The social interaction patterns of 23 adults with severe disabilities, residents of community-based programs, were analyzed across a 30-month time period. Analysis focused on number of different companions, rate of social interactions, durability of social relationships, and number of new companions met during the last year of the study.…

This study of three high school students with severe disabilities in regular education classes found that regular class participation was an important source for meeting peers without disabilities who subsequently became members of students' social networks. Perceived quality of social contacts was not dependent on initial contact being made…

This article reports on interrelated measures of lifestyle quality for 20 severely mentally retarded adults in community settings. Size of the social networks and the number of family members were associated with frequency and variety of activities across home and community settings. Activity patterns were unrelated to number of members paid to…