The words used to describe what we now call learning disability have changed over the years. But what do those to whom the term is ascribed understand by ‘learning disability’? Rachel Thomson and Karen McKenzie investigate

Changes in service provision for people with a learning disability over the years have been accompanied by changes in terminology. Terms such as ‘idiot’, ‘imbecile’ and ‘subnormal’ were used in the past to refer to what we now call a learning disability. Traditional classifications have served to emphasise a deviance from the ‘norm’ (Clegg 1993) and no longer fit with the philosophy of care in the community. Most commonly accepted definitions of learning disability relate to the following three criteria: