This review of literature focuses on health issues for individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ID), Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), and Multiple Impairments (MI). This population has two to three times higher overweight and obesity prevalence than typically developing individuals. Furthermore, they have higher risk for…

A national sample (N=215) of community and residential facilities were surveyed regarding existing vocational programs for severely and profoundly mentally retarded persons. Among findings was that only 4% (N=9) of the facilities offered vocational programs for the severely and profoundly retarded. The survey indicated that community and state…

A review of research on the role of social competence in the community adjustment of developmentally disabled persons indicates that facilitation of such adjustment should focus on remediation of maladaptive behavior, instruction in social skills and behavioral competencies, assessment before placement in the community, and continued on-site…

The United Kingdom literature on effects of deinstitutionalization of adults with developmental disabilities from 1980 to 1994 was reviewed. Analysis generally associated smaller, community-based residential services with improvements in user engagement, adaptive behaviors and challenging behaviors, community acceptance and integration,…

Discussed are current practices and promising approaches in the development of community-based living arrangements for children and adults with psychiatric or developmental disabilities. Problems with current systems include a lack of safe, affordable housing; lack of consumer choice; inflexibility; lack of a coherent, clear ideology; failure to…

This article outlines problems associated with large mental hospitals, describes how knowledge gained from these problems can be used to create alternative treatment programs, and introduces the papers in this special issue on community-based treatment programs for individuals with developmental disabilities. (JDD)

Data on the status of residential services for developmentally disabled persons are presented, and major concepts guiding changes in such services are identified. The role of natural (least restrictive) environments in helping disabled individuals to develop both social and personal living skills is highlighted. (CB)

This paper considers implications of the findings of the Texas Performance Review concerning mental retardation services, in light of decreasing numbers of students at state schools and budgetary restraints on major investments in both institutional operations and community service programs. The paper concludes that Texas should consider closing…

The monograph reviews literature on issues related to deinstitutionalization and residential services for the developmentally disabled. Six main topics are addressed in the review (sample subtopics in parentheses): planning for deinstitutionalization (use of institutional facilities no longer in operation, training and job placement of displaced…