Promoting Intensive Socialization of Mildly Retarded Within an Institution.

Eight papers report on the project at Austin State School, funded by a Hospital Improvement (HIP) grant, which used a multidisciplinary team to implement socialization programs for institutionalized mildly retarded persons exhibiting socially inept behavior. Two papers consider social rehabilitation and the task of trying to move residents out into community life. The third paper tells how dormitory attendants can serve as teachers rather than just keepers. The fourth and fifth papers report on a training and education program for a group of emotionally disturbed girls, applying a behavior modification model. A half-way house program for stable working older women residents on the State School grounds is described in the sixth paper. The last two papers deal with outreach services to bring former residents and families back together again as part of a therapeutic and rehabilitative program, and with social work graduate training within the HIP project respectively. A threefold increase in rate of discharges (residents able to successfully make their way in regular society) over a previous similar period of time is cited as evidence of HIP project success. (Author/KW)