Developmental Disability Defined
WHAT IS A DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY?
A ‘developmental disability’ is a severe, chronic disability of a person that:
* is attributed to a mental or physical impairment or a combination of mental or physical impairments;
* is manifested before the person reaches the age of 22, unless the disability is caused by a traumatic head injury and is manifested after age 22;
* is likely to continue indefinitely;
* results in substantial functional limitations in three or more of the following areas of major life activity: (1) self-care, (2) receptive and expressive language, (3) capacity for independent living, (4) learning, (5) mobility, (6) self-direction, or (7) economic self-sufficiency;
* reflects the person’s need for a combination and sequence of special interdisciplinary or generic care, treatment, or other services which are of lifelong or extended duration and are individually planned and coordinated,
OR
* when applied to children from birth to 4 years of age, may be evidenced as a developmental delay.
SOME EXAMPLES OF A DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY: autism, cerebral palsy, Downs Syndrome, or individuals with differing degrees of mental retardation, just to name a few.
