This study measured the receptive communication skills of 14 adults with significant intellectual disability living in community group homes in Connecticut. Group home staff members rated the 14 participants using a 14‐item rating scale sensitive to the adult living situation. These individuals appeared to have relatively stronger skills for comprehension of single‐step in‐context directions and the ability to recognise that particular tangible objects represented certain daily routines. These individuals were relatively weak in identifying familiar people in photographs and common objects in magazines. Among these participants, persons with profound intellectual disability were rated to have lower receptive communication skills than persons with severe intellectual disability. Clinical implications are discussed for human service providers and education professionals.