For courses dealing with the Characteristics of Mental Retardation. As the market-leading text, this sixth edition continues the tradition of providing educators with timely information about the many facets of mental retardation from a life-cycle perspective. The introductory text, divided into four parts, concentrates on the basic concepts about mental retardation, the characteristics of individuals who have different levels of retardation, programming and issues across the lifespan of individuals who are retarded, and addresses ongoing family concerns, individual rights, legal issues, institutions and community living, and current and emerging issues.