This article reviews recent advances in the "new genetics" and shows how such advances affect special education. Focusing on Williams, Fragile X, Prader-Willi, and Down syndromes, it notes how etiology-related cognitive-linguistic profiles and propensities to distinct personalities and behavior problems point the way to specific,…

This address examines the future of biobehavioral science and the opportunities and pitfalls it holds for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Examples of recent advances in genetics and neurosciences are discussed, as well as opportunities that these advances hold for understanding the effects of the environment on…

Much of our thinking about contemporary social problems reflects tacit presuppositions regarding the operation of heredity and environment in human behavior. These beliefs have important implications for practical decisions. Advances in genetics, psychology, anthropology, and other disciplines have contributed much to a clarification of the…