developmental disability

noun

plural developmental disabilities

: any of various conditions (such as autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, blindness, or fragile X syndrome) that usually become apparent during infancy or childhood and are marked by delayed development or functional limitations especially in learning, language, communication, cognition, behavior, socialization, or mobility

Two to three babies in 1,000 have cerebral palsy (CP), making it one of the most common developmental disabilities.

—Melanie Howard

Autism is a complex developmental disability that affects how a person communicates and relates to other people.

—Braema Mathi

developmentally disabled adjective

developmentally disabled students

Examples of developmental disability in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

It was started by a group of parents who were looking for inclusive support for family members with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the 1970s, a time when the go-to solution was institutionalizing disabled people. —Grace Donnelly, AJC.com, 6 Feb. 2026

Cupertino City Council narrowly approved an agreement to develop affordable housing for adults with developmental disabilities, after an hours-long discussion that pitted a dire housing shortage for disabled adults against a slate of concerns over parking, traffic and legal issues. —Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2026

Hofius was the executive director of North Star Child Development Center, a Couer d’Alene nonprofit that provides developmental disability services to people covered by Medicaid. —Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 30 Jan. 2026

In all, 20 apartments will be designated for tenants with intellectual or developmental disabilities, and Favarh will provide on-site staff to provide support. —Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 22 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for developmental disability

• ability
• agility
• civility
• debility
• docility
• ductility
• facility
• fertility
• fragility
• futility
• gentility
• hostility

Kids Definition

developmental disability

noun

: any of various conditions (as autism, cerebral palsy, or intellectual disability) that are marked by delayed or impaired development (as in learning, language, or mobility)

developmentally disabled adjective

Medical Definition

developmental disability

noun

: any of various conditions (as autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, blindness, or fragile X syndrome) that usually become apparent during infancy or childhood and are marked by delayed development or functional limitations especially in learning, language, communication, cognition, behavior, socialization, or mobility

Two to three babies in 1,000 have cerebral palsy (CP), making it one of the most common developmental disabilities.

—Melanie Howard

Autism is a complex developmental disability that affects how a person communicates and relates to other people.

—Braema Mathi

developmentally disabled adjective

developmentally disabled children