The Gatlinburg Conference on Research and Theory in Mental Retardation in Developmental Disabilities was established in the 1960's as a forum for the exchange of scientific findings and as a mechanism to promote scientific networking. The overall aims of the conference are to promote exchange of information regarding the latest findings in behavioral & biobehavioral research on the causes, prevention and interventions for mental retardation and related developmental disabilities; to further our understanding of the manifestations of those disabilities; to better characterize the contexts in which people with disabilities and their families live; to promote collaboration among behavioral scientists; and to provide a major training resource for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and other junior scientists entering the field of mental retardation research.