Family, community residence, and institutional placements of a sample of mentally retarded children.

The current residential placement of mentally retarded children living in an institution during the late 1970s was described, and the differences between children still in an institution, in a community setting, or with their natural families were analyzed. Results indicated that the majority of sampled children remained in institutional settings, and of those released, very few were placed in their natural home. Significant differences among the children in various settings were reported, and predictors of community vs. institutional placements were presented.