ABSTRACT
A developmentally disabled individual is a person having "one of a group of disabilities, which occurs in childhood, and relates directly to abnormal brain structure, maturation, and functioning, and leads to abnormal development of the child". Thus, for adult protective services (APS) workers to intervene on behalf of a developmentally disabled adult in Maryland, that adult must be considered "vulnerable" and must reside in a facility not licensed by the state, such as the adult's own home in the community. Community resources in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, as in other jurisdictions, are vital to the APS case manager in providing self-enhancement and eliminating risk to the developmentally disabled client. The Adult Foster Care Program is vital to the APS case manager who needs to place, often on an emergency basis, a developmentally disabled client who is inappropriate for institutional placement.
