Impact of community-based instruction on the development of adaptive behavior of secondary-level students with mental retardation.

The impact of community-based instruction on the development of adaptive behavior in 34 high school students with moderate to profound mental retardation was examined. Results were: (a) Students made statistically significant gains in three of four domains of the Scales of Independent Behavior; (b) student IQ, level of student ambulation, and presence of behavior problems were not significant predictors of the amount of community-based instruction students received; and (c) the amount of community-based instruction was a more powerful predictor of gains in these domains than were IQ, level of student ambulation, and the presence of behavior problems. Results were discussed in terms of implications for the design and implementation of secondary programs for students with mental retardation.