Evaluating Program Placement in an Institution for the Mentally Retarded: a Multivariate Approach

Abstract

Examined is a multivariate method for evaluating the appropriateness of program placement in an institution for the mentally retarded. Six criterion groups were formed from among those residents attending educational programs in a developmental program sequence; then the groups were subjected to discriminant analysis. Dependent measures consisted of metrics derived from the AAMD Adaptive Behavior Scale and the Stanford Binet Intelligence Scale and included chronological age. The central question of the study was whether the six groups could be separated from one another and, if so, to determine those resident attributes accounting for such differentiation. The major findings were that the measures employed did significantly differentiate among the groups, and that adaptive behavior attributes relevant to programming goals accounted for most group differences. The implications of these findings for the evaluation of the placement aspect of programming are discussed.

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