Developmental Disabilities

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics
• Genetics

See, Play and Learn

• No links available

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Patient Handouts

Summary

Developmental disabilities are severe, long-term problems. They may be physical, such as blindness. They may affect mental ability, such as learning disabilities. Or the problem can be both physical and mental, such as Down syndrome. The problems are usually life-long, and can affect everyday living.

There are many causes of developmental disabilities, including:

• Genetic or chromosome abnormalities. These cause conditions such as Down syndrome and Rett syndrome.
• Prenatal exposure to substances. For example, drinking alcohol when pregnant can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
• Certain infections in pregnancy
• Preterm birth

Often there is no cure, but treatment can help the symptoms. Treatments include physical, speech, and occupational therapy. Special education classes and psychological counseling can also help.

NIH: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Start Here

• Children with an Intellectual Disability (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry)
• Developmental Disabilities (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Facts about Developmental Disabilities (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)
• What Are Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDDs)? (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Developmental and Behavioral Screening Tests (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Developmental Monitoring and Screening (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF - In English and Spanish
• How Do Health Care Providers Diagnose Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDDs)? (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish
• Why Act Early if You're Concerned about Development? (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• What Should I Do if I Think My Child Has an IDD? (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish

Living With

• Caring for a Person Who Has Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Dental Care Every Day: A Caregiver's Guide (National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research)
• If You're Concerned - Act Early (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Overview of Early Intervention (Center for Parent Information and Resources)
• Physical Therapy (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Sexuality and Intellectual Disability (American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities)
• Speech-Language Therapy (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)
• Taking Your Child to a Therapist (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• What Is a Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician? (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Angelman Syndrome (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
• Developmental Dyspraxia (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
• Facts about Intellectual Disability (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Intellectual Disability (Center for Parent Information and Resources)
• Learning about Cri du Chat Syndrome (National Human Genome Research Institute)
• Williams Syndrome (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

Genetics

• 15q13.3 microdeletion: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• 16p11.2 deletion syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• 16p11.2 duplication: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• 16p12.2 microdeletion: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• 17q12 deletion syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• 17q12 duplication: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• 19p13.13 deletion syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• 1p36 deletion syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• 1q21.1 microdeletion: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• 1q21.1 microduplication: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• 3p deletion syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• 3q29 microdeletion syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• 3q29 microduplication syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• 5q31.3 microdeletion syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• 7q11.23 duplication syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• 9q22.3 microdeletion: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Acrocallosal syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• ADNP syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Alpha thalassemia X-linked intellectual disability syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Aminoacylase 1 deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Angelman syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Aspartylglucosaminuria: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Bannayan-Riley-Ruvalcaba syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• CASK-related intellectual disability: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• CDKL5 deficiency disorder: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Cerebro-facio-thoracic dysplasia: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• CHOPS syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Christianson syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Coffin-Lowry syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Coffin-Siris syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Cohen syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Cornelia de Lange syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Costello syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Cri-du-chat syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Developmental and epileptic encephalopathy 1: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Distal 18q deletion syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Donnai-Barrow syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Emanuel syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• FG syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• FOXG1 syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Fragile XE syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Genitopatellar syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• HIVEP2-related intellectual disability: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• HSD10 disease: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Jacobsen syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Kabuki syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Kaufman oculocerebrofacial syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• KBG syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• KCNK9 imprinting syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Kleefstra syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Koolen-de Vries syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Lowe syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Lujan syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Mabry syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• MBD5-associated neurodevelopmental disorder: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• MECP2 duplication syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• MED13L syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Microcephaly-capillary malformation syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Monoamine oxidase A deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Mowat-Wilson syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Mucolipidosis type IV: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Neurodevelopmental disorder with or without anomalies of the brain, eye, or heart: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Ohdo syndrome, Maat-Kievit-Brunner type: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Ohdo syndrome, Say-Barber-Biesecker-Young-Simpson variant: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Pallister-Killian mosaic syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Partington syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Pitt-Hopkins syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Potocki-Lupski syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• PPM-X syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• PPP2R5D-related intellectual disability: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• PURA syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• RAB18 deficiency: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Renpenning syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Ring chromosome 14 syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• SATB2-associated syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Smith-Magenis syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Snyder-Robinson syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• SYNGAP1-related intellectual disability: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Tetrasomy 18p: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• VACTERL association: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• White-Sutton syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Williams syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• X-linked intellectual disability, Siderius type: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Xia-Gibbs syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Yuan-Harel-Lupski syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Developmental Disabilities (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Intellectual Disability (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: LUNCH-Lung Ultrasound for early detection of silent and apparent aspiratioN in...
• Article: Creation and evaluation of full-text literature-derived, feature-weighted disease models of genetically...
• Article: How paediatricians investigate early developmental impairment in the UK: a qualitative...
• Developmental Disabilities -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Also in Spanish
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Angelman syndrome (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Developmental coordination disorder (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Developmental Monitoring and Screening (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF - In English and Spanish
• Intellectual disability (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish