Medicaid billing information was used to examine the administration of psychotropic medication to residents of community long-term care facilities providing mental retardation services. Results indicated 28.9 percent of such residents in Illinois received at least one psychotropic medication with little or no influence of demographic and facility…

Psychotropic drug-prescribing patterns for 474 adults with mental retardation residing at an intermediate-care facility were examined for a 10-year period. Results indicated a progressive, marked decrease in total psychotropic drug usage and changes in the type of drugs prescribed with overall decline in drug usage. (Author/DB)

The study examined factors influencing the decision of 103 families concerning placement of their severely retarded child. Among findings were that child-related stressors were negatively related to parents' plans for keeping the child at home, and that families with high levels of internal resources were more apt to plan to keep the child at…

Staff members (N=72) of 12 community residential facilities for the retarded rated the acceptability of four behavior modification procedures. Treatments were rated according to their restrictiveness with differential reinforcement of other behavior the most acceptable, followed by time-out, overcorrection, and shock. (Author/DB)

Effects of two interventions on quality of residential care for 39 severely/ profoundly mentally retarded individuals in four living groups were assessed. Although assigning an extra staff member to living groups did not change staff activity distribution, assigning extra tasks to the extra staff member resulted in more time spent on training…

A survey of 809 persons with mental retardation residing in community settings in North Dakota found that 37 percent were using psychoactive medications. Excluding anticonvulsant medications, only 18 percent were receiving psychoactive medications. A total of 37 percent of the individuals receiving medications other than anticonvulsants did not…

An investigation of smoking polices and smoking practices of residents and employees in 106 Massachusetts state-supported residential programs found that state-operated programs prohibited employees from smoking in residences and restricted residents who smoked to designated areas. One-third of vendor-operated agencies allowed residents and staff…

A study investigated the use of different interventions for 151 individuals with mental retardation in residential care: Individualized Habilitation Plan objectives concerning challenging behavior, one-to-one crisis intervention in the preceding 30 days, and behavior management professional services in the preceding 6 months. Externalized…

A study of 41 adults with mental retardation (11 with Prader-Willi syndrome and 30 with mental retardation due to other causes--13 overweight and 17 with normal weight) sought to determine differences in food preferences. While controls selected sweet food over larger quantities of unpreferred food, individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome selected…

A study compared the cost of caring for 50 institutionalized persons with developmental disabilities and epilepsy with 50 individuals with developmental disabilities. Costs attributable to epilepsy were found to be approximately $825.00 and $918.00 per person over a six-month period. Personnel, drugs, hospitalization, and laboratories/procures…

Medical records of residents of a facility for persons with mental retardation from January 1, 1978, through December 31, 1997, were analyzed to identify incidence of sudden unexpected death for 180 individuals with and 125 without comorbid epilepsy. Eighty deaths were identified, with 55 occurring in those with epilepsy. (Contains 15 references.)…

Analysis of statewide (Oklahoma) survey data revealed that 22.5% of individuals with mental retardation who were served by the Oklahoma mental retardation system were receiving antipsychotic medication. Higher levels of medication use were found in institutional settings and Intermediate Care Facility settings. (Author/DB)

Thirty adults who had no experience with mental retardation rated slides of residential settings as to their "home-likeness." Of 26 features of living rooms studied, furniture position, lighting type, and lighting flexibility were highly correlated with home-likeness, whereas building code-specific features and seating type were minimally related…

A sample of 5,607 severely/profoundly mentally retarded children under 18 years was studied to determine predictor variables in out-of-home placements. Examined were child age, maladaptive/adaptive behavior, and presence of multiple handicaps. Results suggest that variables other than child characteristics should be included in analyses of…

All 1,101 clients with mental retardation residing in about 120 group homes of a residential service agency were surveyed on one date for usage of psychotropic medication. Findings indicated 27 percent had received one or more psychotropic drugs for behavioral or emotional disorders. Diagnoses such as psychosis and mood disorder and certain target…