Developmental disability

A developmental disability is a disability that starts when someone is very young and limits progress with the developmental milestones that mark different ages of childhood and the transition from childhood to adolescence and then to adulthood.^[1] The result is that the person has a mental age that's lower than their chronological age.

Some examples of developmental disabilities are:

• Autism
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
• Down syndrome
• Cerebral palsy
• Dyspraxia
• Learning disabilities such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia
• Fragile X syndrome
• Intellectual disability
• Fetal alcohol syndrome

Developmental disabilities can make some things harder. Some people can't speak out loud. Some people need extra help learning how to read. Developmental disabilities can be mental or physical or both. Sometimes developmental disability can be diagnosed when someone is young. For example, if a child has trouble walking, they might have a developmental disability. Sometimes developmental disability isn't diagnosed until later. For example, some autistic people are diagnosed as adults. They were still autistic as babies, but it is hard to tell sometimes.^[1]

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Autistic Self Advocacy Network (21 April 2020). Welcome to the autistic community. ISBN 978-1-938800-08-5. OCLC 1193567469.