Background: Given the current sociopolitical climate, people with intellectual disabilities are spending more time at home. Much housing-related research focuses on informant-completed measures and quantifiable outcomes. By contrast, this article explores the perspectives of adults with intellectual disabilities concerning what they liked or…

Background: Individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) are facing unprecedented challenges due to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. Congregate living, and conditions associated with NDD place increased challenges during infectious disease outbreaks and there is a need to understand evidence-based…

Background: People with severe challenging behaviour are vulnerable to exclusion from local services and removal to out-of-area placements if locally available supported accommodation is insufficient to meet their needs. There are concerns about the high costs and potentially poorer outcomes of out-of-area placements but relatively little is known…

Background: Individuals with severe disability exiting school are likely to be enrolled in day activity and sheltered workshops at least as often as in supported employment. Such facilities are often staffed by paraprofessionals who may not have the skills to engage clients in meaningful activities. This article describes a 3-phase staff training…

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 study examined the involvement of families with children and adult family members (n=163) with mental retardation in residential treatment and programs. Multiple regression found three variables that accounted for most of the variance in involvement: (1) distance from the residential facility; (2) expectation that the family member would…

The document reports results of a needs assessment of the incidence and prevalence of developmental disabilities in New Mexico, in conjunction with estimates of the probable demand for residential services. An introductory section outlines the scope of the study and distinguishes among three types of demand for services: potential demand,…

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…

The effects of resident behavior and resident characteristics on the quantity and quality of care 452 residents with severe mental retardation received from 416 direct-care staff was examined. Results found certain resident characteristics, and behavior did influence specific aspects of the care they received, especially ambulance, communication,…

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…

Residential specialists (N=759) in public and private facilities for mentally retarded adults were surveyed to identify the skills that they consider essential for mentally retarded adults to function in different residential settings (unsupervised apartment, supervised apartment, and group home). Significant differences were found among settings…

This report presents annual basic descriptive and longitudinal population statistics on people with mental retardation and related conditions in state-operated residential facilities in the United States. Part I presents data on numbers of persons with mental retardation and related conditions, including first admissions, readmissions, releases,…