Specialized group homes for persons with severe or profound mental retardation and serious problem behaviour in England.
Well-run community group homes lift daily engagement for adults with severe ID and tough behavior without increasing problems.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Mansell (1994) tracked adults with severe or profound intellectual disability and serious problem behavior.
Each person moved from a large hospital to a small, well-staffed group home in the community.
The team watched how much time they spent in meaningful activity and whether major problem behavior rose or fell.
What they found
After the move, most residents joined more purposeful tasks each day.
Major problem behavior stayed flat; it did not spike as staff feared.
In short, better homes boosted engagement without making behavior worse.
How this fits with other research
Mazur et al. (1992) saw no gain when similar adults moved to hospital-based small houses. The key gap: those houses kept old routines and thin staffing.
Michael (1995) added higher staff ratios the next year and still saw safe gains, backing the 1994 result.
Young (2006) followed adults for years and found the same pattern: community houses beat cluster units.
Together the story is clear—small size alone is not enough; homes must also be community-based, active, and well staffed.
Why it matters
You can reassure funders and families that community placement does not spark behavior crises.
Use these data to argue for real homes with real activities, not just smaller institutions.
When you write discharge plans, specify daily schedules and staff ratios, not only bed count.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Thirteen people with severe or profound mental retardation identified by their local service agencies as presenting the most serious problem behaviour were transferred from institutional care to specialized group homes. A multiple time-series design and direct observation were used to evaluate whether there was any change in their level of participation in meaningful activity; social interaction and problem behaviour were also observed. Participation increased significantly on transfer and included a wider range of activities. The majority of participants did not increase their major problem behaviour. The results support the view that individualised community-based placements can replace institutions for this group of clients.
Research in developmental disabilities, 1994 · doi:10.1016/0891-4222(94)90023-x