Background: It is mandatory for staff in Swedish community services for people with intellectual disabilities to report incidents of error or malpractice. Aim The aim is to study if incident reports contribute to developing quality in services for people with intellectual disabilities who present with challenging behaviours. Method: 159 reports on…

Objective: Youth who receive services in residential programs have high rates of traumatic exposure and associated symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Little information is available on specific social skills training that could be beneficial for youth in residential programs with PTSD. This study examined changes in behavioral…

During the past twenty years, an important body of research has examined the different impacts of deinstitutionalisation on the adaptation and quality of life of persons with intellectual disabilities. This empirical study was conducted with 136 persons with intellectual disabilities following the closure of the Hopital Saint-Julien (Quebec,…

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…

A treatment package consisting of differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO), token fines, and prompted relaxation was used to reduce the agitated-disruptive behavior of a young adult with autism and mental retardation living in a community group home. DRO procedures were partially implemented by a peer with Down syndrome. Baseline rates…

Guidelines are presented for individualizing daily schedules or routines to reflect better the preferred lifestyles of persons with severe handicaps. Four dimensions that can be systematically manipulated to address challenging behavior are presented, including timing of routines, form of the activities, pattern of succession of activities, and…

The current study explores discharge destinations, length of stay, and reasons for return to residential treatment for youth transferred from a residential treatment center (RTC) to a group home. Four entry cohorts (60 boys) were followed from admission through discharge. Results demonstrated that over half of the young persons went to a lower…

A program to increase staff effectiveness in implementing a group home behavior management program for residents with developmental disabilities was evaluated. The program emphasized systematic self-recording and supervisor feedback, and resulted in increased staff consistency in all four areas evaluated (such as implementing response costs for…

The knowledge base that underpins child and youth care work is re-examined through the device of musical metaphor, introducing six voices that impact on responsive practices with children, young people, and their families. The "Soul" of child and youth care is located in guarantees of physical safety and security and attending to bodily comforts,…

This paper discusses the interagency collaboration between a clinical assessment and intervention program for toddlers offered through the psychiatry department of a large metropolitan west coast medical center and a group home for infants and young children who are positive for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The paper presents the case…

This two-volume compilation of 21 papers discusses issues stemming from the Welsch versus Likins suit (1974). The suit led to the 1980 Welsch-Noot consent decree requiring the State of Minnesota to reduce the overall population of mentally retarded persons residing in state institutions by nearly one-third over 6 years. The 11 papers in Volume I…

The provision of a coherent "parenting," "teaching," and "developmental" program is a complex undertaking. It has all the makings of an organizational, managerial, and therapeutic nightmare when different types of workers, with marked differences in personality and values, become responsible for different children with a variety of problems in a…