Movement of developmentally disabled individuals among out-of-home residential facilities.
Most adults in residential care stay put for a year, but when they do move, the trend points toward better community integration.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers tracked the adults with developmental disabilities for one year. All lived in out-of-home residential facilities.
They counted who moved, where they went, and why. They looked at age, ability level, and how much independence each person had.
What they found
Only 8.5 percent of people moved during the year. Most stayed put.
When moves did happen, they usually went to smaller, more integrated community homes. People with higher ability, younger age, and more independence were most likely to move toward community settings.
How this fits with other research
Johnson et al. (2009) shows the big picture. Their national census proves the institutional population was already shrinking during this study. The 1989 data captures the early wave of that trend.
Young (2006) and Hassin-Herman et al. (1992) explain why these moves matter. They found adults gain more adaptive skills in small community homes than in larger facilities. The 1989 paper documents the movement toward exactly these better settings.
Friedman (2019) adds a warning. Moving to community settings only helps when the new homes truly offer choice and community connections. Some provider-run group homes recreate institutional limits.
McSweeney et al. (1993) shows the behavioral cost of moving. Problem behaviors can spike right after relocation, even when adaptive skills improve long-term.
Why it matters
When you support adults in residential care, expect most to stay stable for a year. But when placement changes occur, push for small, integrated community homes. Plan extra behavioral support during the first months after any move.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This paper reported on the movement of a large (N = 2271) probability sample of the nation's residents of public (PRF) and community (CRF) residential facilities for developmentally disabled children and adults. Estimates placed the national population at 217,410 in all facilities--73,709 in CRFs and 143,701 in PRFs--in the fall of 1978, when the sample was selected, although extrapolation from subsequent surveys suggest that the CRF numbers should be about 100,000. In the winter of 1979 direct care staff and administrators completed detailed information about each resident sampled, about themselves, and about their facilities. In 1980 they were asked if their residents had moved exactly one year later. Most residents (91%) had not moved; 1.3% had died; and about 8.5% had moved. Most moves featured greater integration into the community. Multivariate analyses indicated very little difference between moved and unmoved residents. Among moved subjects, three dimensions accounted for 62% of the common variance in placement status: (a) ability, (b) age, and (c) autonomy.
Research in developmental disabilities, 1989 · doi:10.1016/0891-4222(89)90018-8