Bridging primary and secondary care for people with learning disabilities

Abstract

Definitions for learning disability vary depending on the context in which they are used (Box 1), as does the terminology (Box 2). In the UK, the term ‘learning disability’ was adopted in 1991 by the Department of Health. The term ‘mental retardation’ is used in the ICD-10 (World Health Organization, 1992). Fryers (1991) has commented on the need for different definitions in order to distinguish the context in which the term is used.