What is a Developmental Disability?

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), cerebral palsy and Down's Syndrome are three of the most common examples of developmental disabilities. Although autism, cerebral palsy and Down's Syndrome, are common developmental disabilities, an innumerable variety of developmental disabilities exists. Developmental disabilities are generally used to describe life-long impairments that are attributable to mental and/or physical disabilities.

Developmental disabilities are given a variety of definitions depending where it's used. Terms such as learning disability, cognitive disability, intellectual disability, mental retardation and mental handicap are all synonyms typically used for developmental disability.