Prevention as a form of support: implications for the new definition.

The new ideas about the etiology of mental retardation described in the 1992 AAMR definition (Luckasson et al., 1992) provide the opportunity to rethink ideas about prevention. The opportunity also exists to correct the conspicuous absence of prevention considerations from Step 3 (Profile and Intensities of Needed Supports) in the AAMR three-step process. In this paper the changing concepts of what mental retardation is, what causes it, and how it can be prevented were explored. Etiology and prevention were related to the emerging support paradigm to demonstrate how prevention activities can be developed as a form of individual support. A format was suggested to improve the designation of the etiology in Step 2 (Classification and Description) and to relate etiology to strategies for prevention and support in Step 3.