be provided to the residents, and the basic legal rights of the residents. A short summary of rights is…

In an effort to indicate the needs and goals of residential care for the mentally handicapped, the booklet defines residential care and presents a statement of its purpose. Discussed are conditions under which residential care is appropriate, the legal rights of the individual, needed services, regional and community resources, and the living…

This article describes the development of one measurement instrument that used self-characterizations of the mentally retarded adult as indicators of his or her readiness to move into a facility for more independent living. Though the focus of the article is on mentally retarded adults, it is the author's opinion that the approach can be used with…

The degree of participation in decision making by direct care staff aides, and its effect on the quality of care for mentally handicapped persons, was assessed among 125 staff of 3 state institutions averaging 1080 patients. (BB)

Two case reports are presented of institutionalized women who were diagnosed as having Prader-Willi syndrome at the ages of 54 and 69. Implications are discussed for management of such persons and for program planning/funding for a much longer life expectancy than earlier realized. (Author/JDD)