Developmental disabilities

Developmental Disabilities

Developmental disabilities are a group of conditions due to an impairment in physical, learning, language, or behavior areas. These conditions begin during the developmental period, may impact day-to-day functioning, and usually last throughout a person's lifetime.

Pronunciation

De-vel-op-men-tal Dis-a-bil-i-ties

Etymology

The term "developmental disabilities" is a combination of two words. "Developmental" comes from the late Middle English word "development", which refers to the process of developing or being developed. "Disabilities" is derived from the Latin word "habilitas", meaning ability. The prefix "dis-" is a Latin prefix meaning "apart" or "away".

Related Terms

• Intellectual Disability
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Down Syndrome
• Cerebral Palsy
• Fragile X Syndrome
• Phenylketonuria
• Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
• Spina Bifida

Definition

Developmental disabilities are chronic disabilities that can be cognitive, physical, or both. The disabilities appear before the age of 22 and are likely to be lifelong. Some developmental disabilities are largely physical issues, such as cerebral palsy or epilepsy. Some individuals may have a condition that includes a physical and intellectual disability, for example Down syndrome and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

Causes

Developmental disabilities can be caused by a variety of factors, including genetics; parental health and behaviors (such as smoking and drinking) during pregnancy; complications during birth; infections the mother might have during pregnancy or the baby might have very early in life; and exposure of the mother or child to high levels of environmental toxins, such as lead. For some developmental disabilities - such as fetal alcohol syndrome, which is caused by drinking alcohol during pregnancy - we know the cause. But for most, we don't.

Treatment

While there is no specific cure for developmental disabilities, early intervention can often help improve a child's development and quality of life. This intervention may involve speech and physical therapy, along with certain medications.

External links

• Medical encyclopedia article on Developmental disabilities
• Wikipedia's article - Developmental disabilities

This WikiMD article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.

---

Languages: - East Asian 中文, 日本, 한국어, South Asian हिन्दी, Urdu, বাংলা, తెలుగు, தமிழ், ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, မြန်မာဘာသာ, European español, Deutsch, français, русский, português do Brasil, Italian, polski