The impact of deinstitutionalization on the adaptive behavior of adults with mental retardation: A meta-analysis

The purpose of this meta-analysis was to examine the findings regarding adaptive behavior gains of deinstitutionalized adults with mental retardation when placed in community-based programs. Eleven studies were located and coded for six variables: subject level of intellectual functioning, sample size, follow-up interval, design, instruments used, and outcome variables reported. Effect sizes of reported findings were calculated to determine whether practically significant gains in adaptive behavior were evident, and whether effects could be related to methodology, type of outcome variable, or intellectual functioning. The most pronounced effects were in the self-care domain. Effects involving other adaptive behavior domains (communication, academic skills, social skills, community living, and physical development) were modest. Methodological variance between studies (e.g., sample size) did not contribute to different study effects. Studies involving persons in the severe/ profound range of intellectual functioning exhibited larger gains than those employing subjects from all levels of intellectual functioning. The authors point to the need for more programming in areas other than self-care.

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