Beliefs about social integration from the perspectives of persons with mental retardation, job coaches, and employers.

Beliefs of multiple stakeholders who were all part of the same "transition community" (including persons with mental retardation, job coaches, and employers) about social integration outcomes and interventions in employment settings were examined. Data were collected through interviews and questionnaires that were designed based on a previously affirmed conceptual framework of social integration. Although results showed that stakeholders agreed on some outcomes and interventions they disagreed on others. These disagreements could be cause for concern because contrasting belief systems among stakeholders supposedly working toward the same goal might interfere with successful social integration in work settings for persons with mental retardation.

Analysis of directions, responses, and consequences involving persons with mental retardation in employment and vocational training settings.

Parameters of direction-relevant stimuli (i.e., directness, complexity), types of responses, and consequences occurring in competitive worksites were compared with those in community vocational training sites. Direction sequences initiated by co-workers to 8 individuals with mental retardation were compared to those initiated by school personnel to 8 special education students in community-based vocational training. Results indicated that the majority of directions in either setting were direct/noncomplex; however, more indirect commands occurred in the employment setting. The types of responses to directions were proportionately similar in both groups. Only rarely were consequences contingent upon responses or lack thereof, particularly in the employment setting.

Assessing the loneliness of workers with mental retardation.

This study was designed to determine whether a reliable instrument could be developed to measure the loneliness experienced by workers with mental retardation. In addition, supervisors were asked to rate subjects on loneliness and four other behavioral subtypes in order to determine whether there was a relation between these ratings and the loneliness questionnaire. Three groups of subjects were assessed: persons with mild, moderate, and severe mental retardation. Results indicated that the Worker Loneliness Questionnaire was a reliable instrument for use with persons with mild and moderate mental retardation. In addition, the results showed that some individuals were lonely; however, this was not a pervasive feeling. The implications for measuring the self-perceptions of individuals with mental retardation were discussed.

Toward defining and measuring social skills in employment settings.

Although it is clear that appropriate social skills are related to job success, little agreement has been reached on how to define and measure social skills. In this article a definition of social skills was proposed that will begin to identify the components that need to be considered when teaching social skills to individuals with mental retardation in employment settings. In addition, three measurement approaches were discussed that further operationalize these components. Current social skills training research in employment settings was reviewed and discussed with respect to the measurement approaches proposed in this article.

Social ecology of the workplace: contextual variables affecting social interactions of employees with and without mental retardation.

The social interaction patterns of employees with and without mental retardation across several different competitive employment sites were observed directly; narrative recording procedures were used. The data were analyzed to determine whether there were differences between the two groups of employees and the people involved in the interactions and the time period of the interaction and whether the interaction involved a social or task-related topic. The results were discussed in relation to their implications for integrating workers with mental retardation into settings with nonhandicapped workers.

Maladaptive behaviors associated with neuroleptic drug maintenance.

In this study we examined whether the decision to maintain mentally retarded persons on neuroleptic drugs was associated with specific maladaptive behaviors. A drug-withdrawal group, a drug-reinstatement group, and a drug-control group were used. A two-way repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance design indicated that mentally retarded persons were more likely to be maintained on drugs because of events that were perceived as significant and recorded by institutional staff in clinical notes than because of the reasons for which the drugs were prescribed initially. In particular, staff members' perceptions of disturbing behavior, self-stimulation, and physical aggression were likely to influence their decision to maintain mentally retarded persons on neuroleptics.

Social ecology of the workplace: employers' perceptions versus direct observation.

In this study, the social interactions of nonhandicapped employees in seven different competitive employment sites were observed directly using narrative recording procedures. The data were analyzed to determine if there was a correspondence between employers' expectations for social behaviors and those social behaviors directly observed. The results are discussed in relationship to the curriculum implications they have for transitioning youths and adults with handicaps into similar employment settings.

Comparison between nonhandicapped and mentally retarded workers: why they lose their jobs.

Reasons why 133 competitively employed nonhandicapped and 8 mentally retarded food service workers lost their jobs were examined. Reasons for termination were analyzed in terms of the social and production categories provided by Greenspan's (1981) social competence model. The majority of mentally retarded workers lost their jobs for productivity reasons, with some associated secondary social problems. The nonhandicapped workers lost their jobs for both social and production problems. When more than one reason was provided for termination, the impact of social problems increased. Results are discussed in terms of previous studies and in relation to their possible impact upon employment training and placement issues with mentally retarded workers.

The Lifestyle Satisfaction Scale (LSS): assessing individuals' satisfaction with residence, community setting, and associated services.

Satisfaction of mentally retarded persons with their quality of life is an important outcome measure of deinstitutionalization. The Lifestyle Satisfaction Scale (LSS) was developed to assess mentally retarded persons' satisfaction with their residence and its community setting and associated services. An acquiescence subscale makes it possible to correct satisfaction scores for acquiescence bias. Empirical data indicate that this experimental version of the LSS has internally consistent subscales and good test-retest and interrater reliabilities.