Over the past 15 years there has been a growing interest in the application of systemic family therapy approaches, methods and techniques to problems encountered by those living with learning disabilities and their social networks. As reports of success in this area increase, however, it is clear that this marginalized group of people continue to suffer from a lack of a ‘theory of failure’. In order to overcome this deficit, a review of the literature as at December 2010 forms the basis of such a paradoxical description, welcoming those living with learning disabilities into a family therapy tradition.