The concept of nursing diagnosis and the relevance of individual diagnostic terms from the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA) (1992) Classification Taxonomy 1-Revised are discussed in the context of learning disabilities nursing. The NANDA system of nursing diagnoses was implemented at an adult training centre with a client group who had a severe or profound learning disability. The diagnostic terms used to describe the phenomena found in everyday practice are identified. Due to the inadequacy of the NANDA term impaired verbal communication, a new nursing diagnosis, impaired non-verbal communication, is suggested. A method of recording nursing practice is used which shows client outcomes through diagnostic modifiers (a modifier denotes a change in the nursing diagnosis) over measured time periods. The value of a generic classification of diagnoses is demonstrated in a systematic approach to learning disabilities nursing practice.