Trends in maladaptive behavior of mentally retarded persons placed in community and institutional settings.

Changes in maladaptive behavior of retarded individuals referred and placed in institutional vs. community settings were examined. The results demonstrated that no significant time trend was present for either the institutional or community groups, regardless of clients' age and level of retardation. Placement, level of retardation, and age, however, were related to overall prevalence of maladaptive behavior among the individuals.