: having a physical or mental impairment (such as mental retardation, autism, cerebral palsy, or spina bifida) that becomes apparent shortly after birth or during childhood and delays, limits, or prevents progression of normal development (as in language, learning, or mobility)
Group homes, some for developmentally disabled children and others for dependent and neglected children, occupy the middle of the continuum.—
Mary-Lou Weisman, Atlantic, July 1994 The agency is a defendant in 15 class-action lawsuits, ranging from problems with foster care to failing to help the developmentally disabled.—Douglas C. Lyons, Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Florida), 24 Apr. 1999
developmental disability
noun
Autism spectrum disorders are developmental disabilities that cause substantial impairments in social interaction and communication, as well as unusual behaviors and interests …
—Southern Alumni Magazine, Spring 2009
In short, a child has a developmental disability if he has an impairment of function that affects his daily life—his ability to learn, to communicate, to have adequate mobility, to take care of himself or to engage in normal play behaviors.
—Lybi Ma, Psychology Today, July/August 2002
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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