Designed for use in adult education courses for parents of developmentally disabled children, this manual provides basic information about major categories of disabilities and a glossary of commonly encountered terms. After an introductory overview, the manual provides information about the characteristics and etiology of five disabling conditions: (1) mental retardation, including a special section on Down's Syndrome; (2) cerebral palsy, with sections focusing on spasticity, athetosis, ataxia, rigidity, tremor, and mixed types of cerebral palsy; (3) epilepsy, including information on types and manifestations of seizures, drug therapy, and first aid; (4) autism; and (5) learning disabilities. Appendices provide essays on treatments for epilepsy and theories on causes of autism. An extensive glossary for developmental disabilities, includes definitions of commonly used general special education terms, professional jargon and difficult to understand statements, frequently used abbreviations, and categorical areas of impairment. A list of journals available to parents, a bibliography, and a key to clinical abbreviations conclude the manual. (AYC)