In the absence of a clear definition of learning disabilities, it has become an educational simile with children described as "like a learning disabled child." The learning disabled label has become reflective of a problem related more to social structure than to children. Greater attention should be given to individual needs and less emphasis…

The meaning of the category and concept of mild mental retardation is explored through the words of fictional characters and the accounts of real people who have been injured and stigmatized by the label. Examples of the extremes to which people have gone to avoid or escape the term mental retardation are provided. The classification of mild…

This article uses a short story by Jack London to discuss the classification of individuals with mental retardation and argues that mental retardation and its various definitions are manifestations of the typological thinking that inevitably creates a simplistic and misleading aggregation of people with very diverse needs and characteristics.…

Examines the historical definition and use of the term "mental retardation," and the 1992 revision of the term by the American Association on Mental Retardation that focuses on limitations in functioning rather than as a characteristic of an individual. Educational implications of the new definition are discussed. (CR)

This commentary discusses whether the American Association on Mental Retardation should change its name. It argues that the term "mental retardation" should become an historical artifact of the evolution of our thinking about children and adults with developmental disabilities. The plurality of the term "developmental…