Quality and content of individualized habilitation plan objectives in residential settings

The quality, number and content of residential IHP objectives were evaluated for 155 adult institution and community residents. Quality was assessed against 23 quality indicators drawn from 5 quality domains. Over 90% of objectives were functional and age appropriate. Most satisfied the three classic elements of technical adequacy - behavior observable (83%), conditions specified (90%), and performance criteria (73%). However, few objectives satisfied quality indicators in the teaching methods and data collection domains. Community residents had significantly more IHP objectives than institution dwellers and also had objectives from a wider variety of content areas. More community residents had IHP objectives concerning meal planning, self-care, community participation, money management, and household chores. Community and institution residents did not differ on three quality domains - functionality, teaching methods, and data collection. Institutional IHPs scored higher on technical adequacy, while community IHPs did better on community focus. Content and quantity of objectives appeared to reflect environmental opportunities and constraints. The validity of quality indicators was discussed as well as the need to focus on outcomes rather than on process variables when evaluating IHPs.