THE QUALITY AND COSTS OF RESIDENTIAL SERVICES FOR ADULTS WITH MULTIPLE DISABILITIES - A COMPARATIVE-EVALUATION

The costs and quality of four different service models for 40 adults w ith multiple disabilities were compared The four service models were: specialised institution-based units; a specialised, campus-style, furt her education service; specialised community-based group homes; and '' ordinary'' community-based group homes. Some information was also avai lable from five adults with multiple disabilities living in traditiona l institutions for people with mental retardation On almost all measur es of service outcome the specialised group-home model was the ''prefe rred'' service model although this model was not associated with parti cularly high service costs. There was, however considerable variation in quality within, as well as between, service models, with some resid ents in all service models experiencing levels of support and engageme nt similar to those found in traditional institutions The results of t he study are discussed in relation to notions of typical practice and normative standards. The implications of the findings are discussed.