Seventy mildly to severely mentally retarded adults living in group homes and apartments throughout Pennsylvania were evaluated with an instrument to assess adaptive behavior (Assessment of Basic Competence Scale) on two occasions separated by a 6-month interval. Prior to the initial assessment, direct-service staff participated in a 4-day workshop concerning behavior change strategies. During the next 6 months, staff were offered follow-through consultation regarding implementation of the strategies. Results indicated the following findings: multivariate and univariate differences between residents of group homes and residents of apartments with the latter group showing higher scores on two variables (food preparation and sexual awareness); multivariate and univariate differences between initial and followup adaptive behavior assessments with gains occurring on 27 variables for residents of group homes and apartments; and no differential magnitude of change in adaptive behavior of residents living in group homes compared to apartments. (Author/CL)