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

Nineteen of the Tahoe Park cafe’s 21 employees have mental, physical and/or developmental disabilities. —Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 13 June 2024

Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disability that causes people to communicate, interact and learn differently from neurotypical people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). —Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 July 2024

Since 2018, the Big Umbrella Festival has consisted of multi-sensory, interactive and engaging artistic experiences spanning the entire campus through performances, installations and workshops tailored to welcome people with autism and other developmental disabilities. —Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 4 July 2024

In 2008, Bill Morris, who runs a recycling company in Colorado, saw men with autism and other developmental disabilities skillfully taking apart electronic devices. —Joseph Shapiro, NPR, 8 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined above

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